Washing Cloth Diapers

(See Pocket Diaper Washing Instructions At Bottom Of This Page)

Wash in warm or hot water on normal cycle, an extra rinse may be necessary. Tumble dry on medium heat or line dry.

All cloth diapers will become more absorbent after they are washed and dried a few times.

NOTE: Unbleached fabric will need to be washed and dried up to 5 times before it is primed. Do not use bleach, fabric softener or any laundry detergent that has optical brighteners, stain protectors or fabric conditioners in it. These products will leave a waxy build-up and lower the absorbency of the diapers.

Do and Do Not - Washing Tips

Do

• For safety reasons, only use a pail with a locking lid.
• Follow the manufacturer's washing and care guide.
• Diapers will need to be washed and dried a few time priors to use to reach their maximum absorption ability. Non treated fabric may require a few more washings.
• Diaper covers can be aired to dry in-between uses, unless it is soiled or smells of urine.
• Covers should be washed separate from diapers to extend the life of the cover. Rinse stool off the soiled diaper covers as soon as possible. Most covers can be washed with other clothes unless they have special washing instructions such as wool covers. Always follow manufactures care guide. Covers made with PUL can hang to dry in a short amount of time.
• To prevent Velcro™ or hook and loop closure diapers from tangling and reduce the lint build-up in the tabs, Be sure to fasten the fold back tabs prior to laundering. Do not fret if you forget to fold the tabs back. Simply use the fine end of a comb to clean out any lint that may get in there.
• To help prevent staining rinse the soiled diapers in COLD water.
• Diaper liners can help prevent staining and provide for easier cleanup.
• It is recommended that ¼ to ½ of the suggested amount of laundry detergent be used. 
• Use an extra rinse cycle. Set your washing machine to an extra rinse cycle or if your machine does not have an extra rinse setting, you can manually move the dial to the rinse cycle. Add ¼ cup of white vinegar to the first rinse. If your washing machine does not have a rinse dispenser, you can use a fabric dispenser ball.
• By using an extra spin cycle after washing a load of diapers, it will reduce the drying time up to 25%. Adding a dry towel to the dryer will decrease drying time even more. Line-dry diapers to save on drying cost. The sun will naturally disinfect and will remove some stains. If diapers are a little stiff, put them in the dryer for 5 minutes to fluff up the fabric.
• Turn All-In-Ones, Pull-On Pants and all training pants inside-out prior to laundering.

Do Not

• Do not use fabric softener because it leaves a waxy coating on the fabric, which will reduce the absorbency and may cause rashes.
• DO NOT USE CHLORINE BLEACH- Chlorine bleach is hard on fabric and prematurely breaks it down. It will also irritate your baby's skin causing rashes.
• Do not use laundry detergents that contain optical brighteners, fabric conditioners, chlorine-bleaching agents, or any stain guard ingredients.
• Do not use buckets without a lid locks to soak your diapers. Children can drown in as little a ½" of water.
• Do not use high heat or over dry All-In-Ones.

Other Important Laundering Tips

Washing Tiny Tush Pocket Diapers

To Ensure Complete Cleaning of Your Tiny Tush Pocket diapers

• Wash Tiny Tush pocket diapers using the highest water levels in your washer. For a normal size washer you will probably be able to wash 20 to 24 diapers on the highest water level. It is important that the washer is not overloaded and the diapers will be able to circulate normally throughout the wash and rinse cycles.
• You may wash Tiny Tush pocket diapers in any water temperature. Normally washing on hot or warm and rinsing on cold will achieve the best results.
• DO NOT use the sanitize wash cycle on as it will prematurely break down the elastic.
• Use 1/.3 - 1/2 of the recommended amount of detergent. Using to much detergent produces buildup which is the single most common cause of most odor and leaking problems. Buildup can also cause rashes.
• Avoid using detergents with optical brightener, fabric conditioners, as they can create a buildup on the fleece causing leaks.
• Effective detergents for washing Tiny Tush pocket diapers are Charlie's Soap, Sensi-clean, Allen's Naturally, Planet 2X Ultra Laundry Detergent Standard and HE, Planet Ultra Powder Laundry Detergent Standard and HE compatible, Planet Ultra Liquid Laundry Detergent, Mountain Green Free and Clear Baby Standard and HE, Nellie's All Natural Laundry Soda Standard and HE, Purex Free & Clear, and powder regular Tide, Country Save and plain Arm and Hammer WASHING Soda.
• Dry Tiny Tush pocket diapers on tumble dry medium/low heat or hang dry. Do not dry clean or use bleach. Allow the pocket diapers to completely cool prior to stuffing and using.

Any detergent residue will affect the performance of any diaper products!

If you need to repair your diapers from coating/residue repeat the following process twice:

• Turn your pocket diapers inside out.
• Wash using hot water with 1 Tbs. of Dawn dish soap* (original blue formula), ½ cup baking soda and ½ cup vinegar. In the wash allow to soak for 10-15 minutes.
• Add ½ cup vinegar again in first rinse cycle. Use plain water in the second rinse cycle.
  
•  Run a second wash using only hot water. If you would like to omit Dawn dish soap you will need to repeat this process twice.

Do not use fabric softeners as they usually leave an oil coating on clothes. This will coat the fleece causing leaks. If dryer sheets are used in your dryer for other laundry, they will coat the inside of your dryer and your diapers.

Other tips:

When choosing an insert for your pocket diaper you will want to allow ½ inch on both sides so the insert can lie inside properly preventing leaks.

Avoid using diaper creams. If you find that you need to use a diaper cream you should use a barrier such as disposable diaper liners to prevent staining of the diapers..