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 stain protectors 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. Most covers 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. Hot water will set stains.
• To prevent staining and odors. 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. I feel it is the key to rash-free cloth diapering.
• 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 perfume, dyes, 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

* Use only approved detergents for your laundry machine.