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Daily Use & Care: It's easy as 1-2-3!
After changing baby's diaper, separate the absorbent insert from the diaper pocket or remove the prefold diaper from the diaper cover. Store wet and soiled diapers in a dry pail. Many parents like to use a Rubbermaid trash can with a flip top lid lined with a reusable liner, or a Hanging Diaper Pail. There is no need to rinse soiled diapers prior to washing. The solid waste of older babies can be removed by gently shaking the diaper over a toilet.
On wash day:
(Washing every other day and not more than 24 diapers/inserts at a time ensures they get clean)
*Turn diaper totes or pails inside out and add all diapers into washing machine. Set washing machine to largest load setting.
*Run a COLD rinse or soak with 1/4 the amount of suggested detergent.
(This will remove any leftover solid waste and send it out to the sewer plus adding the detergent at this point will ensure that it gets completely rinsed out).
*Wash on HOT water cycle/cold rinse (do not add more detergent).
*Hang diapers to dry or tumble dry.
(Modify washing routine if needed based on recommendations of individual cloth diaper manufacturers).
Detergents to use: You can use just about any brand of detergent, just be sure to use 1/4 - 1/2 of the recommended amount. The amount you use will depend on how hard or soft your water is. Hard water seems to need more detergent. Some natural detergents will leave an oily residue on the diapers, so these are generally not recommended as well as detergents that contain enzymes (these will eat away at your diapers). Some good ones are Allen's Naturally (recommened by many cloth diaper manufacturers), 7th Generation, Ecover, and Cheer Free. Avoid pure soaps, baby detergents, fabric softeners and bleach.
Tea tree essential oil can be added to the wash cycle to help with cleaning cloth diapers. It smells great and has wonderful antimicrobial properties. Just add 2-3 drops to your wash load. Baking soda can help neutralize odors and aid in the removal of extra detergent buildup. Just add 1/4 cup or less to your first cold rinse/soak. Tip - don't add anything to your diaper wash routine unless you need to. The simplier you keep it the better.
Initial Use - Preparing New Diapers:
Before using your new diapers, please follow these important directions. All cloth diapers, covers and wipes should be washed on Hot with a Cold rinse and dried at least once before initial use. Wash with 1/4 - 1/2 the amount of suggested detergent. Dry your PUL lined diapers (bumGenius, Happy Heinys) in the dryer on High heat the first time to help seal the PUL. Bummis Diaper Covers can be tumbled dry on low heat or hung to dry. Inserts and wipes can be dried in the dryer on normal heat.
Before using the unbleached natural prefolds, any hemp diapers (Joey Bunz Hemparoo) and Organic Cotton Velour diapers (Little Beetles) for the first time you will need to prepare them for use. Meaning, you need to remove any natural wax from the fabric and make them absorbent. Be sure to wash these diapers separately initially until the natural wax is removed. The prefolds arrive very flat - don't worry! They will fluff up beautifully after washing and drying a few times. Wash on HOT with some detergent (1/4 -1/2 the normal recommended amount). Then, tumble dry on normal to high heat. Repeat this process 3 times (Wash, Dry, Wash, Dry, Wash, Dry). Test for absorbency by pouring some water onto the diaper. If the water absorbs readily into the diaper - your diapers are ready to use. If the water stays on top of the diaper (repels) then you need to do some more washes until the absorbency test works. Hemp diapers may need up to 8 washings before they reach maximum absorbency but check after 3 washings as they may be ready to use at this point. No need to waste water since they will just get more absorbent with each use thereafter.
Diaper Maintenance:
Some Moms call it "stripping" but we like to call it diaper maintenance. You will only need to do this every now and then or as a preventative measure in taking care of your diapers to prolong their life. Run all diapers through a plain HOT water wash. Run another HOT wash with the full recommended amount of detergent. Use a good detergent like Allen's Naturally, 7th Generation or Ecover. Optional: Repeat step one. Run a COLD rinse. For those with hard water, you may want to add a water softener to the rinse such as 1/4-1/2 cup baking soda or Calgon Water Softener to soften your water and release extra detergent. If there are still bubbles in your rinse, run another COLD rinse. Sun dry your diapers or tumble dry on low. This process helps remove any extra detergent residue that has built up on your cloth diapers. Diapers made with synthetic fabrics tend to need more "diaper maintenance" vs. the diapers made with natural fibers (cotton, hemp).
We have also found that oxi-clean does a great job at stripping diapers. Let your diapers soak overnight in hot water with several scoops of oxi-clean, then wash until no bubbles are present.
**Remember - no fabric softeners and no rash creams (unless it's an all natural cream like Baby's Bottom Butter). For other rash creams, just put a liner on top of your cloth diaper to protect them from staining or damage.
"Stinky" Hemp Help: Some may never encounter this problem, but since hemp is a natural fabric it can sometimes hold in odors. If this happens: Wash in HOT water with no detergent. You can add 1/3 cup baking soda & 1/4 cup vinegar. Do this a few times until no soap remains in the wash water. To help avoid any further "stinkiness" use baking soda on a regular basis in your wash routine.