Environmentally Safe | Trendy Baby Showers

Effectlively Cleaning Cloth Diapers

December 21st, 2009 by author

So, you are tired of filling up the landfills with all those little packages of baby poop, and you really want to be environmentally pro-active and use cloth diapers, but you are still a little nervous about the laundry procedure. This is a common concern being raised by many young mothers who were raised with disposable diapers. You may be surprised to know that cleaning cloth diapers is not as hard or even as gross as you might imagine.

Cleaning cloth diapers formerly involved soaking, bleaching, pre-washing, and air-drying when my girls were little. Cleaning cloth diapers in this manner was quite a bit of work and took a long time. You can still purchase plain, pre-folded diapers and use them with the soft, washable diaper covers which are now available. The previously available cloth diapers are surpassed in quality and absorbancy by the more modern variety of diapers. You can buy one of many all-in-one diaper systems. One such brand is Fuzzi Bunz cloth diapers, which are diaper and cover in one piece, with an optional insert. All the pieces, plus the “wet bag” which is used to hold the soiled diapers until laundering, can be washed together, which really helps simplify the process.

Here’s a step-by-step tutorial for cleaning your soft and natural cloth diapers.

If baby has solid waste, you can simply drop the stool into the toilet and flush it away. It is not necessary to swirl or wring the diaper. Store the wet and/or dirty diapers in a diaper pail or your wet bags until laundry time. Just leave them the way they are, there is no need for soaking. Run the diapers first through a cool water rinse when you are ready to launder. Next, wash the diapers in a hot water wash with detergent. A lot of people feel that soap is better, as it leaves the diapers softer, but soap can also leave an oily residue, which means the diaper will not be as absorbent for your little darling’s bottom. You can experiment with the amount of laundry detergent you use for all your washing needs, not just the cloth diapers. Frequently, manufacturers suggest you use more detergent than is necessary. This can leave irritating deposits on the cotton. One way to see if you can use less detergent is to use about half the recommended amount to see if it is effective for you, and adjust the amount from that point. Follow the hot wash with a cold rinse. Most machines these days automatically use a cold rinse, but check your settings to make sure.

If you’re not sure how much detergent is too much, run the diapers through a second rinse. The rinse water should be clear. During the rinse cycle, if you notice suds, this indicates there was still some residue left in the diaper. Fabric softeners are not recommended for use with cloth diapers. Fabric softeners can reduce diaper efficacy because they leave a coating on the fabric which inhibits absorbancy. There is more chance of irriation and diaper rash and more need to change the baby if your diapers are lose absorbancy.

Cloth diapers can be air dried or dried in the dryer. The dryer does provide softness, but the sun has natural bleaching and disinfecting qualities as well. Each brand is different so make sure the check the laundering instructions which come with your diaper. Fuzzi Bunz diapers recommends using a low setting on the dryer, while some of the others say to use the hot.

Washing soft natural diapers helps preserve the environment and reduces the amount of waste from disposable diapers in landfills. And don’t forget you can and put the baby in your favorite Ellaroo baby carrier and go enjoy your world naturally as well!

Read the rest »