One of the worst nightmares of using cloth diapers is washing them. But it’s not a difficult as it might sounds at first.
Many feels cloth diapers mean you have deal with extra laundry! Despite the fact using cloth diapers can contribute to the environmental welfare and helps your baby from stay away from rashes and they are soft and cute.
However the curtness will not be help full when the laundry is filled with smelly diapers. For some people who are squeamish you can leave the diapers to diaper cleaning services but they might price you. The best and most cost efficient ways to do it is by washing it yourself.
In order to wash cloth diapers some parents use complicate methods to wash cloth diapers that includes various detergents, liquids and various wash cycles. But to be honest wash is not a rocket science. In this blog I am going to explain you the simple and easiest way to wash cloth diapers.
Things to be noted
Before jump to the steps to wash diapers there are certain things you should note.
First is known what type of detergent and water you are using to wash the diaper. The reason is if you are choosing hot water to wash some detergent might be effective in hot water. Therefore it sis recommend to know about the water type and detergent.
Second is choosing a right detergent that suits well with the diaper is important. Some Hard soaps and detergent might end up spoiling the fabric of the diapers.
Make sure you select the right detergent which is free from extra enzymes if you need to extend the life of the diaper.
Steps to wash the cloth diapers
Step 1: Get the Pee and Poop off the diaper
First thing is to remove the Poop of the diapers. Breast feeding baby oops are watery and they are water soluble therefore you can directly dip the diaper on pil or bucket. On the other hand if your baby is ready to take solid foods most like their poop will be bit more solid. In this case don’t just dump them directly into the pail or whatever you are using. Instead remove the waste content into the toilet before tossing to the diaper into the pail.
Note: If you concern about washing the poop then you can get a diaper liner. These liner have thin porous which holds the solid dirt. Some liner is disposable and some can even be flushed.
Step 2: Washing
First step of washing is cold wash, Wash the diapers in the cold water and add some little detergent and wash it well. If you are using machine then dump the diaper in the washing machine and run it in a clod cycle.
If the first wash is done now add some detergent and now the wash in cold water or run in the hot water cycle. If you wish you can also add some baking soda to boost the cleaning.
Step 3: Drying
The final steps are to rine and dry the diaper. Each diapers has the different set of drying methods if you are using machine most of the diaper air dried while some can be easily dried in low setting.
Note: Some diaper like all in one diapers takes long time than pocket diapers to dry.
One the best and effective e method to dry cloth diapers is to dry it up in sun. Because sun is the good strain fighter drying in sun can make your cloth feel fresh and provides less stain.
Stop using Fabric Softeners in diapers
Cloth diapers and fabric softeners won’t mix up well. These fabric softeners might spoil the diaper life. If you want to extend the life of cloth diaper it time to say good bye to fabric softeners.
How often should you wash the diapers?
It is best advice to wash the diapers in one day or may be two more than that will make stain in the diapers and start to stink. Ensure you wash the diapers every one or two days.