This is what I give to my customers on how to wash and what to use:
Different factors affect your diaper laundry, such as your water quality (its hardness or softness), what detergent you use, what cycles you choose, what temperature your water heater is set to, and how you wash your other laundry, but the most important factors are choosing a safe detergent and rinsing thoroughly. I open my washer during the second rinse cycle to make sure that there are no more bubbles. If there are, rinse some more, and use less detergent next time. Do not go longer than three days between washings to prevent stains or stink from setting in.
Here is my no-fail wash routine that will work for almost all diapers:
1. Dump solid poop into the toilet and then spray off any remaining solids with the Diaper Sprayer and put in the diaper pail. You can squeeze the diaper a little so it doesn’t drip all over the place, but don't wring it out.
2. On laundry day, start with a cold prewash. (If you don't have prewash, just do a short wash and skip the rinse.) The idea of the cold prewash is to remove any solids so that the main hot wash can do its job most effectively, and to prevent staining.
3. Then wash on the longest and hottest cycle with one quarter to one half of the manufacturer’s recommended amount of approved detergent.
4. You can either do an extra rinse or another cycle on warm or hot. During the last cycle, check to see if there are still bubbles in the water. If there are, you need to rinse some more.
5. Dry on medium heat, or hang dry. Try to hang dry your covers for longest life.
What are the approved detergents?
Your diaper detergent needs to be free of enzymes, optical brighteners, fragrance, dyes, stain guards, and essential oils. All of these ingredients can cause problems for your diapers or your baby's skin, and they are not always listed in the ingredient list on the back of the detergent. You can call the manufacturer to ask, but here is a short list of approved detergents:
• Mountain Green Baby Free & Clear (I have this in my store.)
• Allens Naturally
• Charlie’s Soap
• Country Save
• Sportwash/Sensi-Clean
• Seventh Generation Delicate Care
Some manufacturers allow other detergents, but these are the ones they all agree are safe.
Why can’t I use Tide or Dreft or natural soap or whatever I am currently using?
Tide, Dreft and other mass-market detergents contain those additives that don't rinse out of the diapers and build up over time. This buildup eventually causes the diapers to stop absorbing and start leaking, and will void any manufacturer warranty. Natural soaps also cause buildup.
Can I use fabric softener on my diapers?
No! Fabric softener will make your diapers repel instead of absorb. If you think your diapers are stiff, toss some dryer balls in the dryer with them, or use a little white vinegar in the rinse cycle.
What can I do about stains?
If the manufacturer allows it, you can use free and clear oxygen bleach to your hot wash. Also, you can hang it to dry in the sunlight (on the dashboard of your car works well) - the UV rays are an effective stain-remover.
Can I use regular chlorine bleach?
If the manufacturer allows it (and currently only bumGenius! does), you can use a quarter cup of bleach in the hot cycle for tough stains or odors. BumGenius! only recommends this once a month.
How do I wash my new diapers for the first time?
New diapers need to be “prepped” before they will work properly. Natural fibers like cotton, hemp and bamboo contain the plant’s oils that will interfere with absorbency and must be removed before using the diaper. To prep new diapers made of cotton, hemp or bamboo, wash them four times on hot before use. They will get even more absorbent over the next six to eight washes. Diapers made of microfleece, suedecloth and microfiber only need to be washed once before use. Read this for more information.
Can I wash the diapers with my regular laundry?
If you are willing to wash your laundry with the same detergent and same method as your diapers, the n it is fine. I would do the cold prewash with just the diapers and then add the laundry for the main wash.
Do I have to use hot water?
Many people have success using cold water only, but I have not tried it.
My diapers smell like ammonia. What can I do?
Buildup of ammonia salts from your baby’s urine is causing the smell. Try adding half a cup of plain white vinegar to your prewash.
My diapers smell bad when the baby pees on them, or my diapers smell faintly of poop even when they’re clean.
There are two possible causes: you aren’t using enough detergent, or you are using too much and have detergent buildup. To find out which is the problem, put the diapers in the washer on hot with no detergent. Check it during the wash cycle – if there are bubbles, you are using too much detergent and will need to strip your diapers. If there are no bubbles, you were probably not using enough detergent.
How do I strip my diapers?
Wash the diapers repeatedly in the hottest water possible with no detergent until you don’t see any more bubbles. Some people add a tiny squirt of regular blue Dawn dishwashing liquid or RLR or Calgon softener. It helps to turn the water level down to the level of the diapers to get more agitation, which helps beat the residue out of the fabric.
