What is your washign procedure?

[LDSmomma]

What steps do you take to wash your diapers? Here are my steps:

Wash hot cycle with smallest amount of detergent.

Wash ANOTHER hot cycle with smallest amount of detergent.

Run extra rinse cycle.

Dry.

I've heard I don't have to wash twice, so I'm wondering if I'm wasting detergent. What do you do?

Also, after reading on Dr. Sears's website that adding 1/2 c vinegar to the rinse will help neutralize alkalines in urine or something like that, I"m going to start doing that, too.

[em123]

My routine right now (for prefolds + covers):

1. Cold Prewash with teeny amount of detergent
2. Hot Wash with small amount of detergent and half of a downy ball filled with white vinegar
Sniff! If I can smell anything at all:
3. Hot rinse no detergent/vinegar

I didn't use vinegar when my babe was still a newborn and there is a noticeable difference in softness between his XS prefolds and the size he wears now so I swear by it.

[brookie514]

Here's mine:

Soak overnight in warm water (or for a few hours. If I need them soon I run the washer with no soap instead)

Hot wash with a tiny bit of detergent

Extra cold rinse

Dry

For stains and smells, soaking has been key for me. HTH!!!

[LDSmomma]

Originally Posted by em123

My routine right now (for prefolds + covers):

1. Cold Prewash with teeny amount of detergent
2. Hot Wash with small amount of detergent and half of a downy ball filled with white vinegar
Sniff! If I can smell anything at all:
3. Hot rinse no detergent/vinegar

I didn't use vinegar when my babe was still a newborn and there is a noticeable difference in softness between his XS prefolds and the size he wears now so I swear by it.

So if you don't smell anything, after step 2, you just dry them?

How much is "teeny" 1/4 cup? Tbsp? How much is "small amount" 1/2 c?

[Ruthie's momma]

We use prefolds, PUL covers, and doublers (hemp & microterry). The wet and soiled dipes are stored in a dry pail until wash day. The soiled dipes are pretreated w/ diluted Bac-Out. Every 3 days...

1) Cold wash cycle w/o detergent

2) Hot wash cycle w/ less than 1/2 cup of Country Save

3) Warm rinse

[Juliacat]

Cold short wash, no detergent
Hot heavy wash, normal (but not huge) amount of detergent
Extra cold rinse
Line dry if possible

If the load is really-super-dirty, I'll add extra detergent to the hot wash and then run it through another short cycle with no detergent. I've also been known to use extremely diluted bleach in desperate situations. When I'm at my mom's house, I sometimes use her top loader as a wet pail.

[Mal85]

Ours seems so simple:

One cold wash cycle w/o detergent.
Hot wash with small amount of detergent.
Cold rinse cycle.
Dry.

Quick question a bit off topic... her dipes seem very absorbent. No leaks or anything. We also use her prefolds as burp cloths as needed... Her spit up (and she spits up a lot) doesn't absorb right away. It sits on the dipe and dribbles onto her. Would this be a sign that they are losing absorbency?? I honestly don't remember if they used to absorb spit up better or not so really can't compare. Is spit up just different because of different consistency??

[em123]

Originally Posted by LDSmomma

So if you don't smell anything, after step 2, you just dry them?

How much is "teeny" 1/4 cup? Tbsp? How much is "small amount" 1/2 c?

Yup, if no smell after step 2 I either hang dry out on the line or run them through the dryer.

I don't measure so a teeny amount is just enough to cover the bottom of the cap and a small amount is about 1/4-1/2 way up the line on the cap for small loads! I use arm and hammer free and clear. Sorry I don't have more info than that!

I just did trial and error until I found a system that works for us.