washing new prefolds

[macha10]

hi all. I am extremely new to CD. Just bought my first prefolds yesterday. I understand you have to wash them 6-8 times to increase absorbancy. Stupid question...should I dry them between washings? Or can I just throw them back in the washer as soon as the cycle is done?

Also, I read conflicting info on what to wash them with. Is 7th generation baby detergent ok?


Thanks in advance for any help. I am really excited to get started!

[PatchChild]

I washed through twice, then dried, washed twice, and dried again. At that point, they were plenty absorbent for use. They do just keep getting softer and softer. A friend just washed them with her sheets and towels for the month before babe arrived.

[Mrs-Mama]

Are they bleached or unbleached? Unbleached takes 6-8 washes, but bleached only takes 3-4. I usually wash-wash-dry, that way I still get the dryer to help with the quilting but don't waste so much energy just to wash them again. Also, I like to add a stockpot of boiling water to the hot wash to speed things up.

As for detergents, there is a lot of information out there. What works for one person will not work for the next, although prefolds are among the easiest to care for since they're all cotton . Check out http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.co...entchoices.htm and http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/resou...orclothdiapers for lots of great info on detergents.