Cleaning diapers using a laundromat...

[Greenlea]

We recently moved into an apartment without a washer/dryer in our home. There are 3 washers and 2 dryers in the basement of the complex.  They cost $1.50 to wash and $1.50 to dry.

When I had my own washer & dryer I would do a hot rinse, then a wash, then a cold rinse. But doing that in my apt complex with a dry is going to cost me $6.00 every 3 days or so for one load of diapers! I use pre-folds with Thirstie covers.

Does this sound like a normal amount of money for washing diapers this way? I could get sposies for cheaper than this I think.  

[alaskanmomma]

I think if you're cloth diapering for the financially benefits, that yeah, sposies will be cheaper than a coin-op laundry :(

[LightForest]

I've always used coin op machines with my CDs. My "trick" is to rinse then wring out the poopy ones before washing. As gross as it sounds, we rinsed them in the bathtub (of course we plopped as much as possible into the toilet first). Just got a diaper sprayer for this new baby on the way and I'm pretty psyched! I used flushable liners in her diapers as much as possible which negated the need for rinsing once the poops were more solid (if she'd only had more predictable poops that would have been much more effective!).

I recommend getting a pair of dish washing gloves for this rinsing task .

I used mostly flats because they wash up so easily (being one layer and all), but I have prefolds and some cotton fitteds as well, and I've never had any trouble washing in a single hot wash using coin-op machines. I just can't justify the expense of multiple wash loads. If that's you're only option then I'd consider paying for a diaper service!

[Greenlea]

I didn't think I'd need to do too much of a pre-wash if baby is EBF right? Cuz its water soluable...  So I'm mainly worried about the rinse after the wash.  I know the pre-folds are easy to clean / dry, I have a few AIO's that have never dried easily for me though.  

I guess I'll try pre-washing them with a sprayer in the toilet and leaving out the after rinse and see how it goes.

[Vaske]

In that situation, we just scraped the poop off into the toilet, and put everything in the diaper pail.  We only washed twice a week, but that wasn't a problem.

We did one cold wash cycle and then one hot, with a small amount of detergent each time.  For the hot wash, we put half a cup of vinegar in a Downy ball, to be released in the rinse cycle.  Then we did one dryer cycle, and hung the slightly-damp diapers on a rack to finish drying.  For us, it was only a little cheaper than disposables, but it was an easy way for us to save a couple of dollars per week, which adds up over time.

[chel]

Will you have top loaders? I never did multi washes with a top loader.

I second the flats and liners suggestions.

Have you tried hand washing the covers?

Line drying might work.

[Greenlea]

They are top loaders, yes. 

I have washed my covers by hand in a bind, but I have enough of them to where I'm not worried about needing to wash them more often than the diapers, and they don't take up much room added to the diaper wash.

I could line dry when needed, yes. But not outside. I have a fold-able clothes dryer in my apartment I will use.

[akcowgirl]

Using a top loader I never did more than one run through. I just washed on heavy duty with hot water and never had any issues.

[Ola_]

I have a top loader at home and do a cold rinse, then hot wash (just a regular wash cycle). I've never done an extra after-wash rinse cycle and haven't had issues, so I'd definitely try it if I were you. I know it can depend on the water where you live too. FWIW we use pockets w/ microfibre inserts and cotton fitteds, I think with just prefolds you should have lots of flexibility in your wash cycle unless it's super hard water.

And frankly if you are rinsing out poop beforehand I think you can skip the pre-wash rinse cycle no matter the kind of poop. I'd definitely get a sprayer if you don't have one, I like to spray until all the poop is gone from the diaper (well, as much as possible anyway). This has worked for me through EBF, formula, and solids feeding. If you really feel like you need an extra rinse after once you've gotten started, take a look at the different wash cycles available. I know for my top-loader at home the heavy duty cycle has an added rinse at the end (though I don't use that cycle for diapers).