Storing and Washing

What do I do with my cloth diapers until wash day?

If there is poop in the diaper, dump it into the toilet. If some is stuck,
you can either scrape off with a spatula (mark it with a permanent marker
so it only gets used in the bathroom), you can dunk the diaper in the toilet,
or sometimes I flush the toilet and let the water rush over the soiled part
of the diaper, and this usually removes most of what needs to be removed.

Breastfed babies poop is water soluable – so no need to dunk. Just put the diaper in your pail following the directions below.

POCKET DIAPER pull out the insert, lay it in the shell of the diaper and toss into your wet bag or diaper pail.

All in One DIAPER unsnap the soaker and toss the soaker into the wet bag or diaper pail. If the cover is not soiled you can just let it air dry and use it again later.

FITTED DIAPERS and PREFOLD diapers, just toss them directly into your wet bag or diaper pail.

If your diapers have APLIX CLOSURE – make sure you fold the tabs down so they don’t catch other diapers while in the wash.

What do I do with my diapers on wash day?

On wash day, toss all of your diapers and your wet bag (turn it insideout first) into your washing machine.

First, run a cold rinse. This will rinse out the diapers and get rid of anything that was left on the diapers.

Now for the washing part – wash your diapers using a RECOMMENDED DETERGENT. Please check and follow the MANUFACTURERS WASHING DIRECTIONS to ensure you are washing at the correct temperature. Set your machine for a double rinse. This will ensure that all of the soap residue is removed from your diapers. Soap residue/build-up can cause a number of issues with your diapers. The best way to avoid these issues – is to wash properly from the start.

Drying your diapers – To ensure the long life and best performance of your diapers, please check and follow the MANUFACTURERS DRYING DIRECTIONS.

What about stains? Sun is the ultimate stain remover! I have had the best luck sunning my diapers in my front window. After washing the diapers, I lay them in the afternoon sun for a few hours and miraculously, they return to their natural colour.

This is the routine I have always followed and it has worked very well for me.

A special note about front load washing machines. ... We love them because they are easier on our clothes, and they use less water! Part of the challenge with the “less water” part of the front loader is that diapers need a bit more water than our regular laundry. I have found that using the DELICATE setting on my front loader has worked very well for me. The delicate setting adds more water into the machine for the wash part of the load – thus getting the diapers cleaner than the regular setting.

Once everything is dry I try to stuff my pockets, put together my AI2’s, stack my inserts, liners and wipes and then put everything into a bin that sits on the BOOKSHELF in my daughters room. Notice I said “try”... this whole routince does take time and effort (as does all laundry), so sometimes it gets done, and sometimes I just toss everything in the bin and grab what I need as I go!

How long between washes?

I rarely let my diapers sit dirty for longer than 48 hours.
This is a personal preference of mine.
I have 3 kids, so I do laundry nearly every day anyhow.

Many people have enough diapers to last a week and prefer
to do laundry only once per week, and this works well for them.

I'm sure you will find a system that works for you too!