Cloth Tutorial

Intro -- Glossary -- Fabrics & Fasteners -- Cloth Care -- Frequently Asked Questions

Caring For Your Cloth

You figured out how to get the diaper on the baby. Then the baby did what babies do best. Now what?

Diaper Pail - Pails are available in lots of different sizes and with different features. Being exceedingly cheap, we use an industrial size plastic tub that once contained laundry detergent. An airtight lid will keep most odors contained.

There is debate in the cloth diapering community as to whether a pail should be "wet" or "dry". Wet pails contain water in which soiled diapers soak until laundry day. Dry pails are just that.. dry. If you use a wet pail, be sure that it is away from your family! Any level of water (even an inch) is a drowning hazard for your children! Also, do not use bleach in your pail. A few tablespoons of baking soda will help control any odor.

Dunk or No Dunk? Your grandmother will tell you about dunking, swishing, and wringing dirty diapers in the toilet or sink (eww) after baby pooped. But is the dunking ritual really necessary? Some Moms don't mind the dunk while others flatly refuse. It's really a matter of preference. Dunked diapers probably stain less and make for a cleaner diaper pail and washing machine. Un-dunked diapers may need an extra rinse cycle and may be a little stinkier in the pail. Breastfed baby poop is thin and washes easily. You may choose to avoid the dunk while the baby is still primarily feeding on milk and start to dunk when solids are introduced or stool becomes more substantial. It's up to you!

Stain Removal - Never use bleach on your cloth diapers. Bleach will quickly break down the fabric and ruin your diaper stash. Oxiclean has been reported to be effective, but use judiciously as too much can also begin to break down fabric.

A great natural stain remover is the sun! Simply lay your diaper in a sunny spot and watch stains disappear. You'll hear Moms refer to this as "sunning" their diapers. If you live in an area where a sunny day is rare or you're snowed in, most staining will eventually wash out on it's own. Another stain preventer is the use fleece liners. Solid waste won't stick to fleece which is great protection for your diapers. Disposable paper liners are also commercially available.

Rash Ointments - It's fine to use common rash ointments while using cloth diapers. However, some ointments such as the brand Desitin contain Cod Oil. This can sometimes react with your wash water during laundering and leave your diapers smelling like dead fish. Eww! If you find this to be a problem, plain zinc oxide (available in any drug or grocery store) works just as well without the fish oil.

Cloth Diaper Washing Instructions - CLICK for printable version

Prewash new diapers before use!

You don't need an expensive service to wash your diapers, just a washing machine and detergent! Everyone has their favorite washing routine, but here's the one we use.

• Empty dirty diapers into machine and start a Cold cycle. Be sure that any diapers with Velcro have the "hook" side of the fastener attached to "loop". Loose "hook" tears apart your diapers! Add 1/2 cup baking soda to neutralize odors. Add about a tablespoon of laundry detergent. Do not use fabric softener or bleach!
  
  (Optional Step) We leave the top of the washer open to stop the wash cycle after it agitates and let the diapers soak for about an hour. You can leave overnight if you wish or skip the soak all together.
  
  
• After the Cold cycle, run a Hot or Warm cycle. Hot is preferable as it's the heat that kills bacteria. Use about 1/3 the amount of laundry detergent you'd usually use. Too much detergent will lead to build up on your diapers. Diapers with build up retain odors and are less absorbent. Do not use fabric softener or bleach!
  
  (Optional Step) If you have very hard water, you may want to add 1/2 cup of water softener.
  
  (Optional Step) You can add 1/4 cup of distilled white vinegar during the final rinse to remove build up and neutralize pH. However, some hard water reacts with vinegar and can leave a foul odor. If your diapers are smelly after adding vinegar to your rinse, discontinue.
  
  (Optional Step) A second rinse will help remove extra detergent. We do a second rinse about every 4th washing.
  
  
• Now wasn't that easy? Dry diapers in your dryer or hang outside. It's preferable to hang your diaper covers to dry. Don't use dryer sheets as this will cause your diapers to repel wetness!

Be sure to use a detergent versus a soap (soap causes build up).