Regular Washing of Your Cloth Diapers

Through our various home trials and tribulations, we have found the washing method that works PERFECTLY for us. For various reasons, you may choose to alter your technique.

As far as choosing a laundry powder/liquid goes, you basically want to make sure it's a detergent and not a soap. Many "natural" laundry products contain soaps or oils & this is not ideal for cleaning diapers. Soaps tend to be too mild and also can deposit a film on the diapers affecting absorbency and causing build-up problems. Most of your "typical" detergents work well for cloth diapers. I've used many detergents with good success. I know people use Wisk, Gain, Amway SA8, Era, Tide, Cheer, Great Value - to name a few. Looking for a product with no phosphates is a top priority . I've found that Wisk HE, and Amway SA8 Laundry Detergent work well for front-loaders.

A word about your diaper covers ~ EXCEPT THE FUZZI BUNZ!!!You do not need to wash your covers after every use. This is how you are able to use only 4-6 daytime covers in each size. If unsoiled, let air and alternate with another cover. Of course, if a cover is soiled(or just smells), fold the flaps over the velcro, and put it in the diaper pail. DO NOT PUT YOUR WOOL COVERS IN THE DIAPER PAIL. THESE SHOULD BE WASHED SEPARATELY IN Cold/Lukewarm Water w/ Eucalan Woolwash. The washing system that I have found to work for me is as follows:

1. Use a dry pail method. You may choose to put a washable liner in your pail (ex. nylon stuff sack). No soaking. For purely breastfed babies, the diaper can be thrown directly into the pail with no rinsing. For babies on solids, you will need to dump feces in the toilet and, if necessary, rinse the excess poo in the toilet. I just hang on to the top of the diaper and flush the toilet. This works well. We also offer the Diaperaps flushable/biodegradable liners to handle "messes" on the go & at home! The Diapers flushable liners are a husband's dream.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN WASHING, Please DO NOT use BLEACH or FABRIC SOFTENERS, ever! The bleach degrades the fibers of the diaper, and the fabric softener affects the absorbency. You can very successfully wash your diapers without these two products.

2. A single wash load really should not exceed 24 diapers for optimal cleaning (this does depend on the size of your washer, too). You can add your diaper covers, liners (fleece), and wipes right into the washer.

3. Start with a COLD wash with detergent(1/4-1/2 the amount recommended on the box or bottle). This initial cold wash keeps your diapers from staining.

4. Then, run a full HOT wash without anything added.

5. That's it! Last, you may want to HANG YOUR BUMMIS & FUZZI BUNZ COVERS TO DRY(this may increase longevity) OR you can dry them on a LOW heat setting in the dryer, with your diapers. YOU CAN DRY YOUR FLEECE COVERS(Polar Babies and Stacinator) WITH YOUR DIAPERS. I must admit, I've been drying my Bummis & Fuzzi Bunz covers on LOW heat in the dryer for a couple years, & they're holding up beautifully.

One additional tip: About once or twice a month, I like to add 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup baking soda to the first wash in the routine. This does an excellent job of removing any detergent buildup in the diapers & keeps all of your fleece products working perfectly.