As a parent I used cloth diapers for 9 years - yes you read correctly, nine years of diapering. So when I say that I have washed, dried and hung on the line numerous loads of cloth diapers you can believe it!
Detergent and care questions are the most common topics clients ask about. We will chronicle in detail some relevant information for parents so you can make a wise detergent choice for your family and establish a solid wash routine for your diaper products. When you make an investment to use cloth diapers, having the right tools and understanding how to care for them is important.
Location and subsequent water hardness may cause your routine to differ slightly from others, but the general guidelines can be followed by everyone. If a particular situation warrants some adjustment to your routine, there is always the ability to tailor it to your needs.
In this first article of a multi-part series on diaper care and detergent, I am going to provide some updated care instructions and some diaper “don’ts”. I want to try to simplify things for you while still giving all the information you need!
The most common questions we get asked by our clients are: "How do I wash cloth diapers? Isn't it hard to do?" The routine itself couldn't be simpler. We'll start at the beginning and share all our dirty diaper laundry secrets!
What do I do with soiled and dirty diapers?
Place wet or soiled diapers into a dry diaper pail with baking soda sprinkled on the bottom to help absorb odor. Baking soda does an amazing job of keeping your pail smelling fresh. Make sure any solid waste in the diaper has been put into the toilet, place the diaper in the pail and lay the lid on top. Wet diapers can be placed in the pail as is taking care to remove any disposable liners if you use these products.
If breastfeeding you don't need to rinse the diaper off but if you wish to, simply put on a pair of rubber gloves and rinse the diaper in the toilet, squeeze out excess water, and place in the diaper pail. A pail liner can be used inside your diaper pail if you prefer. You would dump all the diapers in the pail liner into the wash and place the pail liner in to be washed as well.
Another tip to eliminate odor in your diaper pail is to attach a small square of fabric with tea tree oil or grapefruit seed extract on the lid. Carbon filters also do a great job of eliminating odor.
Make sure you wash often enough - no more than 2 days between wash cycles are recommended. The longer wet/soiled diapers sit, the more opportunity for bacteria, mould, and other organisms to develop.
What's the best wash routine for my cloth diapers?
A cold or warm(preferred) presoak, hot wash and cold rinse is the most common recommendation. The cold or warm temperature presoak can prevent stains from setting into diaper fabric. You may want to do an extra rinse to ensure all detergent is completely out of the diapers. Proper rinsing will reduce detergent residue or build up.
If using a detergent recommended specifically for cloth diapers, use the amount indicated in the detergent instructions taking into account the degree of water hardness/softness in your location and the number of diapers being washed per load.
If you have hard water, you may need to slightly increase the amount of detergent used.
By the same token, if you have a water softener installed in your home you may need to decrease the amount of detergent used compared to the manufacturer recommendations.
If using a mainstream detergent, reduce the recommended amount by 1/2 to start especially if it’s a concentrated variety. If any suds remain in the machine, rinse again until there are no suds in the washing machine drum.
You can either line dry (most eco-friendly) or dry diapers and inserts in the dryer as per manufacturers' recommendations.
Cloth diaper care "don'ts"
When using today's modern cloth diapers, there are things you shouldn’t do when caring for them. You want to protect your investment in the products and maintain your safety.
Do NOT use fabric softeners, dryer sheets or detergents with fabric softeners in them. These items cause build up and leaking. Even if you do not use these products with your diaper laundry but use them with regular laundry, they can leave deposits in both your washing machine and dryer by coating the interior drum. These deposits can transfer onto cloth diaper products and cause repelling and leaking.
No bleach or whitening agents as use of these could damage products and void manufacturer warranty.
No vinegar or baking soda should be used in the wash. Vinegar can change the pH of your water and possibly damage elastic. Baking soda can settle into fabric and cause build up. If using baking soda in your diaper pail, dump it into the toilet, rinse out your pail and do not place it in the machine with your cloth diapers.
Do NOT use the sanitize cycle on your washing machine for cloth diapers. The water temperature on this setting is too high and can damage Aplix or Velcro closure tabs, snaps and elastic. You may be able to use it for cotton prefolds or certain insert material like microterry inserts. Check manufacturer recommendations prior to using the sanitize cycle on your washing machine but it is generally not recommended due to the extreme temperature.
Do NOT boil your diapers. This will damage the elastic and possibly the polyurethane laminate in your diaper products. Boiling diapers will void product warranty.
Do NOT wash diapers in the dishwasher as this is an extreme fire hazard.
Our next article in this series will discuss the science behind detergent, which varieties are cloth diaper friendly and local detergent sources (in Humboldt and Saskatoon).
Stay tuned for more great information!
Baby Luv Boutique
http://www.babyluvboutique.com
(306) 682-5746
1-866-231-5135
No comments:
Post a Comment