SweetPeas Cloth

Cloth Diapering Care

First things first, WASH those diapers!!!

• Washing your new diapers:
  • Wash all new diapers before first use.  Covers, pockets, all-in-ones, and inserts only need to be washed once.  Organic products and prefolds should be washed 5-8 times in hot water to reach maximum absorbency.  This will help remove natural oils from the cloth to allow the fabric to absorb properly.
• Washing your soiled diapers:
  • Wash your diapers on cold with detergent (I use my prewash setting) to remove leftover "yuck" from your diaper.
  • Wash your diapers again with detergent in hot water with a cold rinse.
  • Tumble dry on low or hang dry
• Detergents to use:
  • I highly recommend and personally use Charlies Laundry Soap.  Its all natural and gets my diapers clean while using very little of the product.  Another really good product is Allens Naturally and Vaska.  These are excellent choices for cloth diapers.
• Detergents to avoid:
  • Avoid free and clear detergents.  Never use detergents with enzymes, fabric brightners or whiteners, fabric softeners, or detergents with scents.  This will almost always leave a residue on your diapers causing them to leak and eventually ruin them.
• What to do if daipers stink:
  • Try an extra rinse, some detergent residue can cause "diaper stink".
  • wash once with 1 teaspoon of liquid dawn.  Rinse well.
  • If diapers still smell, try 1/4 cup of bleach in warm/hot wash cycle
  • Keep in mind using bleach can void warranties from cloth diaper companies so check with the invididual manufacturer of your cloth diaper.
• Stained diapers:
  • The best way to remove stains from your diapers is the sun.  Wash your diapers as usual and lay them out in the sun for a few hours.  If there is still some staining try the process again.
• Leaking diapers:
  • Make sure to change your baby every 2-3 hours to prevent a leaky diaper.  If your baby is a heavy wetter add an extra insert.  Check the sizing of your diaper to make sure its not too big or too small for your baby.  Your diaper could also be leaking due to residue buildup from using the wrong detergent.  Make sure you are washing your diapers in a recommended detergent for cloth diapering.
• Storing soiled diapers:
  • Store all wet and soiled diapers in a DRY diaper pail (I use a flip top trash can with pail liner).  Newborn dirty diapers can go straight into pail,since they are water soluble.  They wash up extremely well in the washer with a cold prewash followed by a regular cycle.  Dirty diapers containing solids need to be shaken off into the toilet.  If pieces remain you can use a diaper sprayer to remove the leftover "yuck" and throw into diaper pail.  YES, ITS THAT SIMPLE!  If your on the go, I recommend a wet bag and follow these same steps and wash when you get home.  I recommend washing diapers every 2 days to cut back on diaper pail odor.  If you still feel your pail liner stinks you can try adding a few drops of lavender oil to your liners tag to eliminate the odor.

These are some general guidelines for washing and caring for your diapers.  Please keep in mind that SweetPeas Cloth can not be responsible for the washing of your cloth diapers.  These are simply general suggestions, you should always check with the maker of your cloth diapers for specific washing guidelines.  If you still have questions or there is anything you are unsure about please contact me.