I’ve read a lot of opinions on how to properly wash cloth diapers. Some say use bleach, others say don’t bleach. Some articles insist on HOT water, others say it doesn’t matter.
Here is my simple routine for washing cloth diapers, everything seems to come out clean and stink free and that’s what’s really important isn’t it.
My dirty diapers get stored in a trashcan that is lined with a laundry/duffle bag. I wash the diapers as needed (which means whenever I notice I am getting low or when I decide the dirty ones are stinking up the bathroom). On average, I wash a load of diapers about once every 3 days.
Rather than rinsing out poopy diapers, I start my wash with a pre-wash cycle, cold water with 1 oz (1/8 c) of All Free & Clear 2X concentrated laundry detergent–this is 1/2 the recommended amount of detergent per load. If your washer doesn’t have a pre-wash cycle, use a short wash cycle.
*note–once we start with solid foods, I will have to shake any solid waste from poopy diapers into the toilet before putting them into the diaper pail.
After the pre-wash cycle I set the washing machine to a regular cycle, cold water, with 2 rinse cycles. I then add 1 oz of detergent and put 1 T lime juice in the fabric softener cup.
I originally used vinegar instead of lime juice, but that is not recommended PUL (Poly-Urethane Lamiate) fabrics like the Thirsties cover or for diapers made from synthetic fibers (like fleece). The acid in lime juice helps rinse out all the detergent and disinfects the diapers.
From there, I just drop the diapers into the dryer. Once it gets warm enough, I will be hanging them out on the line to flap in the breeze and bleach out in the sunshine–not to mention that line drying is cheaper than doing it in a machine.
There. That was easy.
