Tutorial Tuesday: Washing your Cloth Diapers

I remember being SO excited when my first cloth diapers came. I was also SO mortified that I was about to destroy them by choosing the wrong wash routine.

Like many new cloth diaper moms, I spent hours upon hours researching cloth diapers and talking about them on Diaper Swappers. I had bookmarked at least 15 different wash routines but they were all just that--different. I was afraid to put a cloth diaper on Monkey because I didn't know what to do once it was soiled.

I think it took me a week to finally buck up, let her pee and poop in them, and then put them through their first true wash cycle.

I learned a few things and have tweaked my cloth diaper washing routine two or three times since starting.

Many of you who read this blog are cloth diaper moms--if so, I'd LOVE to hear your wash routine

Many of you are not cloth diaper moms because you are afraid of the wash routine--if so, list your questions or concerns and we'll try to answer them!

and, many of you are just not in a diapering stage right now (lucky you!) so you can ignore this post :-o

I thought about taking pictures for this tutorial but basically you'd just see a pile of diapers in a washing machine for every stage...which isn't too exciting. So, here goes my Tutorial Tuesday, sans pics!

1. I like to SOAK my diapers for a good long while.
   
2. I typically wash my diapers every three days.
   
3. I keep them in a wet bag for two days and then, on the third day, dump them in the washing machine with COLD water and 1 tsp of Jenny's Simply Clean (JSC) Detergent. I've tried LOTS of detergent but Jenny's Simply Clean is my fave. I don't mind Tiny Bubbles-- it does about the same job as JSC--but I love the scents that JSC comes in!
   
4. I start the Pre-Wash cycle which allows my diapers + detergent to agitate in the water and then just sit and soak
5. As Monkey goes through her diapers on the third day, I'll add them to the wash and swish them into the water so that they can soak, too.
6. I like to wait until she is down for bed before I start washing them. That way, I can wash nearly all of her diapers at once and just have one dirty one in the morning (her nighttime dipe!)
7. When all the diapers are soaking in the pre-wash, I start boiling a BIG POT of water (4-6 gallons) on the stove and also get my hot water kettle ready to boil (1.7 L). I think my washing machine gets hot but I like it to get REALLY HOT to sanitize the diapers
8. While the water is boiling, I finish the Pre-Soak which basically just agitates the diapers + detergent for a bit longer. (Soaking and spinning your diapers in cold water before washing ensures that most of the yucky bits stuck on the diapers are gone by the time you start really washing them)
9. Once the water is boiling and the diapers are finished with their pre-wash, start a HOT/COLD cycle (I like to put it on the longest agitation setting just to get it good and clean!) and add 1 tsp of Jenny's Simply Clean in the washing machine.
10. While the hot water is filling the washer, USE EXTREME CAUTION and add the boiling water into the washing basin.
    
11. Sit back and let the washing machine do its thing.
    
12. Once the basic wash is finished, run one or two more extra rinses, using COLD water. Even though we used just a small amount of detergent, you want to ensure that there is no detergent residue left on the diapers!
13. Since we live in an apartment and never have the option of sun-drying our dipes, I just hang the covers (we use mainly pockets--I don't like drying anything with PUL) over our kitchen chairs and throw the inserts into the dryer on High Heat (another sanitizing step!). If you do have the option of sun-drying your diapers, perhaps doing a wash during the day is better for you!

That's it! By the time I wake up in the morning, the diapers and inserts are dry and ready to be stuffed and worn for the next three days!

PS, Kelly, from Our Lincoln Log, and my co-Tutorial Tuesday wonder-mom, recently started her own online cloth-diaper store business! You can visit her store, "Baby, Naturally LLC" and order lots of great diapers and even the Jenny's Simply Clean detergent I talked about!

Additionally, Kelly is vying for recognition through the program "Shine a Light" which shines a light on small-business, community-run companies. Check her store out here and consider endorsing her! She needs 50 endorsements just to be considered...