Let's talk washing...

[BethyM99]

the most confusing part about cloth in my opinion is all of the different ways to wash. It's amazing how the same thing works great for some and terribly for others... so tell us, what is your biggest washing tip? Lessons you learned the hard way?

[ravingcutie]

Put xtra water in a front loader, & do extra rinses. I do a bunch of different washing routines.

Oh, sun & lemon juice get rid of stains!

[MiaPia]

The main thing I learned the hard way is that when people say you only need 1-2 TBLS of detergent they *mean* it! Too much detergent + not enough rinsing = stinky, repelling diapers!

[danaTCT]

i agree with mia. i use drops of detergent for a whole load and sometimes still have suds after 2 rinses. i usually do a second wash and rinse just to make sure i got them all out. stinky dipes are the pits

[pmcgary]

What tips do you have for these?

My dd has had bms in hers and they stink even after washing the same as my other diapers. :mur

They were rinsed well at the pool and washed when we got home by hand in the sink and then went through the wash with a load of diapers.

One of these swim diapres was in its very first use. (It was a Target clearance-- has a terry inner lining) :bang

[marnie]

pam: i've had a similar nothing-gets-the-stink-out diaper situation. i washed and hung out to dry in the sun. brought it in that night and put it right back in the sun the next day. did the same on the 3rd day and that evening the stink was gone.

[twouglyducks]

Hmmm... well, I've found that I need to use more soap to get rid of stinkies b/c of our hard water. I do a cold wash/rinse cycle with nothing but diapers in there. Then add some tea tree oil and about 1/4c or maybe more of detergent and do a hot wash/cold rinse. Then into the dryer. :)

[danaTCT]

sometimes using sport wash really helps get stinks out. you could try that. or yes, you might need to use more detergent at first to make sure you get the dipes really really clean, but you usually need to follow up with many rinses. here is my routine
cold soak, wash and rinse
HOT soak, allow to aggitate to see if there are suds, add detergent, wash and cold rinse and cold rinse
one more hot wash and cold rinse for good measure, unless there are still suds in which case we wash and rinse until they are all gone.

i seriously use drops of detergent, no more than a tsp i know that. i use tide free, or sport wash.

[Quinlonsma]

i throw in a cup of vinegar.

hth

[CheekyMamaof2]

Ive also heard that white vinegar is magic.

[jmo]

I use my washing machine as a wet pail a few hours before washing the diapers - just let them soak, maybe w/ some baking powder in the water.

Wash on hot w/ a couple of drops of Tea Tree Oil and a tbsp or 2 of Shaklee Liquid L. Some vinegar in the rinse.

I've read of some mamas who leave off the detergent and only wash diapers in baking soda and maybe a couple of drops of TTO. They say they have *no* stinky diaper problems anymore. It's a great idea!

[Angela_hk_n_knit]

Ok... What detergents are "safe" for cloth diapers?

And how do you wash you wool soakers? Do you wash them the same as your cloth diapers? Or do you wash them separate?

Angela

[pmcgary]

i have yet to hear a good answer to the question about safe detergents to use...at least not with "brands"....I have always used a "free and clear" although i have also read that they aren't "safe" and I did ruin 3 cover that should have been washed only in "powdered" detergent. I can't for the life of me figure what is different between a Free and Clear product and their reg. other than the obvious removal of perfumes and dyes...which I wouldn't think would neg. affect their ability to clean a diaper....Maybe there is a chemist here who knows something I don't.

Anyway, regarding soakers...they require more gentle care....I wash mine about every 2-3 weeks --- usually less as they tend to get a spot of pooh on them...Hand wash in lukewarm water with Eucalan (special wash for wool. NOT woollite) Doesn't require rinsing....I let them soak a bit and then I roll them in a towel to dry (don't wring them) They should be laid flat to dry - and I always keep mine away from direct sunlight.

[ravingcutie]

Repeat after me: No wool in the washer! No wool in the washer! It felts and becomes tiny! Dh threw one in once, luckily it was an ugly one, and I was almost *grateful* I didn't feel obligated to use it anymore.

[CheekyMamaof2]

So, I think ive got my washing routine figgered out. Ive tried almost everything and all the advice that i can find and heres what works for me...
Tide with bleach, regular full load amount and 2 rinse cycles. *shrugs*
I dunno...I tried, vinegar, diapers smelled like pickles. I tried little soap, diapers didnt get clean. I tried baking soda...seemed to make diapers less absorbent.
So now, after a month of doing my new routine, it finally works for me. :D

[pageta]

We had a stink problem recently. Usually I do two complete wash cycles with the soap in the first one. I did an extra complete cycle after the other two and our stink problem was gone. So essentially an extra couple rinses did it.

Sport wash or Sensiclean are generally the best because they do not use residue. There is an expose on why that works over at diaperware.com - I'll let you read it there. In a nutshell, there are not brighteners or cover scents that cause build-up on your fabric. So that's what I use most of the time - both on the diapers and on our clothes. I also occasionally use Dawn because I've heard it works well to strip diapers and I like being able to squirt the soap instead of having to pour it into the lid to measure it and then getting soap all over my hands.