Diaper Care: Prepping, Storing and Washing

One of the biggest questions about using cloth diapers is how to take care of them.  This is an obvious concern, as the proper care of your diapers can increase their longevity, and if you're hoping to use them for more than one child, this can be very important.  So once you've figured out how to 

What Needs to be Done to "Prep" Diapers?

If you have diapers that are made of synthetic fabrics such as suedecloth, microfiber, fleece, etc there is no actual prepping that is needed for them (this includes most pocket diapers). They are good to go right out of the package. So, for these you can give them a quick wash to get the shipping ickies off them, and you are good to go! However, if you have diapers that have natural fibers such as cotton, hemp or bamboo, these need to be "prepped" in order to strip them of their natural oils. You want to do this prepping on their own, and not with your other diapers to avoid getting the oils on other things.  

To prep natural fibers, wash on hot 5-6 times (and dry between each) or boil them (however, do not boil anything with PUL). They will probably be absorbent enough to use after the first few washes, and you can use them before that, but just keep in mind that they will continue to get more and more absorbent the more you wash them.  If you are in doubt whether or not they have been prepped enough, take the insert and pour a little water on it. If it absorbs into it, then you are probably good. If it beads up and rolls off at all, more washing may be needed. However, keep in mind that if the liquid does not soak immediately into the fabric this does not necessarily mean that the diaper has not been sufficiently prepped or repelling, as when the diaper is on your baby's bum, the pressure causes the liquid to soak into the fabric. 

Where to Store Until Wash Day?

Back “in the day” many people used what is called a “wet pail,” where the diapers sat in a pail of water until wash day. However, it is now known that this actually promotes bacteria growth and is a drowning hazard with small children around. Therefore, it is recommended to use a “dry pail” method. This includes things such as a pail with a liner or a large wet bag.  Just toss the diapers in there until you wash them. Some like wet bags that zip, or pails that have an airtight lid. Others feel that an open pail helps to air out the diapers and prevent stink issues. 

Personally, we used a tall, plastic white garbage can - purchased from Target - with a Planet Wise pail liner.  We also have wet bags for when we are out and about or for day care to use to store the diapers.  

How Often to Wash?

Most people aim to wash their diapers every 2-3 days.  Some people like to wash every day, especially if they have a smaller stash of diapers.  However, it is not recommended to go any longer than 3 days between washing to avoid stink and ammonia build-up, along with mold and other ickies. 

What to do with POOP?

If you are exclusively breastfeeding or formula feeding, this is an easy answer. Simply toss them in your pail until wash day, as the poo is water soluble and will wash right out. Easy peasy! However, once your baby has started solids it does get a little trickier. Some options to get the poop out of the diaper before throwing in the washer include scraping (some like a spatula kept in a caddy next to the toilet), plopping solids into the toilet, or spraying them off with a diaper sprayer.  All of these will work, and personal preference will determine which is best for you. 

My daughter was mostly formula fed as a baby, so her poop was a little thicker than a baby who only ingests breastmilk.  Sometimes I sprayed it off, sometimes I didn't - I didn't find this affected our wash routine much at all.  Once we started food, though, I was very happy to have a sprayer attached to my toilet.  We used the Bumgenius sprayer, and Blueberry Diapers also has the FLO sprayer available.  Both easily connect to the tank of your toilet, has an on/off handle and multiple levels of spray strength. Hold the diaper in the bowl, spray it off, and you're done. Into the pail it goes! 

What Detergent to Use? 
One of my favorite cloth diaper resources is It's the Cloth that Counts blog, from the lovely people over at Abby's Lane, my favorite online diaper (and other fun stuff) retailer.  Whenever I need help with my cloth, I usually hit up the blog, although I have been to known to email the owner (Stephanie) and received really great advice.

To start the conversation of which detergent to use, I will point you to two OTHER resources out there, which have charts of a wide variety of detergents, rating how safe they are for cloth diapers.

Pinstripes and Polka Dots Detergent Choices

Diaper Jungle Detergent Chart

And now I will give you my recommendation.

I use Tide Original Powder.    

If you read through those charts, you will see that Tide is NOT recommended for cloth.  Except it is.  If you check out this post from ITCTC, a number of commercial cloth diaper manufacturer's actually recommend Tide.

My personal experience is this.  I used to use Rocking Green, which is rated highly for being cloth diaper safe.  I was never able to get my diapers truly clean with RnG - out of the dryer, they'd smell, which you never want to have happen.  So I switched to Tide powder and I've been a happy camper since.  I have never had smell issues, I've never had any issues with repelling (one of the big concerns out there for certain detergents), and I used Tide for nearly three years my first go around with cloth.

Sometimes the issue of detergent is not just an issue of the detergent, but also an issue of what kind of water you have.  Hard water, soft water, this all impacts your wash routine, so you might have to play with your routine to figure it all out.

What Wash Routine?

This is definitely something that is a personal preference, and depends largely on your washing machine, type of water (normal, hard, soft) and what detergent you are using. Another thing to note is that many diaper brands and stores will send you wash information specific to the diaper, so always default to that first. 

As a general rule of thumb, this is what most people's wash routine looks like...

1. Throw diapers into the washer
2. Turn the pail liner or wet bag inside out (helps so that it doesn't fill up with water and unbalance the washer) and throw it in as well
3. Warm rinse, pre-wash or light cycle
4. Hot wash - I use a full scoop of Tide - don't skimp on the soap, as your diapers might not get fully clean.  Using too much soap CAN lead to build up issues, but if you do an extra rinse and don't have lots of bubbles in the end, you're probably fine.  I usually go somewhere between the 2-3 line on my Tide scoop and it has served me well.
5. Extra warm or cold rinse

How to Dry Them?

This is also somewhat of a personal thing and will depend on the type of diapers that you have. In general pre-folds, fitteds and inserts can all be thrown in the dryer and tumble dried. Other things with PUL (waterproof material) or aplix/velcro such as covers and shells tend to be a little more finicky. In order to extend their life, line drying is preferred. However, it will not hurt them to be tumble dried on low, especially in a pinch. It should be noted that many people don't like the "crunch" that the diapers get with line drying and tumble all of their diapers on low with no issues at all.

I go back and forth on drying in the dryer - I usually default to the dryer because I'm lazy.  When I'm being good, though, I have a standing drying rack on which I dry my pocket shells or any covers.

What About Stains?

SUN! The sun is your best weapon when it comes to dealing with stains in your diapers. When wet put your diapers out on a line to dry in the sun or set them on a sunny windowsill. As long as they smell clean, they most likely are clean and the stains are just cosmetic. However, if the stains still bother you some people have had some luck with stain products such as Bac-Out. Just make sure that you rinse really well so that the enzymes in these sprays don’t irritate your little one’s tush!  

Is that All?

As you can see there are some general "rules" for the care of your cloth diapers, but just like anything else with cloth diapers (finding a good fit, stalking WAHMs) it is an art and not an exact science.  If you have particular diapers that you are wondering about or are having trouble with, make sure to look at the instructions for that particular diaper brand. They may be helpful, and will at least keep you from doing something that they strictly do not recommend! 

In general don't let it overwhelm you. It may be a lot of trial and error in the beginning, but it really is easy once you have your own personal routine nailed down. 

Navigating the Foreign Language of Cloth: The ABCs of CDs

If you are just starting out with cloth diapers, you may find yourself on some cloth diaper message boards and websites where everyone around you seems to be talking in a completely foreign language!  What are all these abbreviations and terms that are whizzing past you?  

Here is a pretty extensive list of some things that you may come across...

AIO - All-in-One

AI2 - All-in-Two

Aplix - brand name of hook & loop, same as Velcro

BV - Bamboo Velour 

BB - Blueberry diaper 

BG - BumGenius diapers

EUC - Excellent used condition 

FB - FuzziBunz diapers

FS - For sale

FSOT - For sale or trade 

FTO - For trade only

FUC - Fair used condition 

GM - Goodmama diapers

GMD - Green Mountain Diapers

GN - Gender neutral

GUC - Good used condition

HH - Happy Heiny diapers

Hook & loop  - generic term for Velcro or Aplix

ISO - In search of 

KL - Kissaluvs diapers

KL0- Kisssaluvs size 0 

OBV - Organic Bamboo Velour

OS - One size diaper

PF - Prefold 

PPD - Postage Paid

PUL - Polyurethane laminate - waterproof material used to make diapers/covers 

RaRz - Rumparooz 

RnG - Rockin' Green (detergent)

Rock a Soak - Doing a soak in Rockin' Green (often overnight)

Sbish - Sustainablebabyish - manufacturer and seller of wool items and cloth diapers

TPU- Thermoplastic Polyurethane (similar to PUL)

VGUC - Very good used condition 

WAHM - Work at Home Mom

Navigating the Foreign Language of Cloth: Cloth Diaper Types

First - in ANY CDing situation, you need two things - something absorbent, and something waterproof that will keep the diaper from leaking.  Those are the basics.  Here are the different types of CDs, starting with simplest to more complex/convenient.

Flats

These are large, single layer sheets of cotton that you fold up into different configurations (think origami!) and then fasten them to your baby with pins or a Snappi.  They are not waterproof (require a cover).  

Pros: The cheapest option out there, especially because you only need to change the cover if it gets soiled with poo - hence don't need many covers. Easy to clean and they dry very quickly.  
Cons: Require a little bit more effort than some other options, and can take longer to put on a squirmy baby. Can be bulky. Not necessarily an easy option for daycare providers or other people who may be taking care of your babe. 

Prefolds (PFs)

Think your old fashioned big square of cloth - used to be fastened with pins.  In fact, this is likely what most people envision when you excitedly tell them you are going to cloth diaper your baby!  These are similar to flats, except they are prefolded in the middle, so as to aid absorbency, and you wrap them around your baby, securing with a pin (not super popular, but some people do use them) or with these things called snappis (similar to the fasteners that you can use with ace wrap bandages).  Another option is to tri-fold the PF and lay it in a cover.  This is the absorbent part, so you'll need something waterproof to keep any wetness from going everywhere - used to be rubber pants, no longer.  There are a wide variety of different types of covers you can use - some are super adorable.

Pros: Super cost effective
Cons: Can be tricky to get the various folds right or comfortable for you, two pieces - can be a little annoying/cumbersome

Fitteds 

Fitteds are made entirely of absorbent, natural fiber materials such as cotton, bamboo, or hemp, and they are in the shape of a diaper already (as opposed to having to fold a flat or PF into a diaper shape).  Like flats and PFs, these are also just the absorbent part, but the big difference is the shape - a fitted diaper is FITTED in the shape of a diaper.  Fitteds often come with snaps, so you don't have to worry about pins or snappis, but it is ONLY the absorbent part - you'll need a cover (see link above for examples) to keep from getting everything wet.

Pros: Easy with snaps, less work than a flat or pf, the overall absorbency (the entire diaper) makes this a great nighttime option
Cons: Still requires a cover, can sometimes take a while to dry, can be bulky

Pocket diapers 

We are moving into diapers with increased convenience - pocket diapers, which are a very popular choice, and looks and functions with the same level of ease as a disposable diaper.  A pocket diaper is a washable, reusable diaper with two parts:

1. A waterproof outer layer (PUL) with a synthetic stay-dry inner layer (microfleece, suedecloth, etc.)
2. An absorbent insert, which can be made of microfiber, cotton, bamboo, hemp, etc.

This is the first one-piece diaper - whereas with the flats, prefolds, and fitteds, you needed a cover to make it absorbent, with pocket diapers, the exterior is waterproof, so you don't need an extra cover, and you stuff the absorbent inserts into the shell.  These can be pretty convenient - once they are stuffed, you don't have to do anything else, just grab it and throw it on the kid.  You usually have your choice of velcro or snap closures - super easy.    Velcro is a popular choice because you can get a really personalized fit on your baby, super easy for all users.  Snaps are also popular as they tend to last longer than velcro (which can pill up, get fuzzy, lose it's stickiness overtime), as well as they tend to be tougher to escape from once those little hands get a little more skilled.

Pros: Customizable - if you need more or less absorbency, you just add it or subtract it, super easy once they are stuffed (ie once they are clean, stuff them all right then) - just grab one and go - as easy as a disposable diaper, you don't need a separate cover, tend to be trimmer than other options  

Cons: Some people dislike having to stuff, some babies are sensitive to the synthetic stay-dry material lining the interior of the diaper (suedecloth - used by Bumgenius - tends to be the one that SOME babies are sensitive to)

All-in-ones (AIO) 

What the name implies - all in one piece.  These come with a waterproof exterior, with the absorbent part of the diaper already sewn in and does not come apart.

Pros - Super convenient for those who may not want the extra step of stuffing a pocket diaper or folding prefolds
Cons - Can take a really long time to dry, and unless they have a pocket to add extra absorbent material, you can't customize it to your needs (ie if you have a heavy wetter and need more padding.

All-in-twos (AI2) 

Also what the name implies - two pieces, but all in one package - often has a snap-in pad or something that is your absorbent material, with the waterproof exterior.

Pros: easy, can reuse the shell (sometimes) if it isn't messed on
Cons: can lack the complete customization of other systems (ie needing more absorbency)

Inserts

These are the absorbent material that is inserted into the opening in pocket diapers. In many mainstream cloth diapers, this is a rectangular, multi-layer piece of microfiber. Microfiber is a very thirsty synthetic fiber that quickly pulls liquid into it. It should only be used in a pocket diaper and not directly against baby's skin, as it can dry out and irritate the skin.  Hemp, cotton and bamboo are also used for inserts. These are often slower absorbing, but particularly hemp and bamboo can hold more liquid in general than a microfiber insert of the same thickness. Therefore, it can be a trimmer and more absorbent option, along with being a natural fiber.  Many people will double up with a hemp or bamboo insert topped with a microfiber insert in a pocket diaper for night time use.  

Covers

This is the water proof part - you put it over diapers that don't have a water proof barrier built in - so this would be used with flats, prefolds or fitteds.  Covers are generally made of one of these three materials...

PUL:  Synthetic waterproof covers that usually have snaps or velcro and are a very trim cover option. Rarely leak and you only need a few covers, as you can re-use them between changes if they are only wet. 

Wool: A natural fiber that is breathable and keeps baby's bum cool.  Very popular for use at night over fitteds, though many also use it during the day. When lanolized they are effectively waterproof and require very minimal washing (do not have to be washed after each use).  Can be quite expensive, but upcycled (made from other wool items such as sweaters) instead of newly knitted wool covers, shorties and longies are a more affordable option.  Have to be hand-washed separately from your other clothes and diapers. 

Fleece: A cheaper alternative to wool that is also quite breathable and soft. Has to be washed after each use, but can be machine washed. Can have compression wicking when pressure is applied and can retain odors.