|
|
Information
Memberships and Seals
|
|
Cloth Diaper Care
We send this cloth diaper care sheet out with each order that includes cloth
diapers or cloth diaper covers. Proper maintenance and care of your cloth
diapers will give them a long life, so they may be used for future children or
sold to recoup much of your initial investment!
Preparing your diapers for first use:
In general, after your initial washes, all products need to be dried on
medium to high heat in the drier to seal any needle holes from the manufacturing
process.
All hemp products: Must be washed by themselves in hot water
and a tiny amount of detergent (~1-2 T) 4-5 times to strip natural oils. Hemp
will continue to get more absorbent with each wash, being fully primed after
9-10 washes. Drying between the initial washes is not necessary.
All cotton products: Unbleached
Chinese Prefolds will need to be washed on hot 4-5 times with a
tiny amount of detergent (~1-2 T). They will “quilt up” and become more
absorbent with each wash. Drying between the initial washes is not necessary,
but will assist in getting the lint out (hemp does not lint as much as cotton).
Other cotton diapers require 2-3 initial washes for best results.
Wool: We recommend an initial wash and lanolization for all
wool products. See Wool Care below for process.
Products with PUL and fleece: Diaper
covers, pocket
diapers and AIOs need to
be washed and dried once. Some pocket diapers and AIOs have organic cotton - these products will require additional washing to prepare.
This includes Swaddlebees AIOs, Econappis, and BumGenius Organic AIOs.
Washing your cloth diapers and covers (except wool):
Detergents: Choose a detergent with no fabric softener, no
optical whiteners or brighteners, no enzymes. Do not use chlorine bleach. (there is one exception to this- BumGenius products can be treated once per month with 1/4 cup of bleach in a full load of wash.)
You need to read the labels of detergents you are considering- the fewer the
ingredients, the better! Biodegradable surfactants should be the main ingredient- and preferably the only ingredient. Our favorite and most-recommended detergent is Country Save. It works in a wide variety of water conditions and machine washer types.
We also recommend Allen's Naturally, which is available as liquid or powder.
For monthly maintenance, or anytime your diapers aren't seeming as "fresh" as you would like them, we recommend RLR Laundry Treatment or Country Save Oxygen Powered Bleach.
The key to good cloth diaper maintenance: ADEQUATE RINSING!
Cloth diapers require adequate room to agitate and lots of water to get
clean. Only a very small amount of detergent is necessary- usually 2 tablespoons
or less! HE washers will require less than 1 tablespoon. Fill your washer no
more than half-full, but run it as a full load.
Normal Wash Routine
- Cold rinse or presoak.
- Long warm or hot wash with detergent. (For HE washers, you might want to run 2 short hot washes instead of 1 long)
- Rinse.
- Rinse again.
- Dry in drier on medium-high or line-dry. (*PUL products will need periodic
drying on high heat to regenerate waterproofing)
It is EXTREMELY important that all the detergent is rinsed out of the
diapers. Failure to rinse well can cause your diapers to perform poorly, retain
odor, and in worst case scenarios, irritate your baby’s bottom. While you get
used to caring for your diapers, look in your washer on the final rinse. If
there are ANY suds, rinse again. And again if necessary. If you are rinsing more
than 3-4 times, you are using too much detergent.
When your diapers come out of the washer, they should smell like water. If
they smell unclean, then use a bit more detergent. If they smell like your
detergent, use less detergent and rinse more.
Washing your wool diaper
covers: (this only needs to be done when your covers begin to
retain odor- every 1-4 weeks depending on use and type of wool)
Rinse your wool covers well in cool, running water and gently squeeze out
excess water. This is necessary to remove the urine salts retained on the wool
that dry the fibers and eventually retain odor. Fill your sink with warm water
and add a lanolin-enriched
wool wash. Gently agitate your covers. Apply wool wash directly to stains if
needed. Soak covers as desired. Drain water from sink. While it is not necessary
to rinse, rinsing in cool water will remove soap residue and any grime that
didn’t go down the drain. Gently squeeze out excess water and lay flat to dry.
You may roll in a towel to remove excess moisture, but you will also be removing
any lanolin that was just applied, so avoid this if you can.
Lanolizing your wool diaper
covers: (recommended for new covers, and when your wool covers
begin to lose their waterproofing- every 2-12 weeks depending on use and wool
type)
We recommend the initial lanolization be done with solid
lanolin as it gives a heartier treatment than liquid lanolin. Liquid lanolin
is fine for normal maintenance, but if you experience a decrease in
waterproofing in your covers, a periodic treatment with solid lanolin is
helpful.
To prepare solid lanolin for the treatment, melt a small amount (minimum
pea-sized, we usually use a tad more) of the solid lanolin in a cup of hot water
(in the microwave is fine). Follow the directions for washing your wool covers
above, except add the lanolin (either your preparation of solid lanolin or your
liquid lanolin) at the point you would add the wool wash and skip the agitation.
For best results, covers should be turned inside-out. Soak the covers for at
least 20 minutes. If you have added too much lanolin, your covers may feel a
little tacky or sticky- this is OK! The extra lanolin will work its way into
your covers (and you can help it by gently massaging the cover).
Please do not hesitate to contact us for any
reason! We are here to help! |
|
|
|
