How To Care for Cloth Diapers

From dirty cloth diaper to clean and cute fluff: how do you get from one to the other? Using and caring for cloth diapers is not a lot of work and is actually pretty straight forward.

The scoop on poop

All solids need to be disposed of properly. Even if you are using disposables, solids need to go into the toilet. While there are some tools out there designed to make this easier, they can be pricey and aren't absolutely necessary. Often a quick shake will get solids off, sometimes a 'dunk and swish' is needed. I remember reading somewhere that one mom used a rubber spatula to scrape it off. Whichever appeals, get those solids in the toilet!

We were fans of dunking and swishing, especially when our kids were young and, well, there wasn't too much 'solid' solids, if you catch my meaning ;)

Storing dirty cloth diapers (or wet vs dry pail)

There are pros and cons to both of these. I've done both. Whatever works for you. There are special diaper pails, again not so necessary. There are wet bags. If you plan to use a wet pail, your storage container should have a lid so a young child/animal will not fall into the water. Alternatively, store the container in an area where the child/animal will not gain access. If you plan to use the dry pail method, your storage container doesn't necessarily have to be a 'pail'. There are many differently sized wet bags out there that you can store soiled cloth diapers in until wash day.

We used both methods, wet and dry. For both we used a mop pail. It was cheap and small, where storage size wasn't an issue for us as we washed our cds every day. When the pail was empty it was easy to clean and the smaller size also made for easier handling on wash day.

The stink Factor

But don't they stink? Well, yes and no. It isn't the cloth diaper that stinks but the deposit that's made into them. And sometimes that stink can linger in the fabrics of the diaper.

So how do you reduce these aromas? Proper rinsing of solids is important here. We also liked to use a sprinkle of baking soda in our pail. Also a few drops of tea tree oil can be used, which also has a natural antibacterial property.

Honestly, we kept our soiled diapers in the main bathroom of our house and never noticed a lingering aroma.

Washing

Wash day is simple. And while everyone has their own routine, the main thing to remember is wash on hot, cool rinse, extra rinse. Hot water is essential to kill bacteria in the fabrics. Warm water is not enough. A small amount of soap is fine. There are specially formulated cloth diaper detergents out there but we used an environmentally-friendly one from our grocery store and never had any problems. I always recommend an extra rinse to make sure any remaining soap is out! Of course, different cloth diapering materials require different care and this is specific to the natural fibres used in my Banana Bottoms fitteds.

If you've used a dry pail (or wet bag), simply place the cloth diapers in the wash, add your soap, and you are off to the races.

If you've used a wet pail, you can (1) empty out the water in the tub, rinse the diapers out, put in washing machine or (2) empty pail, both diapers and water, in the washing machine, set for spin cycle, proceed with wash. We did it by hand before we knew better.

While washing every day isn't necessary, I don't recommend waiting longer than 2 days between washes. In fact, if you can, I recommend washing every day. Why? The longer the cloth diaper fibres sit, dirty, the quicker they will breakdown and they will also stink more. I don't have any scientific evidence to back this up, however, this is what I observed after cding my 4 kids. This will let your cloth diapers last and last, maybe through all of your kids.

Drying (or the crunchy vs fluffy cloth diaper)

Cloth diapers can be line dried or thrown in the dryer. I recommend line drying. Not only is it cheaper and easier on the environment, the sun is a wonderful, natural stain remover. And your cloth diapers will last longer. If you must get rid of crunch, you could always throw them in the dryer for a few minutes when you bring them in. But as not everyone has access to the great outdoors, these can be thrown into the dryer.

Another personal observation: my cloth diapers smelled fresher if they were outside. Almost as if the wind could blow the stink out of them. Ones that went straight in the dryer smelled not as fresh.

Caring for cloth diapers is easy! And there are no fast and hard rules. Whatever works for you, do it! Your fluff will love you.