When you are considering cloth diapers, it can be overwhelming all the information out there. Not only do you have to take care of this tiny new human being, but now you have to learn all about cloth diapers too?
When my husband and I were pregnant with our first child, he was all for cloth diapers. Me? Not so much. I admit, all the advantages of cloth diapers really appealed to me: being way more eco-friendly and saving money (who doesn’t want that?).
But I was exhausted from all the changes that were happening in my body and in our lives. I didn’t want to take on another challenge.
He convinced me to test out 6 cloth diapers in the beginning. If we didn’t like it, we could switch back.
Deal.
Two years later and another baby, we haven’t “switched” back. We don’t do 100% cloth diapers, but a hybrid of 90% cloth and 10% disposable. We use disposables when we are:
- traveling with our children
- at night time because it is more absorbant
- when out for long periods out the house
That’s what works for our family.
You don’t have to fully commit to cloth diapers or be super strict about only using them.
While it does feel like a lot to learn in the beginning, you pick it up quickly and it becomes second nature.
Let’s explore how to store and clean dirty diapers.
Table of Contents
Three Big Mistakes When Using Cloth Diapers
- Using Vaseline/ diaper rash cream – It will clog the insert material and make them less absorbant
- Using high heat to wash or dry the exterior part (part with the color or pattern) of the cloth diaper – it removes the waterproof coating on them
- Not having enough cloth diapers so you are constantly running out OR not having a laundry routine that keeps enough diapers clean each time
How To Store Dirty Cloth Diapers
While you might be saving the environment one poopy diaper at a time, cloth diapers need extra consideration. You don’t have the luxury of throwing them away each time. This means you need to plan ahead and have special storage areas for them.
Diaper Pail
When storing the dirty cloth diapers in your home, you will want a diaper pail. The dirty diapers will be damp and a bit musky-smelling, so you will want to contain that odor with something that has a lid.
An issue with the more well-known diaper pails are that they are designed with disposable diapers in mind. This means they typically require special plastic bags (that need to be refilled).
I recommend a simple diaper pail with a hard plastic inside. I don’t use a fancy “odor-locking” technology bin, but I don’t notice a strong odor from it.
How to keep diaper pail from smelling
Occasionally, the diaper pail might start to smell and have a lingering odor. However, they are easy to clean. Every so often, I will rinse the inside of the diaper pail with a water and bleach solution (1-3 cups of water to one tablespoon of bleach).
The inside of my diaper pail is plastic, so the rinse with the mixture cleans it out easily. Afterwards, I let the diaper pail air dry, preferably in the sun. This is a natural way to kill odors.
If you don’t want to use bleach at all, you can use a water and vinegar mix instead (1-3 cups of water to 3 tablespoons of vinegar).
Once dry, the diaper pail is ready to use again.
Storage Bags
If you are away from home, you will need a storage bag to hold onto the dirty diapers. You can either use a typical plastic bag or go the eco-friendly way and seek out a reuseable diaper storage bag.
What you want is a bag that is lightweight and the inside is waterproof, since the diapers will be wet.
How to Clean Cloth Diapers
In this section we will talk about poop…in detail. Let’s get into the dirty bit.
The First Week of Baby’s Life
When a baby is first born, they have a dark, sticky, tar-like poop called meconium.
Avoid using reusable diapers until your baby stops producing meconium. It can be pain to washout because it is so sticky.
Before Solids (0-6 months)
Most one-size cloth diapers are only wearable after baby is at least 8 lbs, which means many newborns won’t fit into them at first. I have big babies, so they could wear one-size diapers from the beginning. There are newborn cloth diapers that can fit smaller babies from 4lbs – 10lbs.
When babies only drinking milk (whether breastfeed/ formula/ or combo), their poop is water-soluable. This means their typically bright yellow poop can very easily wash out with just water!
Some people suggest you throw your diapers straight into the washing machine and it will rinse out.
I prefer rinsing the inserts in the sink before storing them in the diaper pail. I remove all excess poop before it goes in the washing machine.
After Solids (4 months +)
Once your baby starts trying solid food, then you get to the more solid stinky poops. There will be chunks and lumps.
The way we deal with it is by having a designated “poop scoop” (a old, never-to-be-used-for-anything-else spoon). We scrape away the solid poop and tap it into the toilet.
Once all excess poop is gone, then we use gentle hand soap (squirt bottle) on the insert. Using lots of water and folding the insert over itself, this rinses the rest of the poop out. Once the water runs clear, then I put the insert into the diaper pail.
How To Wash Cloth Diapers
Once the diapers have had their first rinse, then they go into the laundry machine. My machine has a “baby clothes” setting which I use. I also make sure to use gentle laundry detergent, going for the detergents that are scent/dye free and are marketed as being for sensitive skin. I want to minimize the risk of irritation.
When washing, you don’t want to wash the cloth diapers too hot, especially the exteriors. The exteriors have a special water-proof coating that helps prevent leaks. However, this coating is quite delicate and will come off or become less effective if it has too much heat.
I have a confession to make. I do wash the diapers with our regular clothes as well. I feel comfortable doing that because all diapers (including just-pee diapers) have been rinsed out by hand first.
Drying Cloth Diapers
We did invest in a dryer after our second baby. Before the drying machine, we did all drying by air/outside.
Drying them with a outside is more eco-friendly but it takes longer and you do risk having them get wet in rain.
We chose to use a dryer because with two kids using cloth diapers, it meant extra laundry and we wanted a consistent schedule of knowing exactly when the diapers will be dry.
Drying Machine
Never put the exterior part (the part with the color or pattern) of the cloth diaper into the dryer. This will quickly remove the water-proof product on them.
If you do accidentally put them into the dryer, don’t panic. It won’t immediately remove the water-proof product. I will write an article on how to re-do this water-proof aspect.
The inserts can go into the dryer no problem.
Air Drying
If air drying, you can put the inserts in direct sunlight. This helps naturally bleach any staining. The best solution for air drying is to have covered drying and to hang the inserts on a cloth line. Don’t overlap any material or it will take longer to dry.
Conclusion
Cloth diapering may seem overwhelming before you have used them. However, it is something you will quickly adapt to and it will become second nature. Cloth diapers are better for the environment and save you lots of money.
Washing them is easier than ever.
- Prewash before they go in diaper pail
- Use gentle detergent
- Avoid high heat when washing or drying the cloth diaper exteriors
If you have any other questions on cloth diapers, contact me and I’ll be happy to answer them.
Comments
99 responses to “How To Clean Cloth Diapers: Everything You Need To Know”
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