Dirty Little Secrets (or "Cloth Diaper Washing for the Modern Mama")

One of the most complicated aspects of cloth diapering (besides choosing a diaper) is washing. As mentioned in a previous post, we have ridiculously hard water which only makes things worse. The fabrics in our diapers are designed to absorb and hold moisture, including the uric acid crystals in your lil one's urine. If you have hard water, this can become a nightmare if your diapers aren't being washed properly (we would know, and I'll post our adventures through ammonia burns here-- just know it isn't pretty). 

The first bit of advice I can give is to not be afraid to throw your detergent of choice in the wash. When I started cloth diapering, EVERYTHING I read suggested miniscule amounts of detergent when washing, half the amount you would for a small load of laundry. I make my own laundry soap (which can be found here), and was afraid that using too much would somehow destroy my diapers. So, via the instructions I read online, I used 1/2 a tablespoon of detergent when washing my diapers. 

It worked great for a few weeks, but then I noticed our diapers smelling REALLY bad when Bug peed in them. I thought maybe I let them sit in the wash too long before drying, so went along as usual for another couple of weeks, until Bug started getting redness and blisters (ammonia burns). I sacrificed one of my least favorite diapers to put commercial diaper cream on his bum, only to find it wasn't helping at all. 

After A LOT of research and failed attempts we found a way to get the diapers fresh and clean and non-toxic once again. Moral of the story-- don't be afraid to use detergent! I'd rather use too much and just run rinses until the water is clean than use too little and go through all of that again. 

This is the routine we use to regularly wash our diapers (I do mine every 3 or 4 days). 

1. COLD wash, NO detergent
2. HOT wash + extra rinse WITH detergent
3. HOT wash, NO detergent
4. HOT wash, NO detergent 

If you have hard water, the minerals in your water will penetrate the fibers in your diapers and inserts, trapping soap and uric acid crystals, and causing stink issues and build up (and ammonia burns if you aren't careful). Regardless of the detergent you use, I personally recommend using this stripping technique every few weeks to keep your diapers fresh. 

1. 1 COLD wash, NO detergent
2. 1 HOT wash + extra rinse WITH detergent 
3. 1 HOT wash + extra rinse + 5 drops Grapefruit Seed Oil and 2 Drops of Tea Tree Oil
4. 1 HOT wash + extra rinse and 1/4- 1/2 cup baking soda
5. 1 HOT wash, NO detergent
6. 1 HOT wash, NO detergent

You can use 1/4 cup bleach in step #3 in place of the essential oils, but I prefer not to use bleach if I can help it. 

Dish soap will not help strip your diapers unless you are trying to get out diaper cream build up.