Washing your Cloth Diapers
For some, this may be jumping ahead, but for many, this will hopefully help provide some guidance on wash routine and care for you cloth diapers! If you have questions about cloth, come by the shop, or get in touch! We are happy to help! We have clothy events about once a month.
Recommended Wash Routine:
We recommend a strong detergent. My favorite is Tide Powder. Some others are Persil, Foca, Gain. A good detergent will prevent (or resolve) a host of problems! Tide powder has more water softeners, so if you have hard water, this may work better for you.
Make sure your washer drum is between half to ¾ full. Add small items like bibs, wash cloths, baby clothes to bulk it to at least half.
You'll run two separate cycles, a quick wash & full wash Quick wash with half scoop or a little less of tide powder warm, heavy soil, fastest spin.
Once quick wash is complete, fluff up the load inside the washer drum, peeling it from the sides.
Full wash on your heaviest, longest wash setting. It's usually called Heavy wash, possibly Bright whites. Use a Full scoop of tide powder (or a little less) Hot, heaviest soil, fastest spin
If you want to deep clean your diapers, get some GroVia Mighty Bubbles and either toss one pod in the wash or follow the instructions for a deep cleaning. A few tips:
Wash at least once or twice a week
Hot, heavy wash, NOT delicate, NOT bulky load
NO extra rinses
If you have hard water, you may need a softener added with your detergent
DON'T use fabric softener!
If your wash routine is working for you, then keep doing it! Your diapers shouldn't have any smell but clean!
If you or baby are prone to yeast infections, you'll need to know what to do with your diapers to make sure it won't recur!
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| Janie looking sweet in her GroVia |
Recommended Wash Routine:
We recommend a strong detergent. My favorite is Tide Powder. Some others are Persil, Foca, Gain. A good detergent will prevent (or resolve) a host of problems! Tide powder has more water softeners, so if you have hard water, this may work better for you.
Make sure your washer drum is between half to ¾ full. Add small items like bibs, wash cloths, baby clothes to bulk it to at least half.
You'll run two separate cycles, a quick wash & full wash Quick wash with half scoop or a little less of tide powder warm, heavy soil, fastest spin.
Once quick wash is complete, fluff up the load inside the washer drum, peeling it from the sides.
Full wash on your heaviest, longest wash setting. It's usually called Heavy wash, possibly Bright whites. Use a Full scoop of tide powder (or a little less) Hot, heaviest soil, fastest spin
If you want to deep clean your diapers, get some GroVia Mighty Bubbles and either toss one pod in the wash or follow the instructions for a deep cleaning. A few tips:
Wash at least once or twice a week
Hot, heavy wash, NOT delicate, NOT bulky load
NO extra rinses
If you have hard water, you may need a softener added with your detergent
DON'T use fabric softener!
If your wash routine is working for you, then keep doing it! Your diapers shouldn't have any smell but clean!
If you or baby are prone to yeast infections, you'll need to know what to do with your diapers to make sure it won't recur!
Our recommendation for yeast:
First of all, have the rash evaluated by a professional. We cannot diagnose! It helps to know what kind of rash you’re dealing with. If it is confirmed yeast, here’s what we recommend to do with your diapers.
You’ll need to disinfect the diapers and kill the yeast. Bleach is what we recommend. If you don’t eliminate the yeast, it will recur.
You may want to switch to a disposable absorbency until the rash has been cleared for about a week. So even after the rash is not visible, you’ll need to consider yeast present.
To treat your diapers:
You’ll need to wash them in cool water with bleach. About 1/4 cup is enough bleach for the wash. Wash your absorbency first. This is where the yeast is. Do a HOT wash cycle next. This will deactivate the bleach.
You'll need to put bleach in every wash (like maybe 1/8-1/4 cup) in your wash for the next two weeks AFTER it's cleared. Wash your clothes, especially bras on hot.
Tips:
Vinegar is a natural deterrent for yeast, however, I would not use vinegar as a replacement for bleach. Vinegar can be used for instance on a cloth wipe applied to your nipples or baby’s bum or in a soaking tub to avoid yeast growth. Beware that baby’s skin may be sensitive.
Hot water also slows down bleach so if you’re worried about thrush, dip your nips in some very hot water, but don’t boil them 
Be sure that your wash routine is on point! If your diapers are not clean, this may lead to rashes and/or infection. Diapers shouldn’t have any smell to them, besides clean.
Most, if not all yeast/antifungal treatment creams are cloth safe. So if you’re using them with cloth, you may want to use a liner for possible staining, but you will not damage your diapers!
Don’t be afraid to ruin your diapers with bleach. Adding a little bleach to a wash is perfectly safe. Cool water with bleach so it works, then hot rinse to deactivate it once they’re disinfected.
Bleach soaks are recommended by some, but they can damage your diapers and are not necessary. Just be careful out there!
If you're interested in Cloth Diapering and other reusable products, join our Facebook Group!
Now, go forth and cloth!
Kelly
Kelly is the owner of South Coast Baby Company in Thibodaux, LA
Kelly is the owner of South Coast Baby Company in Thibodaux, LA
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