Caring for & washing your diapers

Finding a good but simple washing routine is probably what will make or break your experience using reusable diaper. Since the biggest resistance to using cloth nappies seems to be: 1. The "yuck" factor of having to deal with the poop and pee (because now you can't just chuck that stinky ball of a diaper in the bin and simply forget about it); and 2. The inconvenience of having to deal with the aforementioned stinky, dirty diapers through washing. It is, therefore, critical to  establish an easy-to-follow cleaning procedure and have a good washing routine down. Additionally, if you have an excellent cleaning routine down, you won't be  

Below are a couple of tips that worked well for my family as first time reusable nappy users.

1. Use liners.

Line your cloth diapers with a reusable fleece liner and/or eco-disposable liner. Both fleece and disposable liners will help you to dispose of the poop much easier and faster. The idea is that the liners will catch the solids, so you can...

2. Take the liner, and dispose of poop in the toilet and flush.

Using a liner will make disposing the poop much, much easier to do.

3. Toss the dirty diaper in a wet bag or a diaper pail.

If your child has only peed on the diaper, go right ahead and put it in the wet bag or diaper pail (Windeleimer). There is no need to rinse or soak the diaper prior to washing. 

Speaking of a wet bag and diaper pail, use one that will keep the smell and moisture in check. since you will most likely wash every 2-3 days (more on that below). If you will be using a diaper pail, we recommend you line it with a reusable diaper pail liner (as pictured on the right) so that when it's time to wash, everything can be tossed in the washing machine. 

​If you're using a pocket diaper, I strongly recommend you take out the inserts prior to putting it in the wet bag/diaper pail. Trust me, taking out the inserts from a freshly soiled diaper is much more manageable than taking it out of a 3-day-old stinkier dirty nappy. 

​4. Washing day.

Empty your dirty nappies from the wet bag or reusable pail liner into the washing machine. Don't forget to also put your wet bag or reusable pail liner into the wash.  ​

I strongly recommend you wash every 2-3 days. This way, you shouldn't run into problems such as mold, bacteria growth, or stains. We never did.

Get to know your washing machine and all the wonderful features it has to offer. Does it have a short cycle that's 30-minutes or less? Yes? Then you're in luck.

Our wonderful Bosch washing machine allows us to wash a 5kg load of laundry or less in 15 minutes on 30° C. Although I don't use this option as the main cycle to wash the soiled diapers, I use it to pre-wash the diapers. By the end of the 15-minute cycle, most visible and unpleasant soils were washed away, which made me feel much less disgusted in putting other dirty clothes or linens with the diapers to make a full load. Then I wash on 60° C on a normal cycle. 

After washing, I usually hang dry our reusable nappies, but most can safely be tumbled dried if you wish. 

5. Prepare the clean and dried diapers as much as possible for your next use.

After your reusable nappies are dried, prepare them for your next use as much as possible. That means if you're using a pocket diaper, re-stuff the pockets with the insert, or if you're using an All in One diaper that has a special insert like the Smart Bottoms 3.1 AIO, for example, go right ahead and fold the insert to how it best fits your baby. 

My DH and I followed these five easy steps and it helped us to have a frustration-free experience. Since there weren't so many steps to follow, these became a daily routine for us, much like you would have a routine down if you're using disposable diapers anyway. ​