- For a newborn baby, fold the back of the diaper over twice, to reduce the length of the diaper, then fasten the Velcro.
- When diaper is removed from baby, close the Velcro tabs so that lint doesn't collect in the hooks during washing. (If this happens, remove the lint with a comb.)
- Do not use chlorine bleach.
Your comments and/or suggestions are welcome.
WASHING CLOTH DIAPERS
Wash new cloth diapers before using them--this fluffs them up and brings them to their proper size (cotton shrinks 5-10%).
DIAPER PAILS
Since water in the diaper pail is a bother and may weaken the fibers in diapers, don't use any, but wash diapers every day to avoid odors - most experienced parents do this! You can buy diaper pail deodorant disks that fit in the lid of the diaper pail.
Rinse soiled diapers in the toilet using rubber gloves. It is optional to rinse diapers that are only wet before placing them in the diaper pail. (Be sure the toilet bowl is kept clean! An alternative is to keep a bucket solely for rinsing diapers.) If the diaper has Velcro closures, fold the hook half of the back onto the loop half to prevent hooks from sticking to other diapers.
LAUNDERING
When laundering, 24 diapers is a recommended load.
1. Dump the contents of diaper pails into the washer and run a cold rinse cycle. Use hot water and the highest water level for the wash cycle.
2. Add detergent. Detergent is recommended because pure soap may leave a greasy film or form "curds" on diapers. If you prefer soap for ecological reasons, add 1/2 cup of washing soda. If using soap in hard waters, rinse first with 1/3 cup of washing soda to eliminate soap ingrained from previous washings or a curd may form.
Bleach will whiten and disinfect diapers, but it will also cause them to wear out faster. Alternative means of whitening/disinfecting include borax, or occasionally using chlorine-free bleach such as oxygen bleach or hydrogen peroxide bleach. Minor stains will not harm baby and will usually wash out eventually, but if you wish to hasten stain removal, just hang the diaper in the sun(the UV rays will also sanitize the diaper).
3. After the wash, put diapers through one extra cold rinse to remove any soap or detergent residues.
DRYING
4. For the softest diapers, dry them in a dryer using the "Hot" setting. Don't over dry!! If your diapers have an outer or waterproof layer, dry on "permanent press." Fabric softener should NEVER be used on diapers or baby clothes. It has been implicated in allergies and it is not necessary if you do not over dry. Drying longer than necessary will make diaper hard and wrinkled and may damage the fibers. Hang drying is more environmentally friendly; you can put them in the dryer for 15 minutes first to fluff them up if desired.
5. Finally, fold the diapers and stack them, or, if using no-fold diapers, leave them in a laundry basket near the change area.
Diaper Care & Laundering Instructions
