I got started with washing diapers using some steps outlined long ago on Diaperpin.com. As I gained more experience I modified their steps over the years to develop my own detailed instructions below. Where you see two temperatures listed the first is for the wash cycle, the second is for the rinse cycle (e.g, Cold/Cold). Use these infant cloth diaper washing instructions until your baby starts eating solid food, and therefore generating solid waste. At that stage switch to the cloth diaper washing instructions for toddlers.
Note: Wash and dry new cloth diapers 5 to 10 times before using them.
Standard Soak & Wash Instructions
- Cold Pre-Wash: ExSmall/Cold/Cold/Regular Fabrics/Heavy. Place ALL wipes, poopy pants (ensure that velcro tabs are secured), poopy diapers and poopy doublers in the washer, and run a prewash in cold water. When done, REMOVE diaper pants and set aside.
- Soak: ExSmall/Cold/Cold/Regular Fabrics/Heavy. Make sure diaper pants are removed and set aside (soaking them minimizes their water resistance). Add to the washer all wet diapers and doublers. Refill the washer with cold water and 1/4 cup of baking soda.* Let it agitate for a minute or two, then turn off the machine and let the cloth diapers soak several hours or overnight. Drain the water (set washer to spin).
- Hot Wash: ExSmall/HOT/Cold/Regular Fabrics/Heavy. Add back into the washer all poopy and wet diaper pants, and dirty diaper pail liner (make sure plastic coated side is facing out). Add 1/3 cup “Arm & Hammer Free of Perfumes and Dyes” detergent and run the hot water wash.
- Double Rinse. Try to catch the rinse cycle at the end of the hot wash, but if you miss it simply set the washer back to rinse. Add about 1/4 cup of white vinegar to the first rinse. (If you have a washer with a fabric softener compartment pour the vinegar there when starting the hot wash. Otherwise you can throw in a Downy ball filled with vinegar.) When the first rinse/spin cycle is over, set the washer back to rinse and run a second rinse/spin cycle (NO vinegar this time).
- Drying: Auto Dry/Regular Fabrics (more than ½ way towards less dry). HANG UP to dry all diaper pants and diaper pail liner. Diapers, doublers and wipes can go in the dryer. Insert dry pail liner into the pail with the plastic coating inward.
*Baking soda is a base and neutralizes the urine in the cloth diapers. This is very effective in whitening and removing the smell from the cloth diapers. After using baking soda in the soak/wash, you use vinegar in the rinse to help restore the pH of the cloth diapers – this helps avoid diaper rash.
Limited Time, No Soak Wash Instructions
- Cold Wash. Place all wipes & poopy diapers/pants/doublers in the machine with baking soda for a cold water wash.
- Hot Wash. Add wet diapers/pants/doublers and dirty diaper pail liner to load, add detergent and wash in hot water.
- Rinse. Rinse cloth diapers with cold water and vinegar.
- 2nd Rinse. Rinse cloth diapers with cold water.
BONUS TIP ON PREPARING CLOTH WIPES:
- Add two to three drops of diaper lotion potion to the disposable wipes holder.
- Fill the holder about ¼ of the way with warm water and mix the potion in with your fingers.
- Roll the wipes like enchiladas and soak them in the mixture.
- Take each wipe and squeeze excess moisture back into the box, then place each wipe in the wipe warmer.