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 toddler cloth diaper washing instructions once your baby starts eating solid food, and therefore generating solid waste. If your baby is not eating solids yet, switch to the cloth diaper washing instructions for infants.
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. Rinse out poopy wipes/diapers/doublers/diaper pants in the toilet. Set aside diaper pants and dirty diaper pail liner in bin for dirties on washer. Put 1½ cups white vinegar in the washer. Place ALL wipes, diapers and doublers in the washer, and run a prewash in cold water.
- Soak: ExSmall/Cold/Cold/Regular Fabrics/Heavy. 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 diapers/wipes soak several hours or overnight. Drain the water (set washer to spin).
- Hot Wash: ExSmall/HOT/Cold/Regular Fabrics/Heavy. Add into the washer all 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, add ½ cup of white vinegar in the Downy ball and run the hot water wash.
- Double Rinse. When the first rinse/spin cycle (from above step) is over, set the washer back to rinse and run a second rinse/spin cycle (NO vinegar this time).
- Drying: line dry or use Normal/Mixed Load/Anti-Bacterial setting. HANG UP to dry all diaper pants and diaper pail liner (outside if possible, inside if not). If weather is too inclement for outside line drying diapers/doublers/wipes, they can go in the dryer. Insert clean 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 Instructions (we never actually used this for toddler diapers)
- 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.