Wash
Get Ready for Cloth
· A 1/8 measuring cup (1 oz), A 1/4 measuring cup (2 oz)
· Detergent
· Borax or similar precipitating water softener (if you have hard water over 140ppm)
· Calgon or similar non-precipitating (if you have hard water over 180ppm)
· OxiClean or similar Sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate
Washing Cloth Diapers
· Only bulk up the main wash with small items.
· Large items like bath towels will trap diapers
· Do not add extra rinse cycles at the
end if you have hard water. It will cause mineral build up.
· Fluff between the Prewash and Main wash
Caring for Cloth
· Never ring diapers out.
· A wet pail poses a drowning risk!
· Never add bleach to a wet pail
· Never let synthetics sit in a wet pail mor than 8-12 hours
· When soaking natural fibers add 1/4 cup vinegar to 4 gallons of water
What is Correct?
· There are as many ‘correct’ ways to clean diapers as there are disposables in landfills. What works for one person may not work for you.
· Start Simple. Washing your cloth diapers should not take a ton of effort.
· Know your water hardness. If you have hard water do not add extra rinse cycles, you are just redepositing the minerals on your clean diapers.
· Use bleach, vinegar, baking soda and other harsh chemical sparingly and always follow directions.
· Read the care labels on your diapers.
· Do not place diapers in a boiling pot of water.
· Never wash your diapers with soap.
What is Right?
· There are a lot of detergents available
· Soft water requires LESS detergent
· Hard water requires a water softener like Borax, Raindrops or Calgon
· Using a detergent with fabric softener will cause issues in the long term
Do Not Add Fabric Softener
· Using a plant based soap or detergent may not get your diapers clean.
· You may need to try different kinds of detergents.
Persil, Tide & Gain come highly recommended in the diaper
community but you should do your own research.
Sample Detergent Mix for a Front Load HE Washer
180ppm Water Hardness
Prewash (all powder into drum)
· 1/4 cup Water Softener (Calgon, Borax, A&H Raindrops)
· 1/4 cup Detergent
Main wash (all powder into drum)
Fluff Diapers, pull away from drum make sure nothing is still folded
Add small items to bulk up load
· 1/8 OxiClean or similar Sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate
· 1/4 cup Precipitating water softener (if you have hard water over 140ppm)
· 1/4 cup Non-precipitating (if you have hard water over 180ppm)
· 1/2 cup Detergent
It may sound like a lot of detergent but your drum
should be 3/4 or more full for the main wash
