My Cloth Diaper Wash Routine

My Routine is a variation of all the things I have learned about cloth diaper laundry and what works for me. I believe it can work for you too. I have found this to be the most inexpensive way for me as well.

• I have a small (maybe one or two gallon) trashcan sitting next to my changing station. This is where all the dirty diapers and wipes go. Mine has a lid but many moms have an open pail and say they have no issues with smell. (I like it closed because it is small and on the ground and if it were open I am certain my daughter would be in it. Also, you can see in the picture that I keep a small bowl of soapy water on the changing station and that little hanging organizer holds dry wipes in the top bin. So convenient.

• My diaper trashcan holds exactly enough diapers for one day, therefore every single morning I take the trashcan full of yesterday's diapers and the overnight diaper that I just took off the bum to the sink ....YES, my kitchen sink! I was a little conflicted at the idea of rinsing diapers at my kitchen sink at first but I realized my sink has never looked better. It gets a thorough bleaching every single morning and I have found it much more hygienic than the traditional "dunk, swish and flush in the toilet" that a lot of moms do with their poopy diapers. I couldn't bring myself to stick my hands in to the cold yucky toilet bowl water more than once. I then tried rinsing the diapers in my guest bathroom tub. That got old fast, too. I got tired of leaning into a tub for 10-15 minutes and then bleaching and scrubbing the entire tub. I might have quit cloth if I had to keep that up. So back to the kitchen sink and its perks. Guess what every kitchen has...a sprayer arm. Yep, no need to buy a $50 diaper sprayer, you have one already installed. Also a plus, you can stand up straight at the sink so no backaches leaning over the tub. So, I take my diapers to the sink and put all the wet diapers right into the sink (technically you do not need to rinse pee only diapers because you can run a rinse cycle on the washing machine before you wash which will do that for you, BUT I do it anyway). So then I take all the poopy diapers to the toilet and plop the poo right in there (they are always plop-able poops because they have had a chance to firm up a bit over night..that's my #1 tip). Now I make my way back to the sink and rinse all the diapers off (pee only first, then the poo ones) 

• What do I do with the rinsed diapers? I have a large dishpan from walmart that I put them in where they stay until wash day. It has no lid, it is just a square dishpan that they all sit in and await the washing machine. This bucket usually sits behind the door in my guest bathroom or on the dryer. It doesn't really get in the way and I never smell it because everything is rinsed.

• I typically do diaper laundry every Monday, Wednesday and Friday or if I'm busy I do it Wednesday and Saturday. This really just depends on how many diapers you have and how long you can go between washes but it is best not to go longer than 3-4 days because you don't want them to mildew.

• On laundry day I put all the diapers into the washer and set a cold rinse cycle (yes I know this is technically their second rinse but I do it anyway) You really don't have to do both, you really only need to rinse every morning OR right before you wash them. But my system works for me so I stick with it. Feel free to do both as well. Just to clarify, I do the initial rinse everyday because I feel it helps with any smell or staining, I do the rinse in the washer because its too simple not to do it. If you choose to not rinse daily you will need to immediately remove poo from diapers so that they do not sit for days. There are many ways to do this which I can cover at another time if there is interest in other methods.

• Next I add Tide detergent to the washer ( I use the recommended amount of detergent for my load size. Usually the second line.) My routine starts with a presoak, hot wash on the heavy soil setting with an extra rinse and extra spin. After this cycle I run another normal wash cycle and extra rinse (this can be cold water or warm but hot isn't necessary) This is just to make sure you don't end up with any soapy buildup on your diapers, remember diapers are very absorbent and therefore hold on to soapy water better than regular laundry. For example, I bet if you threw some towels in the washer and ran a hot wash cycle with no detergent, there would be left over bubbles in there. 
• WARNING: Before washing any diapers ALWAYS look at the manufacturers instructions and restrictions first. Some companies restricted the use of certain products and detergents on their diapers. It may void the warranty if you use a mainstream detergent on them. For me, that is a risk I'm willing to take because I have not had great success with "special cloth diaper detergent" It is possible that is because I have hard water or it is possible that is because my water is too soft. Did that confuse you? Basically I had very hard water (undrinkable) and now have a water softener. So does that make my water too soft or do I technically have drinkable hardwater...I have no clue and don't care. The point is it is important to find what works for you. Do some research on other cloth diaper laundry routines and find your perfect solution. The important thing is not to give up if one thing doesn't work for you. This is just my experience and what works for me. It is simple and inexpensive and fits with my schedule.

• After all the washing and rinsing is finally done, I hang up all diapers and wetbags containing PUL. If it is all cotton, hemp, microfiber etc it goes in the dryer. Again, read your labels and find out what is best for your diapers. The best option if it is available to you will be to hang them out in the sun. This is the best for your electric bill, the environment, and your diapers lifespan. Not to mention the sun naturally sanitizes and bleaches diaper stains. LIKE MAGIC!

• And now for the fun part, no really, I love this part! THE FOLDING! Wait a minute before you call me crazy because I, too, despise folding regular laundry. But my diaper laundry, ahhh, I love it. It relaxes me. Perhaps because all those fluffy diapers remind me how cute they are on the bum or how much money I'm saving, or how much better it is for the environment or how many chemicals my daughter is being saved from by folding all this glorious diaper laundry. Either way, I love it. Now just put it away....more on diaper storage ideas later!