Tips about cleaning cloth diapers safely
Cloth diapers are easy to use and clean. Never have I had any problems with smell in the diaper pail or removing any stains. When I started using cloth diapers my third son was only 6 months old. Before that I was a “disposable diaper mom”.
My initial cost in the beginning was not as much because I found a store that sold them in great condition used. No stains at all so I bought all they had in the sizes that I needed. Now, I will admit the first few weeks with a newborn in the cloth diapers were a little rough and I was tempted to switch over just until we slept a little better. But I didn’t.
I stuck it out.
In the beginning I was a little worried about cleaning the diapers and keeping them clean, but after speaking with some moms who used them and compiling tips it was a breeze.
How To Get The Stain Out Of Cloth Diapers
Once a week on Fridays’ I would throw in my cloth diapers. The really soiled ones had already been rinsed in the commode so that was not in the diaper pail all week. One of the secrets to no staining is dish detergent. Not just any, but Dawn. I don’t like the smell of bleach so I bought the kind with no bleach. and along with my regular laundry detergent washed about a spoonful of dawn in the load.
My diaper pail was in the bedroom next to the changing table. All I kept in the bottom of the pail was a small amount of baking soda. Each week it was a necessity to keep the pail rinsed and ready to use. A very small amount of baking soda is great for cleaning whites.
How To Dry Cloth Diapers
After they have run through a full cycle and stop, then I place them in the dryer, in the winter.
In the summer my cloth diapers hang on the line. After much research, I discovered that cloth diapers are bleached naturally by the sun. So week after week this was my routine on Fridays’. Summer days were spent outside anyway so I wasn’t likely to forget to bring them in.
My diapers always come out clean and sanitized. Before I take them to put away I wash out the diaper pail quickly in our basement sink. Diapers, diaper pail and wipes are folded and taken upstairs to be put into the diaper holder.
Now, with that being said, I did not like the hard, crunchy way they dried and neither did my baby. The regular dryer is a great remedy for that problem. Just a short time (10 min. ) in the dryer and they were soft, stain free, and ready for my little boy.
How To Store Cloth Diapers
When my cloth diapers are not in use after they have been grown out of, they get stored in gallon sized ziplock bags labeled by size and age. Then placed all together in a large storage box that has them labeled for easy access.
Most of them do not last through more than two children, at least mine did not. The ones that were really raggedy became window or mirror rags. Great for cleaning glass surfaces.
Any other moms have different ideas or techniques for cleaning their cloth diapers?
Cheers,
Michelle
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