WHY YOU SHOULDN'T STRESS ABOUT DIAPER LAUNDRY

I'm writing this post for my April Mommy friends and anyone else who might find this helpful.  Yes another laundry post but this is about reassurence and explanations. Hope it helps.

First of all stop stressing. You all have being doing your own laundry for years with nice clean clothes as a result.  Cloth diapers are the same thing with just a few differences.

First a diaper load tends to be smaller then a regular laundry load so you need less water and less detergent.  I'm not saying to skimp on detergent just make it and the water match the laundry load.  Also if you have access to a top loader use that, they clean laundry better, all laundry.

Next difference. This is laundry that has been pee'd and pooped in; Rinse it and wash often.  If your kid pee'd their pants your first step would be to rinse right?  Same thing.  If you wash every 2 days then a lightly pee'd in diaper is fine but a heavily pee'd in diaper needs rinsing and so does a poo diaper, even ebf poop. diapera 6-8 layers thick? Rinse every single diaper.  The thicker the diaper the harder to get clean. If you use diapers with synthetic fabric rinse every single diaper.  Many synthetic fabrics dont wash as clean and microfiber was designed by the cleaning industry to trap germs.  So rinse right away.  Personally I won't use most of them especially microfiber. 

Another difference, the biggest difference is that diapers are washed every 2 days on average.  To break that down it's like this: If your baby wears an OS and potty trains at 2 years old then your diapers have gone through 365 washes.  The average piece of clothing will have been washed weekly.  That's 104 washes (significantly less washes).  So unless you wear your favorite shirt every other day no other laundry item goes through this.  The effect is fabrics wear out.  That's a reality of all fabrics.  Wash your favorite shirt every 2 days and it will wear out. 

Bleach:  for all the of above reasons bleaching your diapers is a bad idea.  Imagine bleaching a shirt every month.  It's not gonna last.  You have the laundry knowledge to know this. The only time I recommend bleach is 1. If you get ammonia.  2. If baby has a yeast infection. 3. Before using second hand diapers unless it was bleached prior to sale. 

Sunning.  Ever hung laundry to dry outside?  Then it smells all great and looks bright and clean?  Yeah that's the sun.  Those UV rays kill bacteria and bleach out strains.  Wanna bleach?  Sun instead. 

Detergent: You don't need extra detergent.  That will lead to build up.  You don't need less detergent cuz then your diapers won't get clean.  You don't need specialty detergent.  Regular stuff has been cleaning diapers since before you were born.  Except nowadays they have all kinds of new crap in the detergent.  But most brands have 3-4 variations so buy the variation without softeners,  brighteners etc cuz they will make your diapers repel instead of adorb.  And you sure as Hell don't need dawn dish soap or any other weird ideas.  On this note skip bounce sheets for the same reason and buy a dryer ball. 

Speaking of things you don't need.  You don't need advice from someone who became an expert in 3 months and you really don't need advice from someone who is am expert at stripping landry cuz that's someone who dose not clean their diapers well,  Unless they work for a diaper based charity and strip second hand diapers to give them away. 

Know your fabrics: This your mother taught you when she taught you to do laundry, so not a difference, just a reminder. Some things don't handle high temperatures such as elastic and PUL.

Vinegar: vinegar is awesome.  Its been used in laundry for a long time.  Some even use it in their hair to get rid of shampoo residue so they don't get build up.  So guess what? You can use it to rinse at the end of a wash cycle to get rid of detergent residue to prevent build up.  I use after hand washing.And when machine washing I vinegar soak prior.  I also use it to clean out my diaper pail. 

Ironing: like hanging diapers to dry in the sun but dislike the stiffness?  There are two options. 1. Iron afterwards.  2. Throw in the machine dryer for 5-10 min with a damp cloth and a dryer ball or tennis ball, both will bring the fluffyness back to your fluff. 

Hope this takes the stress away so you can relax and enjoy laundry time. 

Why Some Cloth Diaper Companies Recommend Bleach

Nope, I am not recommending bleach but I will explain why some companies do.  Some of these same companies say don't use vinegar or baking soda.  There is no good reason for this.  I will explain all three things in this post. 

Also this post isn't putting down these companies or their products. They provide a good CD option. but like all diapers they have their pros amf their cons. Understanding the cons allows you to better care for these diapers so you can enjoy all the pros they offer. Also I would say these are quality companies. The instructions they give are to simply make sure the products they make will work for you and they have conveyed that advice in as simple and basic a format as possible by creating their own basic care instructions.

Why some companies recommend bleach:  What is known as the modern cloth diaper are diapers with synthetic materials such as microfiber, suede cloth,  minky, binky (bamboo minky), fleece etc.  The construction and shape of the fiber is different then natural fibers.  In fact when microfiber was designed (by the cleaning industry)  it was designed this way on purpose to pick up and trap dirt, bacteria etc.  At the end of this post are some pics from a microfiber industry site - check it out. Since its designed to trap these things, they are harder to wash out.  The result is that these fabrics are more prone to ammonia (which some people refer to as stink), which makes your diapers smell bad and will cause a rash on babies bum, in bad cases it will cause ammonia burn.  If your using a "modern diaper" which also has thick layers then your increasing the difficulty in washing the diaper because there are more layers to wash through.   This is also why its important to remove inserts from pocket diapers.  Washing inserts that have been seperated from the diaper allows you to wash through less layers resulting in a cleaner diaper.  The solution is that some of these companies will suggest a monthly bleaching, to combat the problem.   Am I saying people shouldn't use thick "modern" diapers?  No.  These diapers have qualities Moms like.   And if for you their pros outweigh the cons then use them.  Just be mindful of the drawbacks.  Change the diaper even though the fabric leaves it feeling dry.  Remove all poop before placing in your diaper pail or wet bag (should be done with all diapers).  Rinse out overnight diapers (should be done with all overnight diapers). Wash often (again as with all diapers).  And make sure you have a very thorough wash and rinse routine.  It will need to be more intense then with flats, prefolds and basic fitted's made of natural materials.  Keep a sharp eye on the diaper for signs of ammonia or build up.  Extra detergent or water will not clean better. An extra washing, boosters (some if which are hard on fabrics), vinegar presoak or rinse should help.  In the end you might need to follow the company advice of monthly bleachings.  If this is the case absolutely do a vinegar rinse at the end of multiple post bleach rinses.  And do not expect all these diapers to last forever.   In the end the bleach and washings will cause wear, it just happens.  If the only way to keep ammonia at bay is a monthly bleaching then that's because they could not be completely rid of ammonia.  I would suggested not reselling or donating a diaper with this issue because it's just not right to be passing an ammonia problem on. In addition I recommend looking a cloth diaper blogs.  Find one by an experienced CD mom.  Experienced as in over a year, at least, multiple children is even better and doesn't have repeated ammonia or leak issues (which build up creates).  And lastly one that uses the same or a similar diaper.  A mom using the same or similar diaper and successfully keeps the diaper free of its potential issues will be a good resource.   I can only advise so far.  I understand fabric and sewing very well.  I've always been good at science and research.  And I've been cloth diapering longer then most but my hands on experience is keeping basic fitted's and prefolds made of cotton clean. 

* If you are using a diaper made of natural fabrics but 8+ layers thick, you also will need a more thorough wash and rinse routine in order to wash through all the layers.   This means you might need to follow much of the same advice. 

Why white vinegar is safe:
White vinegar is also called distilled.   Technically speaking,  its not.  What it is, is 5% to 8% acetic acid (that's vinegar) in water.  With a pH of 2.2-3.  This makes it too weak to breakdown fabric fibers.  It will however breakdown detergent and uric acid.  So what's their problem with it?  Well it is possible that striping with vinegar might not be strong enough on synthetic fabrics to strip them.  So what you could do instead is use white vinegar in a presoak before washing or add to the rinse cycle after washing.    Do that with each wash to help hard to clean synthetics. 

Why baking soda is safe: Baking soda (and washing soda) have been used in laundry and cleaning for over 100 years.  They are safe and they are gentle.  They do not have the ability to harm fabric (they are not strong enough to do so).   They also clean nicely.  Washing soda cleans better then baking soda however.  And if all you have is baking soda you can bake it and it will turn into washing soda.   So why do some companies say not to use them?  Same issue as vinegar, these are safe gentle cleaning products which may not be strong enough to clean synthetic materials in a diaper. 

The pics below come from a microfiber industry site. The top diagram shows why and how they do their job of picking up and trapping dirt and bacteria. The second picture is a photo of a cross section of the fiber under a microscope. It is also why they work as stay dry fabrics instead if absorbing fabrics. The fiber design does not allow the fiber to swell up with retained water.

DIAPER POLITICS? When did this happen?

I might be old hat to cloth diapering but I am very new to internet + cloth diapering.   Getting ready to sell my own wahm diapers means that I needed to find that online cloth community.   So I've started my own blog, been slowly finding others and its been fun.  I've also found a few cloth diaper boards.   I thought that would be fun....but not so very much.

The blogs have given me some idea that there are cloth politics but those boards showed it to me.  Being new to it I keep my mouth shut a fair bit.  Apparently on these boards each has their own flavor and views and any advice contrary to that is unwelcomed. 

The arguments tend to be around laundry (really,  talk about killing part of what can be enjoyable in using cloth).  So here (for cathartic release) is the opinions of an 18 yr cloth mama known as Mama Moss aka Beth Newell. 

Some fall short in solving ammonia / stink issues.  These ones blame how you use your washing machine.   Yep that can be the problem - sometimes.   But so can how often you change the diaper, how often you wash the diaper, you dirty diaper care and storage, fabric.  Basically all aspects of laundry. 

Some groups argue exclusively over detergents.  Back in the day when I started washing cloth diapers (18-13 yrs ago), I never heard of rules.  I also never heard of specific cloth diaper detergent.   So I used my regual detergent.  Of course not all detergents are created equal.  Know whats in your detergent and use something that's gonna wash but not leave behind unwanted stuff on your diapers.  enzymes, softeners, bightners, bleach. 

Some groups advocate barely any detergent.   Others advocate lots of detergent.   Neither is correct.  you need to wash it without having to rinse 6 times.  Which is a waste of water, a precious resource.  

Some advocate bleach.  Bleach is hard on the skin and breaks down fabrics and elastic.  It breaks down fabric in your clothes to.  It's a smaller issue in your clothes cuz you don't wash the same shirt every 2 days.  We do wash the same 20 diapers every 2 days. 

Homesteader washing:  How can people take issue with this?  Well apparently some can.  Now we all know I looked forward to boiling diapers regularly (over on occasion), but since I've added elastic to my prefolds it will remain a casual option.  I'll build a camp washer instead.  Why?  They work, just need the right meathod for the right diaper.  Don't believe they work?  Ask if grandma or great-gramdma had ammonia issues.  Home made detergent?  Of course it works, (see above grandma comments) .  Just need one that has good cleaning agents, not harmful or weak ones.  

Some promote laziness.  Yes you do need to wash often.  Yes you have to change often. And Yes you need to rinse off poop and rinse urine filled over night diapers.  Poop goes in the toilet .... by law.  It does not sit around your house in a diaper pail ands it does not go in your washing machine.  Come on, that's just the same common sense as changing a diaper.  the same common sense our grandparents had that in today's instant culture has disappeared and been caste as myth. 

Build up.  Yes its real.  Detergents of all kinds build up.  They build up in your hair from shampoo, in your dishwasher, in your shower stall, in your washing machine, in your clothes.   All these things even have specialty items for this very issue.  What makes it a bigger issue for your cloth diapers is (as I earlier said), your washing the same cloth diaper every 2 days.  Solutions?  Dont use to much, rinse if suds are present, add some vinegar to your rinse cycle or give a vinegar soak and stir before washing.  Know your water type (hard or soft).

Think Im wrong and all these sites and rules are correct?  Check out how ammonia tops these discussions.  How expert these people are in treating it (or stink as some prefer to call them).  I've never had ammonia. I've not got stripping experience.   I have clean laundry experience.   If the common wash routine your reading includes regular bleach use, or a wash routine that sounds like it takes forever or anything else out if the ordinary,  be assured that its a routine that is compensating for a problem.  

If someone is totally radical about an idea and wont allow other ideas then enjoy the community but ignore wash and care advise.  And use your common sense, ask questions, dont be bullied,  especially by the expert of 5 months,  or the expert who strips regularly it is treating non stop rash.  

Know your diaper and fabric.  Different styles and fabrics will require different wash solutions.   I use all cotton prefolds.  My fabric is natural and basic.  It will wash according to older meathods.  My diaper is of basic construction and relatively flat (just a bit of gathering at the leg), so yes it will wash, rinse and dry easily.   I don't have an 8-11 layer thick diaper.  Again it will wash, rinse and dry easier.  So yes a flats, prefold and basic fitted's mama will have a much easier go of it.  To be honest if you have constant issues with your fleece, microfiber, minky, pocket, AIO etc diaper, then my advice is switch to cotton or hemp basic diaper for a clean all natural option.  Im not saying other styles and fabrics are bad, just more complicated.....well there is one fabric I will call bad (read on)....

Microfiber:  As I mentioned before it was designed for cleaning and traps bacteria - by design!   This to me is not a good sounding diaper option.  In fact I will call this a bad diaper option.  Having issues, switch to a fabric not designed to hold bacteria. 

It may sound like there is a lot to learn out there.  Yes to some degree there is.  But its mostly basic common sense.  Also the KISS principal holds true. (that's "S" for simple, no "L" for lazy).  Simple diapers and fabrics with simple laundry and care solutions works simply.    

Is Your Brand New Diaper Leaking - We Can Fix That

Ok so your super excited to use your brand new cloth diapers.  You feel confident, and I've assured readers multiple times that it works if you change it.  You washed them once after they arrived (like all new baby clothes).  Time for super cute fluffy bum!!

And then they leaked.  You changed them but the absorbency wasn't what everyone promised.  Your frustrated, tired, confused and have 3 weeks worth of laundry that you've accumulated in just 2 days.  There is a fix, its simple and its a strange little thing about the cloth diaper world.

Before using your cloth diapers for the first time they need to be washed 3-4 times.  This makes them more absorbent.  In fact cloth diapers continue to increase in absorbency over time (so long as they dont have residue build up or ammonia) . 

Why does washing increase absorbency?  Well with some natural fibers it removes oils, but thats only part of it and happens quickly.  What the washing does is soften up the fibers in the cloth.  It also takes them from smooth to more fiberous.  And it opens the weave of the material up some.  This allows the fabric to pull in and distribute the wetness.  This process is especially important with prefolds as it quilts them up.

So before using your cloth diapers wash them up several times.  I use a regular detergent amount on the first wash (and since I made them this time that was when I pre-washed the fabric before sewing).  For the next several pre-washes just a few spoons of detergent is enough.  **only for prepping, dirty diapers need the correct detergent amount** You dont need to dry between washes.  That's optional and personal preference.  If your at a laundry mat I'd just dry at the end to save money.   If your like me and dont have home laundry perhaps a friend will help you out.  I will be doing my pre-washing at my moms.  Although I wouldn't ask to do all my laundry this way (cuz I'd feel like a college student who saved her laundry for holidays at home),  I dont mind asking for this situation.  If your starting your cloth diaper journey with a newborn you could ask someone to do this as a shower gift. 

Pre-wash several times first and your diapers will work if you change them.  Also keep in mind many are made to be used with a cloth liner (like mine) .  Often its not added to the core because some if the benefits of a seperate liner are the same as the benefits of a prefold.  These are: adjustability, more thorough clean, faster dry. 

Laundry, Laundry, Laundry

LAUNDRY! 

Thats what everyone is really worried about with cloth isn't it?  Im going to discuss the "chore" of laundry as well as ways to do cloth diaper laundry. 

First I've never understood the distress of doing laundry.  Yeah it can take 1hr-1 1/2hrs per load start to finish but really in that time you spend like 10-15 min actually doing something.   The rest your waiting on a machine (unless hand washing).  To me this is the greatest chore!  When I had home laundry or apartment building laundry it was great.  Laundry mat....well getting it there can be a bit of a chore (unless you drive, then don't complain).  I walk to the laundry mat (with a granny cart lol).  But hey, I'm out of the house for 2 hrs working my butt off for 15 min, reading, playing on Facebook or grabbing Tim's (to people outside Canada that's coffee and a donut).  Sounds like a sweet chore to me.  Now putting away laundry....ok not as big a fan lol. 
LESSON1: It's all how you look at it. 

^^ the real work horse lol^^
Ok so hopefully that helps you look at one household chore a little better. Its the sit and chilax chore

Next: laundry detergent:
Ignore the cloth diaper manufacturing instructions and do not spend money on special laundry soap. Also do not buy special detergent for baby clothes either. Its all a big capitalist scam! Your baby clothes and diapers will wash fine in regular laundry detergent, a Bio soap will be more gentle on the fabrics though. 1/2 tide with 1/2 white vinegar is a popular choice. I also like 1/3 Swish, 2/3 laundry detergent , then white vinegarin the rinse cycle. Swish a cleaner of all things (laundry, mop bucket, in a spray bottle like fabreeze, just anywhere in your house).

Homemade Laundry Soap:
There are many recipes for this. I like cheap and simple so here it is:
Equal parts:
•borax
•washing soda
Mix together dry and add 1/2 cup as dry laundry powder to machine or tub. You can still add vinegar
*To Make Washing Soda: simply put baking soda in a large pan or cookie sheet (evenly) and bake at 400°F for about 20 min stirring occasionally. It will turn from powdery to grainy. You will notice the change as you stir.
You can buy washing soda but for some reason it costs more and is harder to find.

LESSON 2: special laundry soap is a capitalist scam, as is buying washing soda when you can just bake baking soda. (PS, Im also a Native rights activist but I'll try not to let that pop into the blog to much unless it's helpful to cloth diapering)

Washing Cloth

So you have a diaper pail or wet bag full of cloth diaper laundry that has built up over the last 2-3 days.
* do not let go longer then this or ammonia will build up, and its kinda gross to have it sitting there, building up.

The diapers should all be seperate from liners (nothing stuck together), and they should be free of all debris (poop and disposable liners). Also if using Velcro diapers stick Velcro together before washing so it lasts longer
*covers such as PUL that cannot be washed on hottest settings should be sorted into seperate wet bag at change time. Otherwise you need to pull these out now.

Now turn machine to hot or medium heat setting, add detergent mixture of your choice. Let machine fill a little and add diapers and cloth liners. One regular cycle on is all it takes. if soap is left behind rinse with vinegar.

When the washing is done it all goes in the dryer or hung to dry. Now there are a few options to cut down on cost (either in your electric bill or at the laundry mat) amf still give the softness of a dryer.
1. Dry partially then hang to dry, iron to soften.
2. Hang to dry then iron or throw in dryer for 10 min to fluff.
Its that simple.

STAIN REMOVAL
Poop stains? Do Not Bleach! Bleach breaks fabric fibers and over time you end up with worn out diapers with little holes. Its also rough on babies skin. So what do cloth mama's do? Well most hang in the sun and let the UV rays from the sun bleach them out.
**What do I do?
I lay them on the grass in the sun. The grass/UV combo works wonders and you get the UV direct onto the diaper. It works great and I totally swear by it. What about in the winter? Boil it. Using disposable liners greatly cuts down on poop stains, but when that explosive poop hits, well then you need these simple techniques. If your diaper has elastics (and my hybrids do), dont boils regularly as it wears on the elastic.
LESSON 3: Bleach bad; Nature good.
HOMESTEADER STYLE
Boiling Laundry
I have not done this yet except to get out a tough poop stain during the winter (so we are talking 1-3 diapers not a whole load). I am however very interested in this. I just need to track down a very large stock pot. It's simple. Boil water, add tiny amount or laundry soap (tiny, boiling requires less soap!), add clothes and stir. Drain, let diapers cool down over edge of pot (pick up with tongs so as not to burn your hands) and then rinse. *Do not rinse before cooling or you will shrink the diapers and liners!!
You dont need a scrub board as the boiling and stirring does the work. (Stir with a wood spoon or you'll risk burning yourself) This is why I'm interested as a home laundry meathod. If I had to scrub I would not be game. My arms could not handle the work and with a baby who would have the time? I realize boiling a few diapers is different then a whole load, but if I find that big stock pot, I'll let yous all know. *edit* Sunset I went with my hybrid design I wont be doing this method regularly as it's hard in the elastics*

Alright, so diaper laundry isn't as bad or as expensive as it might seem. It doesn't require special products either. It does require doing laundry more often if you have a small family. If you have a large family then chances are you already do laundry every 2-3 days (at least), anyways.

Know Your Diaper!! If your using an AIO or a diaper with a water proof/water repellent layer inside the diaper *please* carefully read the laundry instructions. Often these cannot go on a hot water setting or be boiled. Snaps are also an issue on hottest settings, as is elastic (which can loose its elasticity).