How Often Should I Wash Cloth Nappies? And Other Washing FAQ's.

It’s sometimes controversial within the cloth nappy community to talk about the perfect wash routine but for me it is one of the most important things. Not to scare you into thinking it’s complicated but to just make sure you don’t hit any problems on the way. Which probably leaves you with a lot of questions. That’s why I’ve put together a list of my Frequently Asked Questions to help you. Starting with the most common. How often do I need to be washing my cloth nappies?

Wash your cloth diapers every 2-3 days, or once you have a full load. Leaving your diapers longer than this can make them harder to wash and risk bacteria build up leading to problems such as ammonia in the future.

Dry pail your nappies in between washing in a lidded bucket or in a large wet bag. You’ll find 2-3 days worth of diaper is a good amount to fill your washing machine, around 2/3 which is the optimum amount for good agitation and sparkling clean nappies.

How to store dirty cloth nappies? Should I soak my nappies or dry pail?

Known as ‘dry pailing’ store your dirty diapers in a lidded bucket or a waterproof wet bag. There is no need to soak modern cloth nappies, many manufactures activity discourage this older practice. Soaking can shorten the life of the nappy as well as being smelly and messy.

Modern washing machines are extremely reliable at cleaning, paired with a good wash routine this is more than enough to get your nappies clean clean. Like Monica clean. This makes soaking nappies an unnecessary and messy business.

Other reasons that soaking nappies is a bad idea include dirty water becoming smelly, dripping dirty water when trying to get nappies into the washing machine, having to get rid of the water afterwards and the real risk of a child knocking the bucket over. I, like many manufactures discourage the practice.

If you do decide you want to soak your nappies it is important you only do so in water. Sanitizers, vinegar, bi-card, Napisan or any other cleaning agents could damage your nappies and invalidate their warranty.

Should I pre-wash at the end of every day?

There is no need to pre-wash or rinse your nappies in the washing machine at the end of each day. If you are getting smelly nappies or you notice your nappy bucket smelling before wash day it is likely there is a problem with your washing routine.

It is however important that you do a short 30 degree pre- wash on your nappies before putting them on a main long hot wash. This rids as residual poo, rinses urine out and helps prevent stains. Just looking at the water as your pre-wash goes round will prove to you that this is good practice. I use the 30 minute 30 degree cycle on my machine, which most machines will have something similar to. Use half the dose of detergent that you use in your main wash to start the cleaning process. For full details on detergent have a look at “The best washing detergent for your cloth nappies.”

Should I hand rinse my cloth nappies before dry pailing them.

There is no need to hand rinse all your nappies before dry pailing them. However, you can rinse night nappies in hot water before storing them as these can become heavily soaked in urine. It is also important to remove weaned poo.

Pre-weaning all milky poo (breast or formula) can go straight into the washing machine as it is water soluble. There is no need to rinse or worry about a smelly nappy bin and pre-weaned poo isn’t so bad. Once you introduce food however you will need to shake or rinse any poo of into the toilet. If you can’t quiet get your head around this head over to “Dealing with the poo. Cloth nappies for beginner,” I promise it won’t gross you out too much.

Do I need to remove inserts before washing?

It is best to remove inserts from cloth nappies for washing to make sure they get a proper clean. However you can do this in between the pre-wash and main wash so you do not have to touch dirty nappies.

Many like to pull out the inserts as they put them in the nappy bin so they do not have to worry about it later but this is down to personal preference. For me I find this a bit faffy especially if you have a baby in your arms. I simply throw it all in and once it has been pre-washed and semi clean I quickly pull out inserts before putting on it’s full long wash.

Many do not even do this relying on the movement in the machine to get inserts out on their on but this is not always reliable and I prefer to make sure they are out to get full agitation and a full clean.

How long is to long to leave nappies without washing?

I would not leave nappies longer than 3 days before washing to avoid mildew stains, damp smelling nappies and any extra washing.

How do i stop my nappy bucket smelling?

Your cloth nappy bucket shouldn’t smell when the lid is on or if they are in a wet bag with the zip done up. If they do there could be a problem with your wash routine.

That is not to say that it won’t smell at all when you take the lids off but it shouldn’t be so bad it is a problem. This is because the poo should be in the toilet. If you’ve had a particularly explosive number which after being rinsed in the toilet flush or with some sort of spray into the toilet, and you are far from wash day you can always pop it on a short cycle in the washing machine before dry pailing it again.

If you are getting hamster cage smells or ammonia smells it is time to asses you wash routine because this means your nappies are not getting clean enough, even if they smell clean when they come out of the wash.

However, look out for teething too. Teething can make you babies wee very acidic and make their wee smell strongly. If they are teething and you notice the bucket smell, relax in the knowledge this should pass soon.

Some people do like to put a few drops of essential oils on a cloth and pop in the nappy bin/bag to help any smell but personally I feel this is unnecessary as we have never has any problems with the bin smelling.

How to store dirty cloth wipes?

Store your cloth wipes in a dry pail. Use any kind of container, wet bag or if your using cloth nappies, in with the dirty nappies. They can be washed and dried together.

Though I initially brought I set of cloth wipes with a dirty wipe container, designed to hold water and add essential oils to keep smell away, I found this still smelt damp and made a messy business of the whole thing. If you do do this you’ll find you need to change the water daily, which is something no parent needs to have to remember.

Can I wash other clothes with my cloth nappies?

Once you have pre-washed cloth nappies and wipes you can add in any extra clothes to the wash to bulk it out if you need it. They will come out just as clean and is not something to be grossed out by.

Be wary of adding anything too big into your cloth nappy wash as bigger items such as large towels can wrap themselves around your nappies reducing the amount of agitation they get and therefore how clean they get. Small items such as underwear, baby clothes, t-towels and muslins are fine to add to your cloth nappy wash.

Should I wash my cloth nappies at 40 or 60 degrees?

Washing at 60 degrees with non-bio will sanitize your nappies to a satisfactory standard. You can wash at 40 degrees if you want to save on energy but if you do this it is advised to wash at 60 every so often.

For more information on how temperature and different detergents will wash your nappies I highly recommend a read of “The Best Washing Detergent for YOUR Cloth Nappies.”

For the break down on my tried, tested and I believe perfected Cloth nappy wash routine click here.

other articles you might be interested in…

How to Dry Cloth Nappies Inside and Through Winter.

Are Red Marks with Cloth Nappies Normal?

How to Survive Maternity Leave Pay Living Sustainably.

Fight Your MP for Cloth Nappies.

Cloth Nappy Brand Index.

The Cloth Nappy Getting Started Series.