How to Wash Cloth Diapers at Home
Cloth diapers are a great way to save money. Cloth diapers are also better for the environment than their plastic counterparts. You might think that washing cloth diapers at home negates the benefits of using cloth diapers. These steps will show you that washing cloth diapers at home is not as difficult--or disgusting--as you might think.
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Instructions
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Choose a wet pail or dry pail. There are two methods commonly used for storing dirty diapers prior to washing them. The wet pail method consists of tossing dirty diapers into a diaper pail with water and baking soda. The downsides to this method include stagnant water, messy cleanup and even the risk of drowning. Using the dry pail method you can simply put a liner into a covered diaper pail and sprinkle baking soda into it between diaper drops.
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Head for the washing machine once you have accumulated 20 to 25 dirty diapers. Remove the diapers using the diaper pail liner. Turn the liner inside out to dump the diapers into the wash.
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Use a gentle laundry detergent and use less detergent than you would for a regular load of laundry. About a 1/4 cup is good.
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Wash the diapers on the cold cycle (with a cold rinse). This will prevent stains and messes from being "baked" into the diapers.
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Wash the diapers again using the hot wash/cold rinse cycle after the cold/cold run in the washing machine. Again, use only about 1/4 cup of detergent. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle or use it in place of your fabric softener in your time-releasing dispenser. The vinegar will make the diapers soft, rid them of stains and odors, and will not leave a lingering smell.
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Dry the diapers by hanging on your clothesline (the sunshine is a wonderful whitener!) or by tossing in the dryer.
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- Photo Credit www.morguefile.com/anitapatterson
