Cloth diaper laundry

First of all, it is easy to wash cloth diapers! To keep it real simple: you fill your wetbag/pail liner with dirty diapers, put it into the washing machine and press the start button. Having done this, you make yourself a cop of tea and relax, and when the machine is finished washing your diapers then you spend around 10 to 15 minuts hanging them to dry — if you are not using a dryer, that is.

Simply said, simply done. Perhaps in the beginning, when you don’t know excatly how to handle the washing process, it can be somewhat frustrating and confusing, but we are here to help you and guide you through it. Obviously, it takes a bit of time learning how to do it, a bit of time, not a lot of time. And when you have achieved a good rutine, it will be even easier. Also, you avoid the meaningless labor of carrying disposable diapers from the supermarket back to your home — and out of your home again after usage.

Below is an overview of our recommendations regarding washing routines of WeeCare cloth diapers and accessories.

Washing guide and routine

Remember that if the washing routine doesn’t seem to work for you, it is a good idea being open to adapting it to your specific needs. We are all different. And there can also be a huge difference between various types of washing machines as well as between how hard or soft the water is in your region. Moreover, some people fill the washing machine to its limit, others don’t. And, of course, it will also make a difference if you only wash diapers or if you wash them together with towels, etc. All this will influence how much detergent you need to use.

We recommend that you start with the following washing routine and if you need to you can always adjust it.

1) The used diaper with pee is placed into a diaper pail with a tightly closed lid

2) Poop is wiped or tipped down the toilet before the diaper is placed in the pail

3) The diapers are washed in the washing machine at 60° with pre-wash

4) Diapers and inserts are dried

5) That’s it!

All this should take only around 40-60 minutes of your time each week. That is to say: putting the diapers into the machine, start it, and afterwards hanging the diapers to dry. But, on the other hand, you will avoid carrying all the disposable diapers back home from the supermarket, and, when they are used, out of the home again. And do we even have to mention that you save the environment for huge amounts of waste?

Comments to the washing guide

1) The used diaper with pee is placed into a diaper pail with a tightly closed lid
Here there is no need to rinse the diaper. Simply place it into a diaper pail with a liner (a large wetbag).

2) Poop is wiped or tipped down the toilet before the diaper is placed in the diaper pail
The poop is removed from the diaper using toilet paper (or something else). Then the diaper is placed into the diaper pail together with the rest of the diapers. If you use diaper liners of paper you can throw them out when there is poop, or wash them when there is just pee.

Remember: when your child is in the “milk-stage”, i.e., not eating solid food, then you do not need to remove the poop before washing. This is because the poop at this stage is water-soluble.

3) The diapers are washed in the washing machine at 60° with pre-wash
Take the liner with the diapers out of diaper pail and place it into the washing machine. The diapers will come out of the pail liner by themselves when the machine is spinning around and thus you do not even need to touch the dirty diapers.

Use detergent with enzymes and without parfume and bleach. Detergent in powder form is preferable.

You should also add calcium remover, if you are washing with hard water.

Adjust the amount of detergent according to the guidelines on the package for “very dirty” and “soft water”.

4) Diapers and inserts are dried
It is best for our high-quality WeeCare diapers to be hung to dry, naturally, especially the products with waterproof fabric. However, products without waterproof fabric can be tumble-dried but for enviromental reasons and also because it wears a lot on the diapers, it is better to dry them the natural way.

And, by the way, we also advise you to see our list about things you must not do to the WeeCare diapers.

Adjustments

After you have tried the washing guide above, it is of course an option for you to adjust here and there in case you feel it is needed. Remember that every washing macine is different and so too is the water in your region so some adjustments are only normal.

But how do you know if you need to change or adjust your washing routine?

1) Use your sense of smell. If the diapers smell badly after they have been washed then you should add a bit more washing powder or a bit more calcium remover. However, before you change anything, it is a good idea to check if the dosing amount is correct in relation to the water composition in your region.

2) If the water in the machine foams a lot during washing, you may need to reduce the amount of detergent and/or calcium remover.

So, if your diapers smell clean and fresh after being washed and the water does not foam a lot during washing, yes, then your washing routine is perfect!

The best you can do is to use your nose and pay attention to whether or not the diapers smell clean and fresh when newly washed and still wet.

It is also possible that you could use less detergent than what the instructions on the package says. In this case you must test and try. Start with a full dosage of detergent and then you can always try to scale down until you reach the excact right amount for you. In this way, you will eventually succeed.

Once you have found the correct washing routine, you don’t have to think about it anymore 🙂

Enjoy!