How do you wash cloth nappies/ diapers?

[sophie]

Just wondering how people wash their cloth naps (diapers!).
I've always used an oxygen bleach, mainly because I only have a cold wash on my machine, plus we're on rainwater, so by soaking in the oxy bleach and then rinsing in machine it's kind of efficient and easy. However! I would like to try other methods that do not use chemicals. I have heard of vinegar, tea tree oil, or baking soda methods, but seem to recall all these needing a hot wash. Does anyone know, or have any tips? Thanks!

[vegma]

I've always used the instructions that came with the diapers I ordered ... and you're right, one of the cycles is HOT.

1. run through a cold rinse
2. wash hot with laundry soap and a 1/2 cup of vinegar in the cold rinse
3. run through an extra cold rinse
4. dry in the sun or in the dryer

It uses a lot of water, but the diapers smell fresh and aren't stained.

[Katharina]

We use Fuzz Bunz and you're just supposed to use ordinary detergent, no bleach, softener etc.

I just wash them on a hot cycle with a pre-rinse, hang the outer layer up to dry and put the inserts in the dryer or out to dry in the sun.

[go4green]

We have a front loading wahser which saves a lot of water!!!

We use 1-2 teaspoons of bio kleen detergent and hot water wash/ cold water rinses. If the diapers aren't bad I'll add 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup of vinegar to that wash. I pretreat stains with bac out. If the diapers are extra smelly, I will use a short wash with the soap only and an additional short wash with just the baking soda and vinegar, and another 1/2 cup of vinegar in the final cold rinse. We use fabric fluffers in the dryer
with all our laundry on low heat (the front loader gets most of the water out) or we hang dry.

I think people have said this before, but vinegar is a good fabric softener, it can be used in wash or rinse...I have used a bio kleen liquid before that works in cold and I think the
vinegar and baking soda would work in cold, but I haven' t tried it.~Jenna

[mum2sarah]

1. cold prewash
2. hot wash with 1/2 the suggested amount of laundry soap, and a few drops of grapefruit seed extract (we had a bout with yeast rashes, and gse helps prevent yeast)
3. hot wash with nothing
4. cold rinse
5. dry in dryer. if it's not raining or dark out (which doesn't happen that often), I hang dry them when they are partially dry. otherwise I dry them completely in the dryer

[sophie]

Thanks everyone for the ideas. I'm going to try and get some grapefruit seed extract (i'd never heard of it before) as my baby has had repeated yeast rashes also. The vinegar rinse might help this too.:)