Monday, June 25, 2007

Wash routine

First, lets talk about new diapers.
New hemp needs to be washed in hot by itself about 3-4 times before washing with any other diapers. Wash it at least once alone, then you can wash it with your regular clothes laundry
(not diapers, and not towels). Hemp is coated in natural oils that make not only it repell, but will make your other diapers repell. Another option is to boil it first, then wash it 2-3 more times with regular clothes laundry. You do not need to dry between washes.
New PFs also need to be washed by themselves. Wash alone twice on hot (use soap), then you can wash with regular clothes laundry. Wash 4-6 times before use, but PFs will continue to soften up and become more absorbant the more you wash. You do not need to dry between each wash, or use soap each time. **Note- PFs will shrink quite a bit after the first wash. They will look huge when you open the package, but don't worry.
Microfiber, pockets, and covers do not need anything special. I would wash AIOs a couple of times before use, depending on the soaker.

Regular wash routine.
I would start with a basic routine, and only change it if you need to. This is a pretty simple wash routine, and works well for most people.
Cold rinse (especially important if your child is still young enough that you are not rinsing diapers, the cold rinse will hopefully help with stains).
Warm or hot wash with 1/2 the recommended amount of detergent.
Extra rinse

Look at this list for detergent choices-
http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentchoices.htm
http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/hedetergentchoices.htm

Gone are the days of soaking diapers in the toilet and bleaching at every wash. If your child is not on solids yet, you dont need to do anything to your poopy diapers other than wash. When your child eats more solid, and his/her poop becomes more solid, you will need to dispose of it in a toilet before washing. You do not need to use bleach at all.

Drying
The best way to dry your diapers is debatable. The dryer is hard on elastic, and too much heat will cause it to become brittle. However, heat also re-energizes the PUL. So, if you chose to dryer your pockets and covers, they will be dry in 10 minutes or less, so be sure to check them, and not let them get too hot.
Heres what I do (so obviously, I think its best, lol). I put all new diapers in the dryer on high for 10 minutes. After that, twice a month, I put all my pocket, covers, and AIOs in the dryer for 10 minutes on high. Everything that does not have elastic, gets dryed on low (usually takes 2 20 minute cycles). Everything that is waterproof, is line dryed normally.
Bamboo will become brittle if over heated, so only dry on low, or air dry. Hemp becomes hard and scratchy when air dryed- so fluff that in the dryer after its dry.

Stains Happen.
I havent met a stain that sun and lemon juice won't kill. I also use a few sprays of Simple Green in the wash to avoid staining and smells.

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