What is the best way to wash out cloth diapers so they smell clean and come out soft and white?

Question

I use cloth diapers on my baby and had no problem with washing the diapers and getting them clean. Now I can't seem to get them completely rinsed out without running them through the washer a couple times.

Answer 1

DON'T USE BLEACH!!!!!

Oh my goodness, I cannot believe some people told you to use bleach! I am a fellow cloth diaper user and that is not safe for your diapers or your baby's skin.

Try adding a cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle, this will help leach out all the soap. Rinsing 2x can also help if its a real problem. Leftover soap residue can irritate your babies bottom.

"Sunning" your diapers is the best way to whiten & brighten. This can be hard if you live in a climate where the Sun scarely makes an appearance. You'd be suprised how white your diapers will be after an hour in direct sunlight!

Good Luck!

You should visit MotheringDotCommune Forums, become a member, it's totally free and there is a HUGE community of cloth diapering Mammas and we all share tips etc.

Answer 2

Well, I don't have any kids, but recently I've been trying to decide myself whether I'll use cloth or disposables when the time comes. I love the idea of cloth diapers, they save money for sure. There's some debate about the benefit to the environment though, because of the extra energy used to clean the cloth diapers. So, I'm not totally sold on that one, but the money saver is certainly attractive if nothing else. But, I ran into a bit of a problem. Cloth diapers never looked overly absorbent to me, so I decided to run some tests to see if they would make the cut. I bought a pack of prefolded cloth diapers and a pack of disposables. I tested them on my little sister's life-size doll (about 3-4 month old size). I used a half cup measuring cup to measure how much either type of diaper can hold. The cloth diapers took about half a cup, but there was a pool of water on the bottom, which would just lay pooled in the diaper cover (I would hate to see that extra liquid get squeezed out if a baby with such a diaper was propped on one's hip); also, the side that touches the baby stays very moist and will likely cause diaper rash if not changed quickly. The disposables took over a cup of water (not quite a cup and a half), and within a couple of minutes the water was fully absorbed, reducing the chance of diaper rash. Not one to give up, I tried liners for the cloth diapers to see if they would increase the absorption amount to a satisfactory level, but they made an already very bulky bum an unsatisfactorily bulky bum. So, I guess I'll end up using disposables, unless those newfangled cloth diapers that seem to actually work well come down significantly in price by the time I have kids.

Answer 3

It depends on your washer. We were using coin-op laundry when we cloth diapered my daughter and we always had to run them through twice to get them to smell clean. We just used regular laundry detergent both times. If you have your own washer you can try using soak or an extra rinse. Always use the longest cycle. When I did laundry at a friend's house I used the "super wash" cycle and they came clean after one wash.

As for white, I find sunning the ones with stains gets the stains out every time. You just put them out in the sun and leave them there a few hours. The only time that didn't work is when my daughter got into her aunt's anti-depressants and had to go to the E.R. and get activated charcoal- that never did come out.

I've heard you're not supposed to bleach diapers because it's bad for the baby's skin. Also if you bleach diaper covers or all-in-one diapers they lose the waterproofness (which isn't a word but you know what I mean), which is a very important feature for diapers in my opinion. :)

Answer 4

use a scrub to remove any solid waste under running water. Rinse the diapers. Then soak the cloth diapers in washing detergent plus dettol overnight. Wash all diapers in 1 go.

To make the diapers soft, put in softener during final washing cycle. Or place a one-way baby liner when using.

Answer 5

I Know there are alot of suggestions but remember that these chemicals could be harsh for your Babbie's skin So make sure the products you use are soft
Try looking for Napisan a mild detergent for Diapers and baby clothes and use a mild fabric softener.
the thing is to Always!! wash your babies materials /Garments by hand. Soak in warm water for about 20 mins before washing and don't have to use much detergent.

Answer 6

Use a downy ball and fill it to the line (about 1/3 full) with white vinegar and wash as normal. Should do the trick! Take care.

Answer 7

get a pail in as soon as you change your baby rinse the diaper and soak it and the pail wash and regular cycle at the end of the week

Answer 8

Rinse well, and wash with bleach. While they are wet put them outside and hang them until they freeze, bring them in and dry. They will be so super soft you will wish they were for you! I learned this trick from my grandma. Best wishes.

Answer 9

I rinse them and wring them out in warm water and wash them in hot water, with bleach and an extra rinse, then dry on high heat too. My son is only 3 months, so I am not sure if that will keep working.

Answer 10

Run them through the wah with borox, or better yet, wash them through a quick cycle with some hot water and bleach, and then boil them on the stove in some borox water.

Gets them so white you cant beleive it.