To properly clean and sanitize your diapers they must be washed on a normal warm/hot water cycle (water less than 115°F) and tumbled tried on a low heat/ delicate cycle or in direct sunlight (which sterilizes with UV). The pre-rinse can be with cold water, but the main wash must be hot enough to disinfect! Read up on our washing 101 to learn the basics of washing.

When deciding to cloth diaper full time it’s important to have enough diapers to get you through the day, or two. While washing and preparing dirty diapers you will need to have a few extra on hand as laundry may take a few hours. A larger stash of diapers is especially important when planning on cloth diapering from newborn through to potty-training as you want to make sure you are not over using (wearing & washing, repeat!) a few diapers as they will quickly wear out.

Whether you’re adding oils to the wash or using them directly on the diaper, the oil residue will eventually cause your precious cloth to become water-repellent instead of absorbent. If using oils such as tea tree for their anti-bacterial purposes, it is best to instead practice a good washing routine, tackling bad bacteria with hot water & detergent.

Soap is meant to be used on generally non-porous surfaces that have no nooks and crannies to trap soil. Detergent is formulated to work on cloth, a very porous and textured material, it is also formulated to trap soil and suspend it in water where it can be washed away. Soaps form a build-up in hard water and will not rinse away easily, jeopardizing the absorption of your diapers. Now that you’ve decided to ditch the soap, learn more about which detergents we recommend. .

Traditional diaper creams are made to create a barrier on your baby’s bottom, and, guess what? They will also leave a barrier on your diapers, which will inhibit their absorption. Some common diaper cream ingredients that can cause staining, repelling, or odors and should be avoided are as follows: petroleum/petroleum jelly, paraffin, cod liver oil and calamine. Read up on our top 10 cloth diaper approved creams here.

Diapers that sit in a pail for more than a day will begin to smell, will take longer to disinfect & clean, and develop stains. Not cute! Additionally, ammonia can begin to build causing additional odors as well as create an irritation and rash. Even when having a larger diaper stash, it’s important to make sure dirty diapers are cleaned as quickly as possible.