So you are considering using cloth diapers and wipes, but the next question is the one that concerns most people…what about washing them?

The good news is… I HAVE AN ANSWER!

SPRAYER:

First, after I do a diaper change I spray the diapers off. No, I do not have to stick my hand down into the toilet and rinse it in the bowl like some people used to. There are different companies who have created diaper sprayers that hook directly up to your toilet. I read many a review and they either leak or easily break in most cases. So I decided I didn’t want to spend that kind of money for something that wouldn’t work correctly. I found a tutorial online of how to build my own. Granted, I just went to Home Depot (the supplies were less expensive there than Lowe’s) and bought the list of supplies, and then I had my husband put it together and install it. That tutorial can be found here! It only cost us around $25-$30 to build our own, that we can replace parts to if they break! I say that is a pretty great deal!

If the diapers are poopy or have a strong urine odor I will don my handy yellow rubber kitchen type gloves and hold the diaper over the toilet and rinse the diapers. I have a hamper with a scented garbage bag in it and I toss the diapers in after rinsing.

WASHING:

I wash diapers twice a week, I also throw the used wipes in with the load to get them nice and clean and to keep all of the poopy laundry together! We have very hard water where we live in Wisconsin, so I had to play around with our wash cycle a bit to get it to fit our needs to get us the cleanest diapers. We do not have a water softener, but I did some research and washing soda can help to naturally soften your water in your laundry. I also didn’t buy into the big name brand diaper washing detergents. I have made my own laundry soap for almost two years now, and I didn’t plan to buy diaper detergent either. So I researched and researched, and alas I found one with great reviews, and I love it too!

DETERGENT:

I get a gallon sized ziplock bag and I put three cups of borax, three cups of arm and hammer washing soda, and three cups of Oxiclean free (or baby). Mix it all together and then use 1-2 TBSP based on the size of the load and the amount of soil. This detergent can also be used as a laundry booster for any load if you want an extra use for it. You can make more or less of this, but more is better if you wash diapers and wipes regularly.

CYCLE:

We do a 6 point system in our home, and usually washing twice a week, I can run a medium load instead of large, which helps with water! First we rinse with the sprayer in the toilet. Then we wash diapers and wipes twice a week, washing goes like this… Rinse on cold, Rinse on cool, wash heavy duty with warm water and homemade detergent, then do one more rinse on warm. Lastly we hang dry all of our diapers and inserts. The reason that we do it that way is the elastic in the diapers holds up longer, and secondly, if I hang dry my diapers on a nice day I can put them outside in the sun. 30 minutes in the sun, they are naturally sun bleached and all of those icky stains magically disappear! It is awesome!! (some people just do a rinse, wash, rinse cycle, which can work too, I personally feel that our diapers are cleaner with the extra rinse, but that is just my opinion).

DISCLAIMER: If your diapers came with very specific washing rules, and a warranty then do what you think is best. I am in no way responsible for your diapers if you choose to break your warranty suggestions and something happens to your diapers.