Cloth Diapers: Laundry Time

So I have to admit that cloth diaper laundry is one of my favorite things besides the cuteness of cloth diapers on babies. So let me tell you what I have learned with my laundering of diapers.

•  The way I do my laundry is I dump all my dirty diapers into the washing machine (I have an upright) and set the cycle on rinse and do it on cold. Then I do a wash cycle on hot/cold and add my laundry soap and water softner. Then I do one more rinse on hot/cold.

Don't they look so beautiful on the line?

• Then I take them out and hang dry them. I like for them to be out in the sun of course and I love spring-fall for them drying but if the weather is not good I will hang them in front of the fire or on door jams.

• The sun is very important as it bleaches diaper inserts and covers and of course the fresh air helps with smell as well.

Hanging on a door during rain!

• I do not like to use the dryer with my diapers that often but sometimes I throw them in there to kill all the bugs during stink bug or lady bug days. I also will put them in there if I am in a crunch and don't have time for them to air dry. But don't put any type of fabric sheets in there as it will build up on the diapers and make them not as absorbent.

• I have used three different types of laundry soap--I started with Charlie's Soap which seemed to do pretty well, then I used Rockin Green which I hoped would make my diapers smell good but it didn't seem to help and it didn't seem as effective for me. I now am using Tiny Bubbles which works well. I also learned recently that I need some Calgon water softner as we have hard water and so that makes soap ineffective in time. So this is what I use now in every load.

When Gideon was a baby helping me fold!

• I have stripped diapers a few times when they start to smell...I've done vinegar...dawn (which helped)...but now I just use Calgon as I think I get build up from my water...also I feel like microfiber inserts just wear out and mine are three years old. So I am moving away from those to cotton!

• This is the clothes rack we use in the winter especially to help dry diapers and clothes. I put them in front of our wood stove.  Diaper laundry is so fun!