Washing Your Cloth Diapers

Besides purchasing diapers there are a few supplies that have made my life easier.

I would recommend investing in the following:

• 1 large trash can
  There is nothing special about this plastic, 13 gallon trash can, and at $13.00 it's cheaper than a Diaper Genie.
• 2 pail liners
  It's nice to have two liners, so you have a clean liner in the pail while you're washing a load of diapers. $40.00
• 1 diaper sprayer
  I haven't needed this yet, but will when Cannon starts solids. $45.00
• 2 wet bags
  I use these for storing wet/dirty diapers when traveling. $24.00
• 24 cloth wipes
  I purchased Prince Lionheart wipes at BuyBuy Baby and have been thoroughly disappointed in them. They are all unraveling at the seams after only 2-3 washes - so DO NOT PURCHASE them. You could make your own cloth wipes out if you wish. $24.00
• laundry detergent
  I have used Rockin' Green Cloth Diaper Detergent and Nellie's All Natural Laundry Soda. So far both have cleaned my diapers great. The Rockin Green did smell a little bit better! I've also read that you can use a fragrance-free detergent like All Free-And-Clear.  $15.00
• Ikea Pressa Portable Hanging Dryer
  Since we don't have a yard or a porch for a clothes line, I hang these cool little hangers in our bath tub to dry our diapers. $10.00

All of the above supplies total about $170.

My wash/dry system for cloth diapers looks something like this:

1. Collect dirty diapers in trash can
2. Every two days remove pail liner with dirty diapers
3. Put clean liner in trash can
4. Put a few drops of Lavender oil on pail liner to freshen the room
5. Wash diapers, wipes & pail liner with one scoop of detergent on HOT
6. Rinse everything with NO detergent on cold
7. Hang diapers and pail liner to dry
8. Drench cloth wipes in a bowl of water mixed with a few drops of tea tree oil 
9. Squeeze/ring out excess tea tree oil water and fold/store wipes in plastic, empty Huggies wipes container

Some people wash/rinse their diapers three times (hot rinse, hot wash, cold rinse OR cold rinse, hot wash, cold rinse). However, since I have to pay for each load of laundry, I've opted to try the cheaper, two-cycle system and it seems to work great.  

You can also dry your prefolds and inserts in the dryer, but again, I've opted for the free, air-dry method.

Need some more resources? Check these links out:

• Keeper of the Home: Natural & Eco-Friendly Laundry Soap Reviews
• Diaper Sewing Divas
• Pooters Diapers: Getting Out Hard to Remove Diaper Stains
• Blissfully Domestic: DIY Tutorial: Make Your Own Diaper Sprayer

Miss the first posts in the "cloth diaper" series?

1. Why Both With Cloth Diapers
2. The Finances of Cloth Diapering
3. Why Are There So Many Different Types of Cloth Diapers?
4. Which Cloth Diapers Should You Buy