Easy Wash for Specific Cloth Diapers and Covers
by Susan Crawford Beil

For the most part, diapers and their covers can all be washed together following the steps in our Easy Wash system. But there are certain recommendations we have discovered from our own experience and some suggested from each manufacturer that will help you maximize the use and lifetime of your diapering ensemble. 

Please be aware that the guarantees on these diapers and covers are contingent on whether you follow the manufacturer’s washing instructions!

Chinese Prefolds
Hemp
Fuzzi Bunz
Sugar Peas Fleece covers
Sugar Peas Wool covers
Stacinator Fleece covers
Stacinator Wool covers
Bummis Super wraps and pants
Woolly Liners
Lanolizing Wool Diaper Covers
Help! My cloth diapers stink!
Stripping cloth diapers

Chinese Prefolds, Organic Cotton Fitteds, All Cotton Diapers

All cotton cloth diapers can be washed in exactly the same way. When cotton diapers and Chinese Prefolds are brand new, they must be washed a few times before they are able to absorb their maximum capacity.

1. After you’ve opened them up, wash and dry them THREE TIMES. With each of the washes, use a HOT wash cycle with about 1/4 cup detergent. The detergent removes any residue still on the diapers from the manufacturing process. The dryer fluffs the cotton.
2. For the unbleached diapers, especially Chinese Prefolds, you should wash and dry them a 4^th time in order to remove the natural waxes that did not get stripped by the bleaching process.

After this initial washing process, cotton diapers and Chinese prefolds do not require any special washing instructions beyond our Easy Wash process.

Hemp inserts, doublers and diapers

Washing hemp is exactly the same as washing cotton, so you should follow the directions above for washing Chinese Prefolds. Hemp is unbleached, so be sure to add the additional first wash/dry cycle.

Never use fabric softener on your diapers. Liquid fabric softeners and dryer sheets both leave a waxy residue on diapers which causes cotton, hemp & fleece to repel urine and decreases the absorbency of other diapers.

Fabric softeners, soaps, fragrances, and some detergents can cause build up of residues that hamper a diaper’s ability to absorb urine and a diaper cover’s ability to repel it. If you think your diapers or covers aren’t working the way they used to or the way they’re supposed to, it may be that they have too much build up of residue. You may need to strip your diapers.

Fuzzi Bunz

Wash your Fuzzi Bunz before your first use. And please wash them after each use – a quick rinse and then hanging them to dry without a proper wash will not remove the urine odor. If you’re dealing with a dirty FB, hold it over the toilet and shake off any solid waste. You can rinse any remaining poop off the FB if you like, but this is not necessary. Remove the prefold or insert from the FB before storing.

1. Fuzzi Bunz and all your other diapers can be washed together.
2. COLD soak with 1/2 cup baking soda
3. HOT wash with 1/4 cup detergent.
4. You may also add 1/4 cup white vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser, or put it in a Downy ball for release during the cold rinse. This will further neutralize odors and will soften your diapers without adding any residue build up.
5. We highly recommend that you hang your FBs to dry – they will be dry within an hour or two. This saves on energy and will prolong the life of your diapers.

Do NOT use bleach on your Fuzzi Bunz! This will eat away at the fabric and significantly shorten their lifespan. Fuzzi Bunz should not stain. Certain diaper rash ointments (like Desitin) will stain – beware of this if you use these products, especially if you want your FB to stay stain free.

We do carry some wonderful diaper creams and ointments safe to use with your Fuzzi Bunz. They will not stain or damage the diapers like many other brands do. Motherlove Diaper Rash Reilef, Motherlove Nipple Cream and Motherearth Baby Bottom Better.

Please do not use pure “soap,” or fabric softeners on your FB. Soap and softeners leave a residue on them which makes the fleece repel urine rather than let it seep through into the insert. “Natural” detergents can often have the same effect. While we highly recommend Bi-O-Kleen’s Bac-Out for odor and stain removal, we do not recommend the Bi-O-Kleen laundry detergent for your Fuzzi Bunz. If you notice your FB repelling water or leaking, you may need to strip them of their residue build up.

Bummis Diaper Covers & Pants

Whisper Pants – Bummis Whisper Pants can be used several times between washing (unless soiled). Simply set out or hang to dry and grab another one for the next diaper. By the next diaper change, the first pair of pants should be “aired out.” If soiled, shake off excess stool and throw in with your diaper wherever you store diapers before washing. Wash with the rest of your diapers. While they can be dried in the dryer, we recommend hang drying for maximum life expectancy.

Super Whisper Wraps – As with the Whisper Pants, these wraps do not need to be washed after each use, unless soiled. Just “air out” and use another wrap. When you do decide to wash your wrap, be sure to SECURE VELCRO tabs. This helps the Velcro keep its “stick-to-it-iveness” longer, and helps prevent it from snagging other items in the wash. Hang drying your wraps will also increase their longetivity, although you may tumble dry.

DO NOT use chlorine bleach or other whitening agents on your Bummis covers. And avoid all fabric softeners!

Stacinators & Sugar Peas

Fleece Diaper Covers These sturdy fleece covers can withstand just about anything – and still keep your baby dry! You can wash them in hot, cold, or warm water, and in just about any detergent. Unlike the fleece in the pocket diapers, which is supposed to let the urine seep through to the absorbent insert, the fleece on the Stacinator Covers repels the urine and keeps baby’s clothes (and you!) dry. If you find that your Stacinators are leaking some, you can occasionally actually add some fabric softener to the wash – or throw in a dryer sheet with them. Or, use a natural soap, like Dr. Bronner’s Castille, in a load with your Stacinators. In this case, the residue build up on the fleece is desired because it will help the cover repel moisture. THIS IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR ANY OTHER DIAPER OR COVER! You can tumble dry Stacinator Fleece Diaper Covers as often as you like.

Wool Covers We recommend hand washing this wool cover in cold water.  Any other washing method may cause excessive shrinkage or pilling of the cover.   This wool can be air dried between wearing.  It only needs to be washed using Eucalan Wool Wash when soiled or after many uses. Eucalan contains some lanolin so it will extend the time between lanonizing.

Lanoizing wool
You will need to lanolize your wool every two to three month or if you notice that it is leaking. We also suggest you lanolize it before using it for the first time.

What you'll need:
1) Large tub (or your kitchen sink will work!)
2) A small glass jar with a lid. Baby food jars work great
3) Liquid lanolin
4) Baby soap
5) A towel

First, fill the large tub (or sink) with warm water and put your cover(s) in to soak. Then, take your glass jar and put approx. 1/2 tbs of lanolin into the jar along with 1 tsp. of baby soap. Fill the rest of the jar with HOT water. Put the lid on the jar and shake until the lanolin is completely dissolved. The water will turn a milky color.

Now, take your cover(s) out of the water and set aside. Poor the contents of the glass jar into the warm water and swish the water around so that it is evenly distributed. Place your covers back in the water. Let them continue to soak for approx. 15-20 minutes. You may want to move the cover(s) around a few times during the 15-20 minutes to make sure they get maximum coverage. After that time, spread out your towel and place the cover(s) on top and roll the covers in the towel. You don't want to wring them since that will stretch the wool. Then, hang your cover(s) up to dry!

Stinky Cloth Diapers!
If you find that your  prefolds, inserts or any other cotton or hemp diapers, are constantly stinking despite being washed there are several factors to consider.

1. You may be using too much detergent. Cloth diapers are made to absorb and they do a great job! They will also absorb the detergent from the washing process. If you are using too much detergent, it is possible that it is not all being rinsed out during the washing process.
2. On the flip side, if you are not using enough detergent this could result in extra stinky diapers since you may not be getting your diapers clean enough.
3. You may need to start using vinegar. Vinegar brings pH levels down, killing more germs and balancing the pH back to a more neutral level. Vinegar works best with hard water; if you have soft water the vinegar may react with minerals in the water and cause an acrid odor in your diapers – especially noticeable every time your child urinates in them! Do not use apple cider vinegar – it will leave a dingy brown hue to your diapers. You can find a big jug of white vinegar in the condiments aisle at the grocery store – usually on the lowest level.

How do you know which of the above is the culprit? Here are a few tests to try:

1. First, to test if detergent build-up is the cause of your stinky diapers, wash your diapers as you normally would. Then run a short wash cycle with no detergent. Open the lid (or look through the glass if you have a front loading machine) and see if there are suds forming. If so, you do have a detergent build up that needs to be rinsed away. You will need to 'strip' your cloth diapers.
2. If no suds form, then you may need to use more detergent, pre-rinse your diapers before washing or try one of the options from the 'Add a nice touch' section of our Easy Wash instructions. Adding vinegar, if you have hard water, is another way to get your diapers cleaner.
3. If no suds form and you are using vinegar this could be the cause. Vinegar works best with hard water; if you have soft water the vinegar may react with minerals in the water and cause an acrid odor in your diapers – especially noticeable every time your child urinates in them! Even hard water may have trace minerals.

Stinky Fleece & PUL
If your pocket diapers and/or Bummis wraps stink despite being washed, this could be because synthetic fibers tend to retain odor more so than natural fibers. Here are a few tips: