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Diaper Care and Laundry

Proper care of your diapers is one of the keys to successful cloth diapering. Follow the manufacturers instructions below to keep you diapers fresh and help them last longer!

BabyKicks | bumGenius | DryBees | Happy Heinys | Imse Vimse

Knicker Nappies | Loveybums | Thirsties

BabyKicks

BabyKicksHemparoo (55% hemp and 45% cotton) and Joey-Bunz:

Laundry Instructions:

1. Wash once in cold water with an enzyme free detergent.
2. Wash once in hot water adding 1/3 cup baking soda, and then rinse.
3. Tumble dry on medium heat to reduce wear on the fibers.

Detergent tip

Use any detergent that does not contain enzymes, as enzymes can cause a painful rash. If you use a soap product, run a second cycle with 1/3 cup baking soda to avoid build-up. You may also want to try using 1/4 cup vinegar in the rinse.

First Wash Instructions

Pre-wash the diapers three times in hot water with detergent, drying them each time, to rinse out the natural oils from the hemp.

Special Instructions for Hemp

Because hemp is such an absorbent material, the residual build-up can cause odors. You may not ever experience this, depending on your water type and wash routine. If you do have odors in your clean diapers, try the following:

1. Wash your diapers in hot water with no detergent, 1/3 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup vinegar. Do this a few times until the water no longer looks soapy at the end of the cycle.
2. If the smell remains after the wash, you may want to try boiling your hemp for five minutes.
3. After you get the smell out of your hemp, be sure to use baking soda on a regular basis to keep it smelling fresh.
4. Line drying the hemp in the sun will also help removesmells (and stains).

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bumGenius

Laundry Instructions

bumGenius 2.0 products (made with PUL outer):

1. Wash once in cold water with no more than 1/4 cup detergent.
2. Wash once in warm or hot water with no more than 1/4 cup detergent. Optionally (and only occasionally), add 1/4 cup of bleach to this cycle.
3. Add an extra rinse to remove any lingering detergent in the diapers.
4. Tumble dry on the medium setting.

bumGenius 2.0 All-In-One (polyester outer):

1. Shake solids into toilet and store in dry pail.
2. Fasten tabs to laundry tabs on inside of diaper.
3. Wash warm, hot or cold with 1/4 cup additive free detergent.
4. Rinse well with another full wash cycle on hot.
5. Tumble dry medium.

bumGenius 1.0 products (made with nylon outer):

1. Wash once in cold water with no more than 1/4 cup detergent.
2. Wash once in warm water with no more than 1/4 cup detergent.
3. Add an extra rinse to remove any lingering detergent in the diapers.
4. Line dry.

bumGenius 1.0 All-In-One (nylon outer):

1. Shake solids into toilet and store in dry pail.
2. Fasten tabs to laundry tabs on inside of diaper.
3. Wash warm with 1/4 cup additive free detergent.
4. Rinse well with another full wash cycle on warm.
5. Tumble dry medium.

Detergent tip

Only use detergents that are free of dyes, enzymes, perfumes, whiteners and brighteners. (Detergents containing these ingredients cause damage to your diaper including elastic failure and leaking.) Do not use bleach or fabric softeners. Avoid using extra additives in your wash (like baking soda or vinegar). These ingredients are unnecessary and will cause problems in your diapers.

bumGenius Recommends

Wash diapers on cold with detergent first, and then follow with two hot or warm washes with no detergent.

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Dry Bees

Laundry Instructions:

1. Fold back your laundry tab. (This ensures that you won't find the dreaded "diaper snake" after you wash your diapers. Take care the first few times to match up the hook and loop carefully until your diaper tabs "learn" where to fold easily.)
2. Pull out the inserts.
3. Put everything in the washing machine, choose the water level that will completely cover all your diapers, and use a reduced amount of detergent.
4. Use a second rinse to ensure all of the detergent is rinsed out.
5. Dry in the dryer, or line dry.

Detergent tip

Avoid using Free and Clear, baby detergent, or cold-processed (natural) soap based laundry detergents, as they can leave a residue that builds up over time resulting in odor. (A heavy smell of urine after your baby pees is an indication that your diapers need to be rinsed more completely.)

First Wash Instructions

Pre-wash the diapers in hot water with a reduced amount of detergent. Dry them in the dryer, or line dry. Wait until diapers are completely cool before stretching, pulling on, or stuffing diapers or you can ruin your elastics.

Brightly colored nighttime diapers should be washed separately the first time because some of the outer fleeces do bleed for the first wash. Additionally, washing brightly colored laminated diapers in extremely hot or boiling water may cause these diapers to bleed as well.

Drybees Recommends

If your Drybees diapers get a stain, simply lay them out in the sun, and the sun will bleach away your stains naturally!

While consistent and frequent use of product such as bleach or stain fighters will reduce the life span of your diapers, we feel that using bleach sparingly once a month will help keep your diapers sanitized, clean, and fresh. Too much bleach, or using it more often than once a month will begin to wear down your diapers too quickly. Be sure to rinse completely.

Drybees recommends storing your diapers using in a dry pail until you are ready to wash, using a pail liner inside of a diaper pail or kitchen size trash can. Simply dump any solid poop into the toilet and put diaper into the diaper pail. Remember that newborn breastfed poops don't need to come off the diaper, as they are extremely water-soluble and will wash off in the washer.

Special Instructions for Microfiber

Microfiber inserts should be pre-washed on hot with reduced detergent and dried in the dryer on low, or line dry.

Special Instructions for Bamboo

Bamboo Diapers should be prewashed two times or more for best absorbency before use. Bamboo fabric should be handled gently: do not stretch while wet or fresh out of the dryer, and when line drying, hang the bamboo diapers sideways so you are not pulling in the direction of the stretchiest part of the diaper.

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Happy Heinys

Laundry Instructions:

1. Remove the inserts.
2. Cold Soak for 10-20 minutes depending on the level of dirt.
3. Wash on hot with slightly less than 1/4 cup of detergent.
4. Rinse well to ensure all detergent is removed from diapers.
5. Dry on high heat. The high heat of the dryer will keep your Happy Heiny functioning like new.

Detergent tip

Happy Heinys recommends Tide, Sunlight, Cheer, Era, and Clout (Costco brand). These are not made with any of the natural oily substances, which leave residue on fleece causing it to repel liquids.

Because natural soaps often contain various oils, Happy Heinys does not recommend using the following detergents: Dr. Bronner’s Soap, 7th Generation, Bio-Kleen, Ivory Snow, Dreft, and any all free detergents. Do not use Sport-Wash and Sensi-Clean brand detergents, as these have the potential for detergent burn in babies. Do not use fabric softener of any kind on reusable diapers.

Happy Heinys Recommends

You can add a downy ball of vinegar to the wash if the diapers have a heavy urine scent. I recommend a downy ball because it releases the vinegar at the right time, so you don’t need to wait by the machine.

Diaper rash creams can cause the fleece to repel liquid. For best results when using a diaper rash cream, either place a small washcloth on top of the fleece or use a liner.

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Imse Vimse

Laundry Instructions

All-in-One Diapers:

1. Wash on warm or hot 140-195°F.
2. Tumble dry low.

Organic Cotton and Organic Velour Training Pants:

1. For best results, turn the training pants inside out.
2. Wash on warm.
3. Hang dry.

Detergent tip

Do not use bleach or fabric softeners.

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Knicker Nappies

Laundry Instructions:

1. Run a cold rinse to prevent stains from setting.
2. Wash on hot with 2 or 3 Tablespoons of detergent. (The actual amount that is best for you may vary depending on machine and water quality.)
3. Tumble dry or line dry. (Cotton prints will last longer if they are line dried.)

Detergent tip

Do not use free & clear detergents because they will cause buildup.  In most cases, your regular detergent will work fine. Do not use bleach or fabric softener.

Knicker Nappies Recommends

Knicker Nappies highly recommends drying the diapers in the dryer the first time, and once a month or so afterwards, to seal the PUL nice and tight.

Special instructions for Hemp

It can take up to 8 washings for hemp to be fully absorbent.

The 100% hemp inserts have been washed once. You can use the inserts before washing them eight times, but because the hemp will not have reached full absorbency, you may need to change diapers more often.

Before using the 100% hemp inserts, you can wash them with your regular laundry, otherwise wash them with your diapers.

However, the hemp in Loopy-Do inserts has been prewashed so that it won't leave buildup on the microfiber.  These can be washed immediately with the rest of your diaper laundry. The microfiber has also been prewashed so that any dye residues are washed away.

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Loveybums

Laundry Instructions

Fitted Diapers and Doublers:

1. Wash on hot or warm with a mild detergent.
2. Tumble dry or line dry.

Organic diapers and doublers:

1. Wash before first use to remove natural oils and increase absorbency.
2. Wash on hot or warm with a mild detergent.
3. Tumble dry or line dry.

Loveybums-in-Ones:

1. Wash the snap-in diaper according to the directions for a fitted diaper.
2. Wash the outer cover according to the directions for the particular type of cover (PUL, fleece, or wool).

PUL Covers:

1. Wash on hot before first use, and then wash on warm or cool thereafter.
2. Tumble dry low or line dry.

Fleece Covers:

1. Wash warm or cool.
2. Tumble dry low or line dry.

Wool Covers:

1. Hand wash or machine wash gentle cycle in cool water with a mild detergent.
2. Line dry.

Loveybums Recommends

Do not use bleach or fabric softener with any Loveybums product.

Special Instructions for Wool

When your cover begins to lose some of its water resistance, you will need to re-lanolize it. You can do this by dissolving a small (pea-sized) amount of pure lanolin (such as Lansinoh cream) in tepid water and soaking your cover for about 15 minutes. Adding a drop of baby shampoo to the water may also help to dissolve the lanolin. After soaking, wrap your cover in a towel to squeeze out excess water and hang dry.

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Thirsties

Laundry Instructions:

1. Shake "poop" into toilet. (Newborn stools will be too loose to shake clean. You can optionally dunk newborn diapers in toilet bowl, use a diaper sprayer, or simply set your washing machine cycle for an extra initial rinse or a pre-wash cycle.) If you do not have a pre-wash cycle on your washer, then consider running your diapers through an initial short cycle followed by a heavy cycle.
2. Collect soiled or wet diapers in a lined plastic pail (a basic plastic 52 quart garbage can with lid works well).
3. Optionally, add a sprinkle of baking soda to your diapers and diaper pail to help neutralize odors.  Once mixed with water in your washer, the baking soda will help to lift stains.
4. Limit the size of your load to no more than 24 diapersfor optimum cleanliness.
5. Wash your diapers in warm or hot water, followed by a cold rinse with high water level.  Use a mild detergent with no phosphates, and minimal additives. Add only 1/2 the recommended amount of detergent for top-loaders and 1/3 the recommended dose for high efficiency and front-loaders.
6. Dry in the dryer or line dry. Occasionally dry the diapers in the dryer on high heat to help with sterilization and to reseal lamination. Line drying in the sunlight can help to get rid of stains.

Detergent tip

Avoid all soaps and all "Free & Clear" and popular baby detergents. These detergents will leave a residue on the diapers that will affect the absorbency and may cause 'stinky' diapers and/or diaper rash.

Do not use vinegar when washing cloth diapers made from synthetic textiles, as synthetic fibers tend to hang on to the vinegar smell. This includes most diaper covers and some brands of cloth diapers, including Thirsties Fab Fitteds.

First Wash Instructions

Wash and dry your Thirsties cloth diapers before using them. This will fluff them up and make them absorbent.

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If you live in the Boston area and want to learn more, schedule an appointment with me to look at the selection of diapers we carry. Find a new way to go!

Salina