I’ll tell you the truth, I’ve been elbows deep in poop for almost three years now. Two babies plus two dogs equal poop… A LOT of it. The dogs are obviously easier. Scoop, bag, trash. Done. Not with babies though. Our cloth diaper laundry has become a simple routine worked into my weekly work. Laundering seems to be the most time-consuming part of cloth diapering. Mainly the prewash is the hardest part. Being sure the poop is off, so you don’t wash your other diapers in soiled water.
That’s the first thing. Be rid of the poo!
So what the heck to do with all of it?!
Well we’ve tried a few different methods.
- Pre soak/ pre wash in the washing machine. This works fine but just uses a lot of water. Especially if you don’t have a HE or more eco friendly washer (like we currently do). You still need to take the bigger pieces of poo off some how…onto number 2 (pun TOTALLY intended!)
- Knock solids into the toilet. This is a pain on your back. I was actually told by a woman that she used to wipe off the poo with toilet paper, then she’d flush and use the water to rinse the diaper off. She said it worked but I haven’t tried. This works when their number twos get more solid after 6/7 months I’d say. When they’re steadily eating food. I would also HIGHLY recommend a good reusable pair of gloves. I’ve also seen compostable gloves, which is a pretty cool option too!
- Spray or rinse poo off. Sprayer is the way to go. It’s quick, easy and our system is the bomb dot com. To sound my age of course. We use a potty pail and this set up is the best by far.
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Washing & Drying
I do the heavy duty/ heavy soil wash setting on our machine, even if I sprayed poo just to be sure. I also do an extra rinse to be sure the detergent is fully washed off. Then everything goes into the dryer and the covers get hung dry. Simple as that! You can read more about my cloth diaper specific laundry detergent that I make. It’s natural, affordable, and works well!
If you don’t have the time or patience to make your own (trust me, I got through phases where I don’t want to be grating soap by hand either!!) this detergent is safe for cloth diaper laundry and comes in a recyclable container.
It is a little on the pricier side, but it does last quite some time if you’re not so liberal with it. I’m working on finding a good laundry detergent that doesn’t have fragrance, is safe for the children, and doesn’t come in plastic. Oh, and doesn’t cost me a half a tank of gas!
If you’ve got one in mind you have tried and love, please let me know in the comments!
Spot cleaning
For stains, I use Puracy stain remover. Which I use for all my other stain needs as well. It works so darn good, is plant based and natural. A little of this magic, goes A LOOOONG way. I use it on everything, not just my cloth diapers. I have gotten out coffee from linen, rasberry from linen, grass off denim, and grease off Carharts. It is wonderful. Plus, you can buy a large bulk size and just refill your spray bottle. Less waste equals happy mama!
When we eventually get a clothesline, I’ll hang out the prefolds and diapers that need a good sun bleaching.
For right now, I have a collapsible wooden laundry rack that I found second hand on Facebook. I take that out with my prefold cloth diapers and any pocket diapers that are stained to dry in the high noon sun.
Frequency
I do laundry every three days, just about, when it comes to diapers. I do a lot of laundry in general, so the diaper laundry doesn’t phase me anymore. The diapers become easier as they get older too.
I don’t have to wait until nap time or bed time to do the poops. I baby gate him off from my washing area and he can play near me without being upset that I’m gone.
The poops I can get away with doing every five days or so. Any longer and the ammonia (which is in pee) starts to build up and get really strong. That will make your diapers stink more and when its cloth diaper laundry time, it will burn your nose and eyes a bit. I have done it more than once. It is not fun.
When I do cloth diaper laundry, I get all the pee diapers out of the way first. I take inserts out of the pocket diapers. The prefold cloth diapers will get shaken out a bit just to open them up so the agitator can clean them better.
It’s not as time consuming as it seems. Ten extra minutes to spray poops, an extra five minutes for a rinse cycle, and everything else you just dump and go pretty much!
New to cloth diapering and want to dive in but don’t know where to start? This comprehensive, in-depth resource guide has EVERYTHING you need to know to get started with reusables!
There are a few other things to be mindful of, like stripping them every six months or so and sticking to natural products to ensure they last longer. But I truly enjoy cloth diapering, I do. I’ve worked hard to be a pro at it and it’s paid off in the end. With my wallet and with a fully potty trained toddler by two (post coming soon).
Well there you have it! That’s how we do it and it works great for our family!
Anything else you’d like to hear about, just let me know in the comments!
In gratitude,
Tayler
