We have been cloth diapering for almost a year now and we have learned ALOT. There is so much information, brands, opinions, process, and products for cloth diapers there can be a lot to sort through.
When I tell people that we cloth diaper and we love it, their first statement is "Eww!". Then they next statement is "How to wash them" Don't get me wrong...spraying a toddlers poopie diaper is not for the faint of heart...or stomach. But the wash cycle is very easy once you get into a routine. For me throwing a load of diapers in the wash is way better than getting out my yoga pants and going to Target ;) The third question people ask me is "Hasn't your water bill gone up?" It has NOT gone up, not even a dollar. I wash diapers about every 5 days-ish. So that is about 5 or 6 times a month.
I will also say since we have been cloth diapering we have discovered some things about wipes. At first we used cloth diapers and disposable wipes. This to me was irritating. Because now not only do you need to have a diaper pail for your cloth diapers but also a trash can for the wipes. So...we use cloth wipes as well. That way you can just roll the whole thing together and throw it in the pail and not have to worry about it.
I make our wipes because it literally takes 5 min to make 4 or 5. I don't usually have to buy fabric for them because. I always have scrap flannel laying around. We are not color/print and gender oriented people...so yes Parson does have some purple butterfly, pink hearts, and flower wipes. Anyway...I keep a stack of cloth wipes and a spray bottle of solution in Parsons room and when changing time comes I spray the wipe a few times and do the dirty business and presto you have a clean baby booty.
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Wipe Solution Recipe
2 C. Water
1 Tsp of your favorite baby shampoo
3 Drops of tea tree oil (Anti-fungal)
5 Drops of lavender oil (Anti-fugal)
Cloth Diaper Wash Cycle
1.) Pull any inserts out of pocket diapers
2.) Spray any diapers that have excess yucky stuff that you may have missed the first time. If your child is exclusively breastfed and not on solids you can skip this step. Breast milk poopie is water soluble.
3.) Dump diapers in washer (sorry for the sideways pic)
4.) Run a hot rinse. Make sure you use the largest setting your washer has, the more water the better
While my first rinse is going, I always disinfect my diaper pail.
5.) Add you cloth diaper safe detergent. We use Rockin Green.
6.) Run your longest, hottest, largest wash cycle. With 1 rinse.
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7.) When this wash cycle is done, run a single cold rinse
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8.) Hang your diapers to dry. Hanging them outside in the direct sun is best. The sun has an amazing bleaching effect that will take out any stains you may have gotten.
9.) Stuff your pocket diapers and wear!
See its under ten steps and does not take that long. I know because we started cloth diapering when I worked full time. :)
If you have questions feel free to ask :)
-Patty
