When I first began to cloth diaper I had no clue on how you washed these things. I searched the internet and came up with many similar ways but some seemed so expensive with the detergents they used. Isn't the point of cloth diapering to save money? Many moms used online Seventh Generation products. I've used them as well and really like them, but found that they weren't economical enough for me. I also tried Fels Naptha but I had to grate it and it was a pain. Besides I didn't think it got my diapers as clean as they could be. I experimented and finally came up with what we do now:
For stubborn stains, you can pre-treat with lemon juice. (I have a spray bottle of it, full strength, just for this purpose. It will not ruin or discolor fabrics and I've found that using it full-strength is most effective. You only need a few sprays per stain.)
Run diapers through a cold rinse using a splash of white distilled vinegar. This gets the smell out and makes them nice and white.
Then run them through a HOT cycle using 3-4 squirts of Dr Bronner's Baby Mild Castile Soap.
That's it! You can find the Dr Bronner's on VitaCost or in your local grocery store. It is actually cheaper in our grocery store, but I'm not sure if that's the case everywhere, so I attached the link for you to check it out.
Now doesn't that seem easy?! I really enjoy the results and ease of doing it this way.
Happy Diapering!
Thanks for the tips! I haven't washed cloth diapers since my sisters were babies, and my mom never cared about stains on diapers anyway. It would be nice to keep them looking fresh and clean, though. :) Love the lemon juice idea!!!
ReplyDeleteI will need tips from you and Maggie about where to find diapers cheaply enough, especially the covers... and which ones are worth spending for in the first place! Really want to do cloth with this baby.