Temperature. Washing in warm to hot (40–60°C or 100–140°F) water is the most effective way to get your laundry clean.
Heavily soiled nappies should be washed at 60 degrees, for a full wash cycle. Some machines refer to this as a cotton cycle, but if you use a liner you should avoid nappies becoming heavily soiled. Wet nappies (with no poo) can be washed at 40 or 60 degrees.
Hot water is the most effective way to remove soiling. Nappies are heavily soiled laundry, if soiling is not removed it will lead to smells and stains. All laundry detergents can be used in cold (30°C), warm (40°C) or hot (60°C) water, however, a hot wash will outperform every time.
Wet nappies, with no poo, can be washed at either 40 or 60 degrees. Nappies that contain a waterproof PUL layer should never be washed above 60 degrees as this can cause irreversible damage.
What Temperature?: Nappies do not have to be washed at 90 degrees and in fact washing at this temperature can ruin some nappies and destroy the waterproofing in the wraps. Many people now wash their nappies at 40 or 30 degrees.
It's absolutely safe to wash cloth diapers in your washing machine, but you shouldn't mix them with any other clothing items. It's also highly important you wash off soiled diapers before adding them to the machine. It's best if you give them a quick rinse immediately after they are soiled.
For best results, set both your pre-wash and main wash water temperature between 40-60 degrees. Cloth nappies can be washed in cold water if necessary, however detergents are more effective when used in warm water.
It is recommended to do two wash cycles for washing cloth diapers. One short and quick cycle to wash out the majority of the poo and pee, and a second longer cycle to work on the deeper clean needed to have diapers that smell fresh and don't leave rashes! Some people wash with only one wash cycle.
Most parents who use cloth diapers wash a load of them every two to three days. Any longer than that and they'll start to stink and stains could set in. So make sure you have enough clean diapers on hand to last you at least a couple days.
Deep Cleaning and Restoring Your Cloth Diapers
Set your washing machine temperature to hot (140OF or higher). Run your cloth diaper inserts through one to three hot water wash cycles. Use a detergent of your choice and a water softener if you have hard water.
Having 2-3 days' worth of diapers is a good starting point. That total will vary on your baby's age, your laundry habits, and the types of cloth diapers you use, but we recommend a minimum of 36 for newborns, 24 for infants, and 20 for toddlers.
Harsh stain removers such as Vanish, Napisan, bicarbonate of soda and / or vinegar, or bleach should be avoided. To use these products risks damaging the fibres of your nappies (especially bamboo) and they should definitely not be used on wool.
According to the NHS you should wash household linen, towels and underwear at a temperature of 60°C to prevent any germs spreading. There is a misconception that you must wash clothes on the highest setting possible to kill bacteria, but it is proven that 60°C is adequate.
You don't need to wash your baby's clothes at really high temperatures. A 30 degree or 40 degree cycle is just fine, and with the right detergent will get your little one's clothes clean.
Not using enough detergent, washing in cold water, and over or underloading your washing machine can all lead to smelly cloth nappies. If your cloth nappies have a barnyard or ammonia smell, or smell strongly of urine as soon as your child wees in them, it is time to reassess your wash routine.
Smelly reusable nappies - and it's usually a smell of ammonia - are often a sign that the fibres in the fabric have got a bit clogged up with detergent. This means that: The nappies can smell. Your reusables aren't as absorbent as they used to be.
First wash - we recommend washing your nappies twice. The first wash (or pre-wash) should be in water that is 40-60 degrees celsius and using washing detergent. Running a pre-wash assists in flushing away urine and any remaining solids prior to the main wash.
We recommend to change a cloth diaper every two hours. This prevents your child from having urine against the skin for long periods of time, with the risk of redness. The more absorbency there is in the cloth diaper, the less wet it becomes when the child pees.
Most parents who use cloth diapers wash every two to three days, as recommended by many manufacturers. Going longer than 2-3 days between the washes might not be a good idea, because mildew and stains may set in, and you'll need to strip the diapers.
At first, remove any solid waste and rinse the diaper before storing it with the other dirties in a diaper pail . We recommend storing used cloth diapers for no longer than 2-3 days before washing. Wash on warm (up to 104°F/40°C) with a full dose of cloth diaper safe detergent (no fabric softener).
Choose a good quality detergent, Omo, Radiant, Biozet are good options. Cloth nappies will be one of the dirties items you wash so you want to make sure you have the right products to help remove the urine, poo and bacteria. Sensitive detergents may require extra amounts and warmer water to work best.
If using the dryer, depending on the cycle length, bamboo, cotton and hemp inserts will usually require two cycles to completely dry. Microfiber usually only requires one cycle. Non absorbent PUL covers/shells can be dried in the dryer on a short cycle if needed, but air dry very quickly, even in cold climates.
Do Cloth Diapers Help with Potty Training? Cloth diapers can help the potty training process by developing awareness. Children that wear disposable diapers rarely feel exactly how wet or dirty they are thanks to the use of sodium polyacrylate – a chemical used to keep disposable diapers dry.