The basics of a Good Cloth Nappy Wash Routine

How do I maintain clean cloth nappies? Your wash routine is integral to maintaining the lifespan of your nappies and helps to keep your nappies in tip top condition. 

Below is a generic outline only and we recommend that you follow the wash instructions specified by each brand and read all about what NOT to use on your cloth nappies!  

Washing your new nappies? Read what to do here.

  
Night nappies tend to be the smelliest due to the higher concentration and quantity of urine they withhold. A thorough hand-rinse in hot water with detergent, in the morning, is recommended but here at The Cloth Stash we do our daily prewash as soon as the morning nappies come off to avoid this step.
Pre-treat stains if required. Spray or soak in stain remover (Vanish/ Sard or equivalent). More about stain removers can be found here.
Prewash: Removes the bulk of the soiling here to allow the main wash to be done in clean water.  Most brands recommend a daily pre-wash on the nappies used within the last 24hrs, especially night nappies. Do not use a combined pre-wash/ main wash cycle if your machine has one, as these combined cycles often use the same water for the mains wash which defeats the purpose of a prewash cycle.

Main Wash: Most brands recommend a main wash every 2-3 days. A full but not over-filled load is recommended for the best agitation and clean. Pad out the load with tea towels or smaller items of clothing if required. If you follow a good wash routine and wash at the correct temperatures, then barrier creams will wash out! More details here.

Detergent: Most of our stocked brands recommend a good quality main stream detergent. Here at The Cloth Stash we alternate between OMO Ultimate & Biozet Attack + Softener laundry powders.....whatever happens to be on sale at the time! Woolworths and Coles regularly offer half price sales on these brands so keep your eye out for the sales. Prefer a more natural solution? Then look no further than our collection of detergents available here.

Spin cycles: Do not spin over 800rpm

Hang indoors if there is no shade available. This will prolong the integrity & quality of your PUL (Waterproof lining). Hanging covers |shells horizontally length wise across the line can minimise elastics stretching

Note that the lifespan of your nappy may be reduced with extensive exposure to the dryer. If possible use the dryer for inserts, prefolds and fitteds only and line dry the covers/ shells. A dryer can be used on the lowest setting for covers/ shells IF recommended by the manufacturer. Wait until the covers/ shells are cold before stretching elastics

A good cloth nappy wash routine is not only environmentally friendly; it increases the life span of your nappies so that they last bub after bub, but a good wash routine can ensure optimal re-sale value when all of your bub's are toilet trained and you are looking to pass them on to their next owner!

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