Using and Cleaning Cloth Diapers Is Easier Than One Might Think

Using and cleaning cloth diapers does require more work than using disposable diapers. Parents may decide not to use cloth diapers because they think that using and cleaning cloth diapers is a hassle. However, this does not have to be the case. This article will hopefully give parents some tips that make cloth diapering easier.

Using Cloth Diapers

Depending on what types of diapers and covers one uses, one does not need to use pins or for that matter the snaps or the hook and loop fasteners some diapers are equipped with. There are different varieties of diapers. There are flat diapers, which are rectangular in shape. Some flat diapers are not pre-folded, and the parent must fold the diaper before using. Other flat diapers are called pre-fold diapers and are thicker in the middle. There are also diapers that are more like disposable diapers in that they are contoured to fit the child, and some have hook and loop fasteners or snaps. With flat, pre-fold and contoured diapers, parents must use a cover or wrap over the diaper to provide leak protection. Diaper wraps usually have snaps or hook and loop fasteners. A parent may find that having to fasten both a diaper and a wrap with each changing a hassle. It is not necessary to fasten the diaper when using a wrap. Simply place the diaper in the wrap, fold the diaper over the child as if one were going to fasten and then fasten the wrap over the diaper. The diaper will stay in place. By cutting out the extra step of fastening the diaper, one may find it just as easy to use cloth diapers as it is to use disposable diapers.

Cleaning Cloth Diapers

Cleaning cloth diapers is not difficult. All one needs are a couple of diaper pails, a washing machine, dryer or clothes line and detergent. It is not necessary to keep all the wet and soiled diapers soaking in a pail full of water until one washes them. Wet diapers can simply be tossed into the pail, and a parent can sprinkle baking soda or cover the pail with a lid to control odor. Soiled diapers do need to be pretreated. One can shake or use toilet paper to remove stool from the diapers and then either rinse or soak the soiled diapers to help remove the rest of the stool and prevent stains. One can also use a smaller pail to hold soiled diapers until 3 to 4 are accumulated and then use the smallest water setting on a washing machine to pre-wash the soiled diapers. After pre-treating soiled diapers, one can throw them in with the wet diapers.

Wash diapers in hot water with a fragrance free detergent, and rinse at least twice. Do not use an excessive amount of detergent. Diapers can get detergent build-up and become less absorbent. Do not use chlorine bleach. Bleach will break down diaper fibers and cause holes to form. Stains will come out if one follows the methods described above. Using hot water and a high-heat dryer setting will help kill germs. It may also help to use a little borax with the detergent. Borax serves as a water softener and will boost the efficiency of the detergent. It is important to rinse the diapers at least twice to remove all traces of detergent. Rinsing well will get the diapers cleaner and help prevent skin reactions to detergents. It may help to use a cup of white vinegar with the rinse to help remove detergent. An easy way to remember to add the vinegar to the rinse is to use the fabric softener dispenser that some washers are equipped with, and add the vinegar at the beginning of the wash when you add the detergent.

If the diapers have hook and loop fasteners with tabs, it will help to close the tabs before washing in order to prevent the diapers from getting hooked together during the wash. Wash the wraps according to the manufacturer's directions, as they are more delicate than the diapers. Wraps are expensive, and one does not want to ruin them with improper washing techniques. 

After washing, dry the diapers on a high heat setting in the dryer or line dry. Diapers are thick and may take longer than one day to dry depending on the weather and how much sunlight is available. Line drying conserves electricity, prevents wear and tear caused by using a dryer, and uses sunlight to help remove stains. However, diapers are thick and may take longer than one day to dry depending on the weather and how much sunlight is available. It will help if one has a supply of diapers large enough to allow one batch to be in use while the other is drying.

If one uses the methods described above, one may find as this author did that cloth diapering is not difficult. Once one understands how to wash diapers, it becomes just as easy to wash diapers as it is to wash other clothes. Also, by using cloth diapers, one does not have to deal with the smelly garbage associated with disposable ones.