Prewashing

Prewash all new diapers at least once in hot water with a small amount of detergent before use. Unbleached cotton, organic, hemp, and bamboo diapers must be prewashed at least 5-10 times (for at least the first few times, they should be washed separately from your other diapers). Diapers will not be fully absorbent until prewashed adequately.

Washing your diapers:

• Before placing in pail, remove any solid poop using a diaper sprayer or flushable liner. The poop of an exclusively breastfed baby does not need to be rinsed - it will be rinsed away in the first step of washing.
  
• Set your machine to the maximum water level.
• Run your diapers through a cold pre-wash or rinse cycle.
• Wash diapers in hot water with 1/2 (top loader) to 1/4 (HE machine) of the recommended amount of detergent. Detergent should be free of dyes, perfumes, fabric softeners, and enzymes. We recommend Rockin' Green Soap or Allen's Naturally Detergent.
• If desired, run your diapers through an extra rinse to avoid detergent buildup.
• Tumble or hang dry. Hang in the sun to remove stains naturally. Many people prefer to hang their covers or empty pocket diapers to dry to extend the life of elastics, water-proof materials, and hook-and-loop closures.

Detergent and Urine Residue

Detergent or urine residue can cause your diapers to lose absorbency, cause diaper rash, and/or cause your diapers to retain an ammonia odour. If you are experiencing these problems, wash your diapers normally, then run your diapers through a few hot wash cycles without detergent, with your machine set to the highest water level. Adding a couple of squirts of Original Dawn dish liquid or Calgon Water Softener to the first detergent-free cycle will help remove residue. Continue hot wash cycles until you no longer see bubbles in the wash water.

Using a zero-residue detergent such as Rockin' Green Soap and using lots of water will prevent residues from causing problems with your diapers.

You may also need to adjust the amount of detergent you are using. Too little detergent can result in urine residue (diapers not getting clean enough), while too much can result in detergent residue. When your diapers are clean, they should smell like nothing! If they smell like detergent or like urine, adjust the amount of detergent you use accordingly.