It has not been so common to use traditional washable & reusable nappies however in the last few years there seems to be a resurgence in their use.
This is a simple step by step guide on how you should initially prepare new cloth nappies, and how to wash your cloth nappies each time you use them.
Before Use
Before using cloth nappies for the first time, it is important to thoroughly wash them – it is often recommended to wash them twice prior to use. This is simply due to fabric agents used within the material that will reduce the absorbency, so before you use them you can wash away this agent. It is not necessary to dry them between washes, simply wash them twice if you are choosing to do so. You will find that over the course of the first few washes, the cloth nappy will continue to increase its absorbency as the fabric agent eventually disappears.
Washing a Used Cloth Nappy
When washing a used nappy, it is important to wash using a 60 degrees Celsius cycle, although it may be possible to use a 40 degrees cycle if the nappy is not soiled but wet.
You want to make sure that the detergent you are going to use to wash the cloth nappy is a non-biological powder or liquid. This is because they do not contain enzymes that may damage or irritate sensitive skin found on your baby. You only need to use half of the recommended dosage of powder or liquid compared with what is used for standard clothes washing.
When washing cloth nappies, do not overload the washing machine. It is recommended to wash between 10 and 15 nappies at a time dependent on your washing machine size.
You can then follow the following simple steps to clean your cloth nappies.
- Remove any solids. Simply remove any solids within the cloth nappy and flush down your toilet. Leave minimal waste within the nappy as possible.
- On a regular basis, possibly daily, you should wash cloth nappies using a pre-wash cycle. As recommended above, using non-biological detergents, and washing on 60 degrees.
- Towards the end of the week, or even the start of the week, you should run a main wash cycle for the cloth nappies. You would ideally do this once a week to give the cloth nappies a more thorough clean.
- Between washes it is best to air dry nappies, whether you hang them on a washing line outdoors or use an indoor airer.
It is important to note, that after each wash, it is important to ensure that any detergent residue is thoroughly rinsed out of the nappies. If you can see excess detergent or bubbles on the nappies after the wash cycle, it is recommended to put them through another rinse cycle, or even rinse by hand. Excess detergent on the cloth nappies can both irritate the baby’s skin and reduce the absorbency of the nappy. For more information about our cloth nappies products, please click here.