Washing Cloth Diapers

Washing cloth diapers after each use is a necessary evil. It is simply a question of hygiene and health for your baby, and if you do not prefer disposable diapers, you must make sure that your baby’s diapers are absolutely clean before your next use. Washing cloth diapers for the first time can especially be hard as you may feel uncomfortable with the nature of the “dirtiness” you are dealing with.

Cloth diapers were used long before disposable diapers became available, and now are regaining their popularity due to a number of factors. They are preferred by many parents because they are soft and are less prone to irritating your baby’s bum, are more natural and organic than disposable diapers as they do not contain many chemicals used in production of the other types of diapers, and more environment friendly as they are not disposed after a single use. However, choosing to use cloth diapers also has a side effect; you actually have to wash them after each use, and this is not for everybody. If you don’t want to deal with this hassle, you can also use biodegradable diapers that are also environment friendly and manufactured without those unhealthy chemicals. But if you are willing to take on this extra (and disturbing for some) chore in order to make sure your baby’s skin is better protected and the environment is not polluted in the process, you must not worry as there are easy and effective ways to wash and clean cloth diapers.

Washing Cloth Diapers

You can choose to either hand washing your cloth diapers, or with a washing machine or even laundries with huge front loaders that allow many diapers to be washed at the same time. If you are washing the diapers at home, the first problem can be the foul odor that can disturb you if you are going to store used diapers until there are enough to be washed in your machine. The solution to this is to simply sprinkling baking soda on used diapers. This way you can prevent the odor until washing day. Of course, if you’re going to hand wash the diapers you can always wash them one by one.

Things you should watch out for when washing cloth diapers:

Washing too many diapers at once is not always a good idea; even if it saves you from another round of work, too many diapers in the washing machine can cause friction and pilling. Another important thing is to avoid using too much detergent as it can build up in time and cannot be rinsed thoroughly. This would have an unwanted effect as you would be introducing harmful chemicals to your baby’s skin through the diapers. Try to use a smaller amount of detergent than you normally would. As you would normally be washing the diapers in two cycles, using less detergent would not have an effect on cleaning. You can also use some odor eliminators if you are having odor problems.

Using cloth diapers is a good and sensible idea. You are undertaking the extra chore of washing cloth diapers to provide your baby with better protection and to prevent pollution in the meantime. Apply these small tips and reap the rewards of a healthier baby and cleaner environment.