Washing Diapers
Fill diaper pail(s) 3/4 full with water. Add 250ml (1c.) of vinegar,
75ml (1/3c.) of washing soda, or 30ml (2T.) of DIAPER PURE to
deodorize and prevent staining.(1)
Place wet diapers, absorbent inserts,
liners and cloth wipes directly in the pail (no waterproof pants).
If the diaper contains feces, discard the disposable liner.(2)
If diapers have hook-and-loop fasterners
(e.g., VELCRO), cover the hooks as soon as you remove the wet
diaper.
Wash Load: 24 diapers + inserts + cloths
usually every 3 days.
1. Pour contents of diaper pails into washer. If too heavy to
carry, some of the water/solution can be drained off into the
toilet.
Run the spin cycle for 1-2 minutes to drain off the solution.
2. Measure and add detergent.
3. Start washer at beginning of normal
wash cycle - hot water wash, highest water level.
For newborns or babies with sensitive skin or a rash, run an extra
rinse, adding 175ml (3/4c.) of vinegar to remove any traces of
detergent and to lower pH (skin pH is slightly acidic).
4. Rinse out and refill diaper pails.
Disinfect occasionally.
5. Dry diapers on hot setting or hang
them up to dry in the sun.
Do not overdry diapers in the dryer as this makes diapers hard
and is hard on the fibres. If you have a few diapers that take
a long time to dry (e.g., all-in-one) hang these up to finish
drying rather than running the whole load for a longer time.
6. Place diapers in a laundry basket.
Place the basket by the change table, and pull out diapers, inserts
and cloths as needed, or fold and stack the diapers, complete
with liners.
Footnotes
1. An alternative method is to put the diapers in a dry pail and
wash more frequently (every day or two).
2. If you don't use disposable liners,
let the diaper soak in the toilet for a minute, soiled side down.
Then firmly grasp the outer (unsoiled) edge of the diaper and
flush while agitating the diaper. Fold up diaper soiled side in
to squeeze out excess water.
NOTE: Babies ingesting only breastmilk produce a very soft, curdy
stool. Diapers with this feces can be placed directly in the diaper
pail solution. Before washing, run the diapers through a rinse
cycle with 1/4 cup of washing soda. Then run a normal wash cycle
with detergent. Wash diapers every day or two if using this method.