So you’re interested in cloth nappies or just bought some for your little one, but not sure how to clean them? I’ve got your back. Here are my top tips for cleaning cloth nappies.
How often to wash cloth nappies
How often you wash is going to depend on how many nappies you have and how many your baby gets through in a day. A newborn will need a lot more than a 1 year old for example. I wash every 3 days and have about 20-odd nappies to rotate full time. If you only want to use cloth nappies part time then you can always bulk out the machine with a towel load. You’ll learn what works for you after a couple of weeks.
How to wash nappies
I wash all my nappies at 40 degrees. I put them on a rinse wash first which is about 20 minutes or so. I then put them on the longest wash setting my machine has with powder detergent. It’s usually about 2.5-3 hours long. My machine lets me add more water.
What to do with poo?
If your baby is soley breastfed then their poo is water-soluble and it can go straight in the machine. I actually did the same for my bottle-fed baby and didn’t have any problems. As soon as they started weaning the poo went straight down the loo. This is where liners come in handy. You can use fleece liners (a cheap IKEA fleece blanket cut up will do) or paper liners – I like Bambino Mio ones, but I wouldn’t flush these. With a fleece liner flop what you can into the toilet and then hold on to the end and flush the toilet to remove the rest. It sounds kind of gross but you just get used to it! You can find out more about liners in my how to get started with cloth nappies post.
Drying cloth nappies
I put the nappies on an extra dry spin at the end of the wash cycle to get them a bit drier. Hang them out to air dry. I keep them away from heat, so no tumble drying, heated airer or hanging directly on the radiator. Direct heat can damage them. A sock hanger is fab for all the liners. Fleece liners are pretty much dry as soon as they come out of the wash. A sunny day can also help with any stains. I try and stuff my nappies as soon as they’re dry, preferably in front of a good tv show.
Where to keep dirty nappies?
You could use a nappy bin/bucket but I find wet bags so much easier. I use a large wet bag and hang it off one of the door handles. It doesn’t take up much space and I just throw it in the wash with the nappies. I use Baba + Boo which has a zip closure and I’ve never found it smelly. I also use the smaller bags for out and about.
I hope this guide has helped you and if you have any questions pop me a message on Instagram.
