Are Cloth Diapers For You? (Part 2)
Today we are going to cover how to wash cloth diapers. I know many people are turned off from using them because of the washing process. Here are the steps to cleaning them yourself:
*Choose A Diaper Pail
*Any 5 gallon bucket will do but it needs to have a lid.
*Fill the bucket 3/4 full with water. To control odors you can add 1/4 cup of borax if you want.
*Put wet but not soiled diapers and nylon pants diretly into the bucket to soak.
Remove as much of the solid material from dirty diapers as possible. Some of it will just fall off the diaper into the toilet. Many parents remove it by holding the top edge of the diaper, dipping it in the toilet, and flushing (mkae sure to hold on tight!) You can also soak dirty diapers in a separate bucket for a few hours to make the solids fall off easier. Once the solids are removed transfer thse diapers to the regular soak bucket. Dump the water from the soiled bucket at the end of each day.
*When the bucket becomes full after 1 or 2 days, put them all in the washer water and all. Set the washer to spin to spin out any water. When the washer is through spinning, add your detergent. Avoid detergent with bleach or softeners that can irritate your baby’s skin. Wash diapers on regular, medium load, hot water cycle.
So, are you ready to give it a try? In part three we will discuss how to prolong the life of cloth diapers.
Katie
Rinse out your bucket, refill with water and start again!
