Washing Cloth Diapers: A Comprehensive Guide
The part of cloth diapering that scares new parents and caregivers the most is washing cloth diapers. If you google "how to wash cloth diapers" or "what do you do with the poop in cloth diapers" you may find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information available. Take a deep breath — washing your child's diapers doesn't have to be complicated. We've broken down the process to help make washing and using cloth diapers more digestible.
Laundry Detergent and Cloth Diapers
It is important to choose a detergent formulated with adequate surfactants and enzymes in order to properly clean human waste from your baby's cloth diapers. Choosing a detergent that lacks these important ingredients may lead to odor, leaks and even diaper rashes.
At Kinder, we strongly advise against homemade laundry soaps. If you're looking for a cloth diaper safe laundry detergent with less chemicals, consider the eco-friendly options in the tabs below.
Tide
Tide is our top pick for a reliable, cloth diaper safe laundry detergent.
All Free and Clear
For sensitive skin, we recommend All Free and Clear
Seventh Generation
Our top choice for an eco-conscious laundry detergent.
Arm and Hammer
A good choice for families looking for a Tide alternative.
Seventh Generation
Our top choice for an eco-conscious laundry detergent.
Biokleen
A plant based detergent that contains enzymes.
Esembly Washing Powder
Formulated by cloth diaper experts, specifically for cloth diapers.
Dreft
Strong fragrance can cover underlying wash routine problems and cause skin irritation in infants.
Molly's Suds
Does not contain adequate enzymes, can lead to build up and frequent need to strip.
Ecos
Does not contain adequate enzymes, can lead to build up and frequent need to strip.
Homemade Soap
Often does not contain adequate enzymes and surfactants to clean human waste. Opt for eco-friendly detergents instead.
A simple cloth diaper wash routine:
Step 1: Remove solids into the toilet.
This can done with a diaper sprayer toilet attachment, by physically shaking the diaper or by dunking the diaper in the toilet and swishing it around in the bowl of the toilet to remove the solids.
Step 2: Store soiled diapers until wash day
Dirty cloth diapers can be stored in a pail or water resistant bag until wash day. Before placing soiled diapers into the storage container, allow them to air dry.
Step 3: Perform a Pre-Wash cycle in your washing machine
Perform a pre-wash cycle in your washing machine. We like to run my prewash with line 1 of Tide powder detergent and a normal, heavy cycle with warm water. However, some families opt not to add detergent to this first cycle.
Step 4: Perform a Main Wash cycle in your washing machine
We recommend running a warm, heavy duty cycle with an extra rinse. For this cycle we will add line 1 of detergent, sometimes line 2 if it's a particularly large load.
Step 5: Optional extra rinse cycle
At this time, you may consider adding an extra rinse cycle to your routine to ensure that all excess detergent is removed before drying. DO NOT add an extra rinse if you have hard water.
Step 6: Dry as desired.
Dry your diapers on low or no heat in the machine, or hang to dry.
How to remove the poop from cloth diapers
Your most common cloth diaper washing questions, answered:
Soiled cloth diapers can be stored in water-resistant wet bags or plastic laundry pails until wash day. At Kinder, we offer large, zipper-top wet bags designed to effectively contain odors and moisture.
After changing your baby's diaper, remove any solid poop and allow the diaper to air dry before placing in the dirty storage container. You can then choose from several storage options, including an open-air pail, a lidded cloth diaper pail, or a zipped hanging wet bag to help minimize smells.
To maintain freshness and prevent staining, avoid letting the diapers sit for too long without washing. It’s recommended to wash them every 2-3 days to keep odors at bay. We do not recommend going more than 7 days between washes.
When cleaning modern reusable cloth diapers, the poop or solid soil removed before washing. There are many different methods for poo removal. Some of the most popular methods include:
- Diaper Sprayer
- Disposable Bamboo Diaper Liners
- Dunk and Swish
- Plop Method
- Poop Spatula or Knife
Most families will wash their reusable cloth diapers 2-3 times per week, or about once every 2-3 days.
A good wash routine can support washing anywhere from 1-7 times each week.
Additional factors like climate and budget may also impact the frequency with which you choose to wash.
Most Families Wash 2-3 Times Per Week
72% of families report washing their cloth diapers 2 or 3 times per week.
Few families wash cloth diapers every day
While only 5% of the families that completed our survey reported washing their cloth diapers daily.
The number of diapers you wash at one time will vary based on your lifestyle, wash routine and machine size.
Most families report washing around 20 diapers at once. This is typical of 2-3 days worth of cloth diaper laundry for an infant.
As your baby grows you may find that you can wash less often, with larger loads of cloth diaper laundry.
No, exclusively breastfed or chestfed infant poop is water soluble and does not need to be rinsed before washing. However, rinsing before washing can help minimize staining.
Cloth diapers that have an odor after washing is an indication of a wash routine issue. This can be caused by a number of things, such as detergent buildup, hard water, urine residue, improper washing, and left-over particles of poop.
The most common types of odor on cloth diapers are ammonia and barnyard smell. Ammonia smell is caused by, you guess it, ammonia or leftover pee on the diapers. By contrast, barnyard smell is caused by poop, and diapers that are not getting clean enough, and it is usually more obvious when diapers are warm.
To avoid these smells, it is important to have a good wash routine, use the right amount of detergent, avoid fabric softeners and dryer sheets, and ensure that the diapers are getting cleaned enough.
At Kinder, we recommend washing soiled cloth diapers twice. The first wash, a pre-wash, removes all excess soil to allow the main wash to thoroughly wash the dirty cloth diapers.
Some families use detergent in both cycles while other families find that they only need detergent in the main wash cycle.
How to store dirty cloth diapers between washes
How to remove the poop from cloth diapers before washing
How often should you wash cloth diapers
How many diapers can you wash at one time
Do I need to rinse breastfed poop before washing
Why do cloth diapers smell?
Do I need to wash my cloth diapers twice?
Learn more about how to wash cloth diapers
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Methods for Removing the Poop Before Washing
Learn MoreThere are several different methods for removing solid waste from modern cloth diapers before placing them into the washing machine. Poop removal methods include the cloth diaper sprayer, plop method, dunk and swish, disposable diaper liners and even the poop spatula.
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Dealing with moldy cloth diapers
Learn MoreTo effectively kill mold on reusable cloth diapers and ensure the diapers are safe to wear and use, bleach is a commonly recommended solution. Here's are some tips and tricks for how to use bleach to address mold issues on reusable cloth diapers:
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How and when to Strip Cloth Diapers
Learn MoreStripping is a term used to refer to the process of removing mineral, detergent or bacteria buildup from modern cloth diapers. Mineral, detergent or bacteria build up in the fibers of cloth diapers can lead to odor and reduced absorbency. Stripping cloth diapers is typically done when regular washing routines are not enough to remove residues.
