Cloth Diapering: The How-To’s

Previously, I shared a post on how to get started in the world of cloth diapering.  I went over what supplies you need, how much of everything you need, and where to get it.

Once you have ordered and received your supplies (two-three dozen diapers in various sizes, two Snappies, and four covers), then you move on to the practical side of all this.  I remember when I got all my supplies in the mail; I opened it up and absolutely panicked because I had no idea what to do with all of it.  🙂

An instruction sheet usually comes with your diapers to teach you how to “prep” them.  You can’t just use a cloth diaper straight out of the box; they have to be washed and dried on hot four to five times first in order to strip out any remaining oils in the fabric.  (Oils in the fabric will render them non-absorbent!)  You will need to use a “free and clear” detergent.  I prefer the brand Seventh Generation.  Once you’ve done this, then you’re ready to start!

First, and most formidable, how to fold the thing??  There are many, many different types of “folds” out there.  After trying several different variations, I chose to fold my cloth diapers in a classic “tri-fold” style.  It is easy to do and extremely effective at preventing leaks.  My youngest, Mark, sleeps from 7:30pm until 9am and has never leaked through his cloth diaper!!  How’s that for disproving the “disposables are more leak-proof” theory?  🙂

Here is a great how-to guide on YouTube that teaches you the different folding options available:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDqa45EOHfE

Choose one that you think is easiest and most effective, and just start trying!  If it seems like you don’t have enough hands, keep at it…in few days you will be so good at it that you could do it in the pitch dark.

The only other big decision to be made regarding cloth diapering is what your method of storing and cleaning is going to be.  Many women prefer the toilet bowl method…I personally cannot handle it.  Something about swishing around a dirty diaper in the toilet…

I have come up with my own system of storing and cleaning diapers that works like a well-oiled machine.  And there’s no smell!

As soon as I take off a diaper, wet or dirty, I instantly transfer it to the bathtub (to be either cleaned right away or later).   I shake off what I can into the toilet, flush it, and then quickly run the diaper under hot water in the tub.  It takes about 20 seconds to get the diaper rinsed off.

I then wring out the diaper as hard as I can, and throw it into a giant trash bag-lined Tupperware box in the large cabinet in my bathroom closet.  I do this until the Tupperware box is filled with semi-cleaned, wrung-out diapers.  It usually takes four or five days for the box to fill up.

This is my “pail” of semi-wet diapers that I keep hidden in a bathroom closet.

At that point, I remove the trash bag filled with the diapers and dump them into the washing machine.  They are clean enough that the washing machine never gets gunked-up with anything nasty, and they have no aroma that screams “This is a cloth diaper family!!!”.

You always want to wash your diapers on the hottest setting possible.  Don’t forget to use your Free and Clear detergent!  And fortunately, given the nature of the material, cloth diapers require very little detergent for each load.  (I would use half of what would be normal for a load of clothes.)  And don’t ever wash them with anything else; the oils from clothes or other fabrics can affect the absorbency of your diapers.

Once they are washed, I ALWAYS (weather permitting) hang them to dry.  This adds on anywhere from six months to one year of life to your diapers!  They’ll be a little stiff when you take them off the line, but just shake them a little bit and they’ll fluff right up.   I actually prefer their texture when they air dry; they are stretchier and can fit around a bigger bottom easier.   🙂   Another added benefit of line-drying them is that you never need to bleach your diapers…the sun does it for you!  (and it’s a chemical-free bleach!!)

The covers need to be washed about once a week.  I suggest staggering them, so that you’re not without a diaper cover for an entire day.  You will also wash them on hot with very little detergent.  Just make sure you launder them in a lingerie bag, as the Velcro can become compromised if you don’t.  Never, ever machine dry them.  It only takes about an hour for them to air dry over a chair in your house.  And unlike the diapers, the covers can be tossed in with any other laundry.

Whew!  It sounds like a tedious system, but like anything else in a stay-at-home mom’s busy day it just becomes normal after a while.  I love the choice that we made to become a cloth diaper family.  I will be the first to admit, though, how intimidating it is at first.  The trick is to stick with it, and after a few days, you’ll be ready to teach someone else how to do it!

Good luck!  And for those of you out there who are old pro’s, do you have any additional tips or thoughts?  We would love to hear!

Lauren Souers

Hi, my name is Lauren. I am the wife of one fine man and the momma of four (huge) young children – three boys and one princess! I love all of them. I mostly clean up messes and feed people all day, and it’s really fun to write about it. Jesus is the rock of my family – we love and serve a mighty King! I hope you leave here full of hope that “tired” can be good.