Washing your Diapers

Our diapers require some special care when washing due to the amount of absorbent and waterproof material they use. Following the tips on this page will help you get the most out of your diapers!

If Soiled, Remove Solid Debris

Before continuing to any washing step, shake our or brush off solid waste. You may use a soft brush with a gentle stain/odor remover.

Pre-soak to Remove Smells

Remove the core from your diaper before washing further if it has a removable core!

We recommend pre-soaking your diapers before washing especially if there are any stains or smells set in. Using a 5 gallon bucket works really well for us. Screw-in lids can be purchased for these buckets, but make sure that when you soak you do not seal the lid as many cleaners will create gasses like CO₂ and oxygen.

When soaking your diapers before washing, there are a few good options for removing smells:

• Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) and Vinegar (Solution of 5-20% Acetic Acid)
  • For stubborn smells, you can rub baking soda directly onto the area that has been stained before soaking.
  • Add 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda to the water. Mix the baking soda in with the diapers until dissolved. Then add 1/2 to 1 cup of vinegar to the water, agitate and let sit for about 30 minutes.
  • The baking soda will work to neutralize and bind to acidic compounds that create smell. Adding the vinegar later will provide some cleaning action as well as creating CO₂ bubbles that physically carry those smells away.
• Sodium Percarbonate: This is the active ingredient in “oxygen booster” cleaning agents like OxiClean™. We prefer to use pure sodium percarbonate as it has no additional scents or other added chemicals.
  • Simply add about 1/4 cup of the powder to your soak bucket, agitate, and let everything sit for about 10 minutes.
  • Sodium percarbonate will react with water to create hydrogen peroxide, sodium, CO₂, and oxygen. All of these compounds will attach to various smell-containing compounds and either neutralize them or carry them away.
  • Please note that hydrogen peroxide is also a bleaching agent. While soaking for short periods of time will not cause any harm to your diapers, leaving them in a solution with hydrogen peroxide for long periods of time may bleach your diapers.
• Enzyme Cleaners
  • Enzyme cleaners are special cleaners that contain either enzymes or bio-engineered bacteria that produce enzymes that target specific types of substances and break them down. These cleaners are best used by themselves and work very well with stubborn stains.
  • Common enzymes you may see in cleaners go by the following names: Amylase, Protease, Subtilin, and Deoxyribonuclease. This is a non-exhaustive list.
  • We recommend using an enzyme cleaner with minimal additional ingredients. Dirty Labs has Bio Enzyme Laundry Booster that is very effective at removing urine and solid stains. Adding a tablespoon to your soak bucket or laundry is all you need.
  • You can also spray a liquid based enzyme cleaner onto nearly any surface to spot clean or pre-treat any specific areas. Biokleen Bac-Out is a reliable and minimal scent liquid enzyme cleaner.

Load the Machine with Enough Items

It is important to make sure the washing machine has enough items in it! Since diapers contain a lot of absorbent material as well as a waterproof layer to trap that moisture, we want to make sure your washing machine stays balanced!

The general advice from most washing machine manufacturers is to load the tub about 2/3rds full. This is considered a “full load” of laundry.

Wash Twice!

Set your washing machine to the largest size load for filling with water. This is usually called something like “Super.” You can run this cycle without detergent since it is used mostly to rinse away any urine or solid material remaining.

Your washing machine should be set to a “bulky items” cycle. The key setting we are worried about is that the basin either spins slowly or not at all. Use cool or cold water for the first cycle.

On your second cycle, include your favorite gentle detergent in the wash. We prefer dye-free and scent-free detergents like Tide Free and Gentle. You may bump the temperature up to a low “warm” setting. Adding sodium percarbonate (OxiClean™) during this cycle can be quite useful in breaking down residual smell and staining.

The first cycle of washing is to remove as much urine as possible while the second wash will actually clean the diapers.

Drying

If you have access to a laundry mangle (also known as a laundry wringer), absorbent garments such as diapers can be dried most effectively by simply wringing all the water out of the garment and air drying. A device called a “mangler” can be used to get most of the water out, but these are somewhat specialized laundry tools.

You may also tumble dry your diapers on air fluff or no heat settings. The bottom waterproof layer is made with polyurethane which can degrade when the heat is turned up too much on your dryer. We like to use the “Casuals” or “Delicates” setting when tumble drying. Heat should be set no higher than the lowest setting above air fluff.

Your diapers may only be partially dry after this cycle. Other clothing should be completely dry. We recommend laying the diapers out flat or hang drying to complete your the drying of your diapers.

It is normal for the bottom waterproof layer of PUL to stick to itself after the first few washes. Gently pull any parts that are sticking together apart. This is residual basting adhesive used in the construction of the diapers and will naturally wash out over time and this stickiness will be reduced.