Let's talk about Nappy Care.

Tips on How to wash and Take Care of your nappies.

I wish I knew this when I started using reusable nappies with my first born Rafel. Unfortunately I had to learn from my mistakes and that's why I am writing this blog today to share my tips on how to best carefully take care of your nappies.

How to wash your nappies and avoid stinky smells.

Any laundry item you wear repeatedly is prone to holding onto odor, and cloth nappies are no exception. Cloth nappies, like underwear, go next to your baby’s bum, except they are designed to absorb liquid, meaning they are more prone to stains and odors. Hence follow this wash routine and extra tips for a good deep clean.

My Washing Routine:

1. Take them out of your storage (wet bag or bucket lined with a mesh bag) and give them a quick cold rinse without detergent. Mine is around 15 min long.

2. After the rinse, give them a cotton wash with the recommended dose of non-bio detergent and 40-60 degrees temp. I use non-bio fairy powder. You can add an extra tablespoon of Nappy Fresh with the detergent for more cleansing.

3. Do not use any fabric-Softener.

4. Best is to air dry the nappies. You can tumble dry only the inserts on very low heat. Natural fabric doesn't like high heats.

Tips:

1. Do not fill your washing machine to the maximum. I suggest you fill it up 3/4 (around 15 nappies).

2. Use the right amount of detergent. Take into account that you are washing heavily soiled items in hard water. If you are washing a few nappies, then reduce the amount of detergent you use. Generally if the drum is ¾ full, use ¾ dose of detergent.

3. Wash every 2/3 days. Do not leave soiled nappies for more than 3 days as ammonia builds up.

4. Avoid eco washes as there won't be enough water to wash the nappies properly.

5. Use a disposable/reusable liner when using nappy cream.

6. Carry out a maintenance cycle monthly by doing an empty wash at 90degrees without any detergent.

After washing, nappies should come out smelling of nothing. That would be a proper wash. Having said that, don't panic if every now and then you smell a faint smell of pee. In that case give them an extra rinse after the cotton wash.

Why do your nappies start to smell?

If by time your nappies begin to have a strong stinky smell, this is because of hard water, detergent build up ( using more than recommended continuously), urine residue and improper washing. If too much detergent is being used and the nappies aren’t being rinsed properly, detergent is very likely to have been building up within the fabric layers of the inserts. For example, if your diapers smell like ammonia, you have urine build-up or residue. On the other hand, if you have a barnyard stink, it is probably because your nappies are not getting cleaned thoroughly.

This smell might be more apparent when babies start teething or after a full 12-hr night with the same nappy. However, they should not smell and if this happens it's because of the issues mentioned above.

These issues can cause skin rashes and might affect the absorbency of the nappies. Also since most of the nappies are made from natural material such as bamboo, they might get damaged too. 

How to remove the stinky smell?

There are different methods to remove smells and stains from diapers. The most common method is stripping.

This process is a tough one on the nappies and should only be carried out if required.   If you do need to carry out a strip wash, do this on inserts of pockets, prefolds and flats and All In One nappies. Covers and pocket shells do not need to be taken through this process.

How to strip wash?

There are many ways but this has worked for me just fine.

1. Make sure your washing machine is clean. Every month or so, I give it a maintenance cycle by giving it an empty wash on 90degrees. It is also recommended you can add white vinegar also to the empty wash.

2. Give the nappies a cold rinse without detergent.

3. Then carry out by giving them a cotton wash with the recommended dose of non-bio detergent (read above for the amount). Mine is around 2h18min. Ideally at 60degrees.

4. Wash again on a long cotton cycle without detergent to remove any build up.

5. Rinse your nappies on a cold rinse.  If you see any detergent bubbles, rinse again till they disappear.