By: Samanth Carter Smith
Posted: 05th January 2011
Choosing the right laundry detergent is one of the most essential parts of cloth diapering. Without proper care, your cloth diapers can obtain serious detergent build up that can cause odor, chemical burns, repelling, ammonia stink, blistering and others. Furthermore, it will cause irritation due to some chemicals contain in laundry detergents that may harm your baby’s sensitive skin. However, doing the ideal way and using the right detergent would make it more convenient and safe.
It is recommended not to wash more than two dozen of diapers at the same time because too much friction can occur that can cause pilling. Make sure to fasten all the velcro tabs on diapers to avoid chains. On
laundry detergents, it is advisable to use less amount of detergent than you normally do, to avoid detergent build up. It is recommended to use about ¼ to ½ amount of your preferred laundry detergent.
There are two recommended cycles to wash your cloth diapers. The cold/cold wash and the hot/cold wash. Put 2 to 3 drops of tea tree oil or squirts 1 to 2 of stain and odor eliminator if you are experiencing odor problems. Keep in mind that using too much essential oil may cause repelling in your diapers therefore, just use the amount of oil that is really needed.
One of the most important steps when cleaning cloth diapers wash is the rinsing portion. After doing it, your diaper should smell clean and fresh with no hint of feces, urine, ammonia and other irritating odors. Do some extra rinse every now and then to help eliminate odors caused from a build-up of detergent. Most especially when using high efficiency washing machine, make sure there is no any suds left in the final rinse and rinse is again if needed. Just keep in mind that your rinse water rinses your cloth diapers completely.
After cleaning cloth diapers, they are now ready to go in the dryer. The heat from the sun or dryer helps to sanitize your cloth diapers. In order to extend the life of your diapers, always check the drying and
washing instructions of every brand of diaper. It is recommended to dry your diapers for like 60 to 90 minutes. Wash your diapers again if you still smell strange odor. These lingering odors most likely means that there still bacteria present in your diapers that could cause irritation to your infant’s sensitive skin. Line drying is more ideal if you want to save on electricity. It would cut down your electricity usage by 50 to 60 percent. Apart from conserving energy, the sun is ideal for getting out tough stains on cloth diapers. To prevent cloth diapers from getting stiff, it is recommended to do the line drying early morning or late afternoon. Furthermore, doing the line drying on diapers will extend their life.
There are lots of factors to consider when washing your diapers, the type of diapers, hard/soft water, type of detergents and others. Do your own experiment on your wash routine and continue searching for the ideal laundry detergents that would suit your laundry needs.
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