Cloth diapering part 3

        
            So in this section i would like to go into the yucky stuff. . . . cleaning. cloth. diapers. haha I am totally joking, it is super easy and clean.

Lets start with a list of cloth diaper safe detergents
 HE washers                                           Older washing machines
-RubyMoon                                           -Allens
-Charlie's Soap [powder/liquid]              -Arm and hammer free essentials
-Moutain Green free and clear                -Bio-O-Kleen
-Moutain Green Baby                            -Country save liquid 
-All small and mighty                              -EviroRite
-Caldrea                                                -Lifekind
-Country Save                                       -Nature clean 
-Dropps                                                -Oxy-prime
-Ecos                                                    -Penguin
-Maggie's soap nuts                               -Planet ultra powder
-Method free and clear                          -SensiClean  
-Nellie's                                                -Sport-wash
-Rockin green                                       -Trader joe's
-Sun and earth                                      -Vaska
-Oxyclean free/baby
 This site has a detergent chart for which ones are better than others.
        
            So you start off with a large amount of brand new/new-to-you dipes of your choice and the first thing you are going to want to do is prep them. To prep your dipes you will want to follow these steps

Sunning our dipes at grandma's

 -remove all packaging [sometimes there are tags INSIDE the pocket of your dipes]
-un-snap all snaps and undo all aplix and fasten laundry tabs
-remove any inserts/doublers
-Throw everything into your washer
-Set wash setting to heavy/hot wash/cold rinse
-Add 1tbs. original dawn dish soap
when the washer is done, run the entire cycle again WITH NO SOAP
-Line dry anything containing PUL
-Toss all inserts/doublers/prefolds/flats/fitteds/wipes into the dryer
VOILA you are prepped and ready to diaper

            So now that your dipes are prepped you will probably want to put them into action but first you will want a diaper pail/wet bag to put your soggy dipes into. You have three choices for a diaper pail here[I have tried all three by the way]. Wet pail, Dry pail, or Wet bag.
            A dry pail is exactly what it sounds like, a pail with a garbage bag type liner made of PUL. With this method you will need at least two diaper pail liners because whenever you empty your pail you will want to toss your liner in the wash with your dipes or else it will end up getting pretty funky. With this method you will want to go no longer than 3 days between washes because of the fact that the dipes will dry/stain if left in there too long. I stopped using this method because my dipes always smelled like ammonia, even if they were clean.

My diaper pail

            You guessed it haha the wet pail method is WET. This method is discouraged now because of the drowning hazard but i keep my pail in the laundry room with the door shut. I have a solid plastic diaper pail that i fill 3/4 of the way and add 1tbs. of oxyclean free to. I put the lid on and put all of my dirty dipes in there. Since i started using the wet pail, you cant smell diapers in my house anymore, the ammonia smell in my dipes is gone, and all of my dipes look the same as the day i bought them. No stains or anything.

Inside my wet pail

                     A wet bag is NOT the same as a wet pail haha. All a wet bag is, is a bag made out of PUL that you can hang in your nursery or on your changing table to put your soggy dipes in. It is pretty much the same as a dry pail but it is a bag that you can hang. The only time i ever use a wet bag is in my diaper bag when we are on the go.

            Now that you have a bunch of prepped dipes and the diaper pail of your choice . . . you are pretty sure you are ready to go right. Wrong. What kind of wipes are you going to use. Your options are cloth or disposable. If you choose cloth then you also have a choice between making your own[my preference] or buying them. I will soon do a post for a cloth wipes tutorial and the recipe for my wipe solution. But anyways, for cleaning your cloth wipes all i do is throw them into the pail with my dipes, wash them, throw them into the dryer with my inserts/prefolds and it is as easy as that.

Ok so NOW are you ready
. . .
YES, now you are ready to put that adorable little tushie into the fluff of your choosing. And soon there will be. . . POO [OH NO] but wait, it really is not as gross as everyone thinks. Hmmm because i am a mother i have come into contact with poo A LOT but. . . it has never been because of cloth dipes. IMAGINE THAT haha but in all seriousness, exclusively breastfed baby poo can go right into your pail. No rinsing. But if you formula feed or have started solids you will have to rinse the solids into your toilet and then toss your rinsed dipe into your pail. there are two ways that you can do the deed 1] buy a diaper sprayer, this hooks up to your toilet so all you have to do is hold your dipe above your toilet and spray the poo into your toilet. 2] swish n' swipe, i found this easier at first. I would turn my dipe inside out [so the PUL is on the inside] and then dunk it in the toilet and swish the poo off and then flush the toilet.

Diaper sprayer

            So now you have been cloth diapering for around 2-3 days, your pail is full, your stash is running low. It is time to wash.

My wipes/prefolds/inserts in the dryer

-Empty your pail/wetbag into your washer
  -If you use a wet pail run a spin cycle before washing
  -if you use a dry pail run a cold rinse before washing
-Set washer on heavy/hot wash/cold rinse
-Add 1/4 the amount of detergent that you would for a normal/large load
-Line dry anything with PUL and toss everything else [other than wool] into your dryer
-Stuff your pockets/fold your flats and you are ready to go for another 2-3 days

Now if you are using wool covers for your prefolds/flats/fitteds you will wash your cover like this
-use cover until A]damp or has poo on it. or B] 1-2 days
-Buy a wool wash and wash your wool by hand
-hang or lay flat to dry
[DO NOT MACHINE DRY WOOL]

I will be linking with the pistachio project.