Washing cloth diapers is easier than you may think…

I recommend not going longer than 3 days between washings as stains and odor can set.
When you change your baby’s diaper be sure to dump the solids into the toilet - no swishing in the bowl necessary, whatever doesn’t fall off will come out in the wash.

Unbleached and hemp diapers do need to be primed!

For Unbleached prefolds you will need to wash and dry them in a hot wash 4-6 times before they become absorbant. You can test them afterward by putting a little water on to see if it absorbs. If not wash again. Once they are primed they are extremely absorbant and soft!

For hemp diapers you will need to wash at least 8 times in a hot wash and please NOT with your other diapers as the natural hemp oils will leave a residue and they will repel the peepee. I know form experience! Wash them with your towels or sheets to make up a full load if needed. Once primed though they can then be added to your regular diaper washing cycle, they are worth the extra effort in the beginning.

General laundering Instructions:

Store used diapers in a dry pail. When your diaper pail is full or you are ready to wash diapers follow the steps below for clean and fresh diapers:

1. Run your diapers through an initial rinse cycle, no detergent. Do not over fill your washer as your diapers will not come clean. (If you do not have a 2nd rinse cycle, set your washer on the rinse stage of your normal wash cycle.)
2. Wash the diapers on hot with a cold rinse, normal cycle using ¼ the amount of detergent. Do not use a detergent with fabric softeners or add fabric softener to your wash. This will decrease the absorbency of the diaper. You can add ¼ cup of vinegar to your fabric softener dispenser or to the wash basin at the beginning of the rinse cycle if you do not have a dispenser. This will help neutralize the urine, help remove detergent residue and also helps to soften the diapers. Do not use vinegar with your pocket diapers, all-in-ones or covers as it can shorten the life of the fabric.
3. Run a second rinse cycle again to make sure all the detergent is rinsed out.
4. Put all your diapers in the dryer on low. The pre-folds take the longest to dry, so if you are drying covers, pockets and pre-folds together it is a good idea to remove covers and pockets as soon as they are dry to help prolong the laminate coating. A dry towel thrown in to the dryer can help shorten the time.

If it is a nice warm day and you have the space, hanging your diapers outside to dry is the best way to save energy and money; your diapers will be extra fresh and the sunlight will help to bleach out remaining stains. You can fluff your diapers in the dryer afterward to soften them up.

For smelly diapers after washing:
If your diapers smell after washing them I recommend running them through another wash cycle with no detergent. You may add a little baking soda OR vinegar to help neutralize odors as well. The extra vinegar rinse should help remove any detergent residue as well.

Happy Heiny's Washing Instructions (from HH website):

Store wet and dirty diapers in a dry pail. Older babies’ solid waste can be removed by gently shaking the diaper over a toilet. The fleece will release solids easily – there is no need to rinse them before washing.

Washing instructions for pocket diapers and trainers:
· Remove the inserts
· Cold Soak for 10-20 minutes depending on the level of dirt
· Wash on hot with slightly less than 1/4 cup of detergent
· You can add a downy ball of vinegar to the wash if the diapers have a heavy urine scent. I recommend a downy ball because it releases the vinegar at the right time - no need to wait by the machine.
· Rinse well to ensure all detergent is removed from diapers.
· Dry on high heat. The high heat of the dryer will keep your Happy Heiny functioning like new. We personally dry our PUL products on high heat and although we have had prolonged use with these products we have not noticed any break down of our PUL.

The Scoop on Detergents: (From Happy Heiny's)

Recommended detergents:
We recommend Tide, Sunlight, Cheer, Era, and Clout (Costco brand). These are not made with any of the natural oily substances which leave residue on fleece.

Detergents to avoid:
Natural soaps often contain various oils. These should NOT be used because they will leave a residue on fleece, causing it to repel liquids.

The following detergents will cause a soap build up. Do NOT use them.
· Dr. Bronner’s Soap
· 7th Generation
· Bio-Kleen
· Ivory Snow
· Dreft
· Any ALL free detergents.
· Sport-Wash and Sensi-Clean – These have the potential for detergent burn in babies.

Never use fabric softener of any kind on cloth diapers. Liquid fabric softeners and dryer sheets both leave a waxy residue which causes fleece to repel urine and decreases the absorbency of other diapers.

Diaper rash creams can also cause repelling. For best results either place a small wash cloth on top of the fleece or use a liner

Stripping Diapers:
Build up refers to residue left by detergents, fabric softeners, and other substances used to clean diapers. In rare instances, baking soda will react with certain minerals in water and also cause build up. If you notice a decrease in the absorbency of your diapers, build up may be the culprit.
Stripping is the process of removing residue from your diapers. To strip diapers:

· Hand wash your diaper with regular dish soap to remove any oils.
· Put a small amount of dish soap on the fleece layer.
· Rub vigorously or use a medium bristle scrubbing brush to scrub the fleece.
· Turn the diaper inside out and repeat.
· Rinse thoroughly until the water runs clear.
You may use this method at any time you notice repelling or as a preventative measure once a week. If you are still having problems, try these special cleaning agents to strip your diapers:
· 2 scoops of Oxyclean in a very hot wash
· 1 ball of RLR (found at Wal-Mart in the laundry aisle hanging on a clip) in a hot wash

Caring for Hemp Diapers:

Your hemp product has been professionally washed and dried once. It will need up to 8 more washings and dries before it is fully absorbent. The first few times you wash hemp products you should NOT wash them with fleece products. Hemp has natural oils in it and the oils can coat your fleece. After your hemp has been fully primed you may wash it with all of your diapering products.

Caring for Heiny Huggers:

Wash new diapers before use. You may notice that they produce a bit of lint in the beginning, this is normal for Sherpa.

· Cold rinse
· warm-hot wash
· same detergents as the HH
· No chlorine, no bleach, no fabric softners.
· May be dried on high heat.

Occasionally you may notice that your Sherpa diapers are not as soft after a few months of use as they were when new. All you need to do is rinse the diapers a few times in the washer without detergent. Add vinegar to the rinse cycle. This will help to restore the natural softness to the Sherpa.

Caring for Fleece and So Simple!

We all know how much wetness babies produce. Fleece is 100% polyester and allows air to circulate through the cover. This reduces diaper rash caused by prolonged exposure to wetness. In addition, it is soft to the touch, dries in a flash, and can withstand laundry abuse.
Caring for your fleece covers just can't be any easier:

· Machine wash in hot, cold, or warm water.
· Tumble dry.

Fleece is the *wonder fabric* of the cloth diapering world. Dryer sheets can help to make it even more water resistant. I do only suggest this as a last resort though if you have some leaking. I normally wash my covers with any old load of laundry as long as it isn't really soiled and needing special attention. In a world full of *diaper washing no no's*....here is some relief. There is almost no wrong way to wash fleece.

Tip: If you suddenly find that your fleece is leaking, simply switch laundry soaps (use Dr.Bronner's for a change or even mild dish soap). This should solve the problem. If it doesn't, Nikwax products will come to the rescue.

Caring for Wool:

Hand wash your wool cover in cold water with like colors. Hang to dry. You may have a bit of shrinkage after the first washing. You may re-lanolize as needed. We recommend using Eucalan wool wash to care for your covers. It has natural lanolin right in the bottle. You never have to worry about when to lanolize. It is done for you each time you wash.

**Note** Dark colored wool will bleed. See the note below to fix the dyes.

*tip* For bleeding wool:
· mix 3 cups white vinegar with 3 Tbsp salt
· wet wool in lukewarm water
· add to vinegar/salt mixture.
· Microwave for two, 3minute sessions.
· Allow to COMPLETELY cool
· rinse in lukewarm water
· wash
· re-lanolize.
(if you rinse before allowing to completely cool, you may unintentionally felt your garment)