So your mail showed up and joy of joys, There's fluff mail! You finally got that gorgeous diaper you've been coveting for a few weeks in the mail.
The way in which you prep them will depend on the kind of fiber they are made with.
Natural Fibers(Cotton,Bamboo and Hemp) must be prepped only with other natural fibers.When Natural fibers are prepped they release oils and waxes which can coat the non natural fibers and make them repellant instead of absorbent.
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| Courtesy of Drammy Droopers |
Microfiber, Microfleece, and suedecloths cannot be prepped with Natural fibers. However they just need to be washed once with cloth diaper safe detergent to prep.
It is recommended in order to prep diapers you wash them 4-5 times in for them to reach absorbancy. When I say wash I mean wash in hot water full cycle with approved detergent and dry hot 4-5 times. (this is why I haven't had qualms in the past buying used natural fiber inserts or diapers)
However, for some diapers you can short cut this step.
If you have hemp/bamboo/cotton inserts or pre-folds you can boil them in a pot for 10-15 minutes with a squirt of dawn(original) (to draw out the oils). Be very careful when doing this though, make sure and watch the water so that it doesn't all evaporate. You will need tongs to fish the cloth out as well. You will then do the washing process 2-3 times (instead of the original 4-5 times).
If you have an AIO that has the insert attached to the diaper you can't boil them because it will damage the PUL so those you must wash the recommended times.
You can begin using after the 4-5 times however the diapers will not reach full absorbancy until they have been washed about 10 times.
This process may sound time consuming and hard but in order to get the because of your diapers you must prep them. Never prep diapers with soiled diapers as well. Maybe throw the new diapers in with some of baby's laundry to help cut down on water use.
You can shortcut some of the washes and sure they'll work fine for daytime use but may not have the necessary absorbancy during night time or extended use. If once you've been using them for a while and they start to leak, then it may be time to strip them.
*these are general guidlines you must always check with manufacture for directions.
14 comments:
Oh man! Thanks for the info! It is pretty annoying to have to fully wash and dry natural fibered AIO's, but it does work. But I like the tip of the short cut for prefolds and inserts! Now I just need to read about stripping diapers!
Thank-you for this! Do you have any advice for prepping used diapers?
First off your baby is Adorable! What a quick way to prep Dawn Has Soo many great uses thanks for sharing these helpful tips.
Wow thanks for all the helpful info!
Great info! Prepping was one of my big fears when we first started using cloth.
I do not have small children however this posts has helped me remember when I had and I always used cloth diapers.
Thanks for the info! All this care involved with cloth can seem a bit overwhelming at first.
awwwwwwwwww thats too cute ive never knew you can make them like that !
Thanks for the tips on pre washing diapers.
Good luck!
Just the inserts...and that also depends on the kind. If it's a microfiber (ie; fuzzibunz, bumgenius you just wash) if it's hemp,cotton or bamboo you prep. Pockets just get washed once :)
If I just have 1 or 2 to prep I throw them in with my towels or sheets instead of doing a whole load just for them.
Thank you for this very helpful info! I'm bookmarking it! My baby shower is in August and I've registered for some cloth diapers, so hopefully by the end of the summer I will be following your advice. :)
if you get pocket diapers do you just need to prep the inserts or both the diaper and the insert? thanks
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