# Best way to launder cotton diapers?



## Ninn (Oct 28, 2006)

I was just gifted with 8 dozen dipes in various sizes. They have been in storage in the ladies home, so I am washing them in hot water with soap and bleach, just to be sure. She also gave me about 6 pair of heavily lined rubber pants to go with the dipes. Marky is so much happier in these! His momma put him in a sposie for bed and he kept telling her "ow". She put him in the cotton, even knowing she would have to get up and change him in the night. 

I want to be sure that we care for these the best way. Those that don't fit will be passed along, but those that do should last a good long time. They are home made, from 3 layers of tshirt fabric or flannel sheets. They are super soft and heavy duty in the extreme. I can't wait to get some decent clips for them. These pins are dangerous with a wiggly baby.


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## Beaners (Feb 23, 2005)

We do ours in a front loading washing machine with detergent and a little bit of bleach on the first cycle. If they are really bad, the second wash cycle gets bleach too, otherwise it is just detergent. Then they go into the dryer, but they can line dry just as easily. Make sure the rubber liners don't go into the dryer or even in the washer during a hot cycle. They will break down fast. We got lazy and put some of them through the dryer. After two weeks they started cracking badly and needed to be replaced.

Doubling the diapers at night helps increase the absorbency a little, or using one as a pad inside the regular diaper. We use regular diaper pins, which means that sometimes I need to use my "serious face" when my daughter gets too squirmy on the changing table. She is 10 months and we haven't stuck her yet, although I have gotten myself pretty badly. It is harder to do at night, especially when you want to keep the lights low so the baby doesn't wake up.

Congrats on the diapers, it sounds like both mom and the baby are getting used to them quickly!

Kayleigh


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## Ninn (Oct 28, 2006)

Kayleigh~~

Have you thought about using Snappis or clips instead of pins? I'm looking into it myself, as even the largest of these dipes do not seem to have much overlap in front for pins. The lady who gave them to us used snappis, but doesn't have them anymore. (her daughter turned them into hair ties!)


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## Shawna (Jul 10, 2007)

Don't use fabric softener on them....it'll end up making them non-absorbant!

Congrats on such a great score!!!


Shawna


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## Beaners (Feb 23, 2005)

I have never been able to pin in the front...the idea completely baffles me. I have even seen it done, and it doesn't click in my head. I pin on the sides, in the same places that a disposable would fasten, one over each hip bone.

I fold my diaper in thirds the long way, then fold over a little bit in the front and back depending on how big a diaper the baby needs. I set the baby on the diaper and pull out enough of the corners to put the pins through. It sounds complicated but it is pretty easy.

I've looked at the different fasteners, but so far the pins have been good for us. I also make sure to stick my finger on the inside of the diaper, against the baby. This gives me a little extra insurance that I won't stick her.

Kayleigh


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## Ninn (Oct 28, 2006)

Thats the way we did it with our daughter. These new diapers are shaped similar to a disposable, with very little overlap from back to front. (not prefolded flats) I put my finger in between Marky and the diaper, but he kicks and screams through the whole process right now, so I am really concerned about hurting him. My chest is black and blue from him kicking me because he is too busy to be changed right now. If the dipes were flats, at least there would be some between the pin and the diaper when I was done. I'm sure I will figure it out eventually. Was thinking about using the little stretcy clips from an ace bandage!


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

Yelp always just folded them over in front,pull up tight on the sides and pinned.

Always,cleaned and soaked before Washing.

Dang that was a long time ago,but I Got 'R Done!

big rockpile


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## Tilly (Oct 16, 2007)

Cloth dipes are the best!!! What a great find,too. First, any poop gets dumped in the toilet. I wash mine in cold water, full cycle with no detergent or anything, it just rinses everything really well. I don't use a pail of water to soak in, just let the washer rinse them for me. Then I do a full cycle wash in hot with about a quarter of the regular amount of detergent, maybe a bit of bleach if they are really nasty, one more full cycle on cold with nothing to finish. My dipes have lasted four babies with this treatment and could easily do a few more. Snappis are awesome, they hold as well as pins but still allow a bit of stretch as baby moves. 

Tilly


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

Bleach eats cotton. Don't use it often!
To neutralize the ammonia and other grodies, use vinegar. Wash on hot, hot. Line dry to get them really fresh smelling and naturally sun-bleached.

I never did use pins/Snappies/etc. with my kids. Our wraps fit well enough they simply weren't needed. (I want to say mine were Gerber, but they looked just like these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270158746539 only mine were all white) No leaks, no explosions.


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## Witch's Broom (Dec 23, 2017)

Hot water with mild detergent was my rule of thumb when laundering diapers, though I used Tide for years and never had a problem.

Once a month (more/less when needed), a cup of vinegar was added to the final wash-cycle to help rid the diapers of any excess or residual detergent build-up. Aside from flushing soap residue out of the cotton, which can lead to diaper rash and odour, vinegar helped balance the pH in the fabric (less diaper rash/irritation), and also helped keep diapers soft.

Rubber pants were washed/rinsed by-hand (for the most part). Found rubber pants lasted much longer when done by-hand than in the washing machine. As for drying, rubber pants were hung on the line to dry with the diapers.

As for diaper odour/ammonia smell in rubber pants, nothing beat Original Pine-Sol. Rubber pants went into my laundry room utility sink with enough warm water to cover, a dash of Pine-Sol was added, pants were given time to soak, pants were rinsed, then out on the line the pants went.

Two diapers, two pins, and a pair of rubber pants (day/night/around-the-clock) was the standard diapering routine/method I lived by. Double diapered (always)... used rubber pants 24/7.

Diapers typically lasted through two babies before needing replaced... rubber pants were purchased/replaced as needed.


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## muleskinner2 (Oct 7, 2007)

Ninn said:


> These pins are dangerous with a wiggly baby


Put your fingers between the baby and the diaper. You will soon learn not to stab yourself in the fingers.


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## Witch's Broom (Dec 23, 2017)

muleskinner2 said:


> Put your fingers between the baby and the diaper. You will soon learn not to stab yourself in the fingers.


More importantly, keeping a couple of fingers between baby and diaper, helps eliminate the chance of baby accidentally experiencing the business end of the pin.

When I was teaching my oldest daughter how to diaper her baby brothers, I taught her not to get in the habit of pushing the pins completely through all layers of the diapers when fastening. Catching a few layers of the diaper, in-behind the top, back corner of the diaper that get's overlapped or brought around to the front, provides all the hold necessary to keep diapers on and secure.

Using dull pins and applying excessive force to get the pins through the cotton, is one of the biggest reasons behind accidental pin-pricks.

I always double diapered (both daytime and nighttime), and found that twisting the pin back and forth while gently pushing, always got the pins through the diapers the safest and easiest, rather than straight pushing.


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## Witch's Broom (Dec 23, 2017)

Was just giving thought to a few of the ways that were used to help keep pins lubricated back in the old-fashioned cloth diaper days...


Running pins through ones hair
Keeping pins stuck into solid bar soap (Ivory, I remember, was the choice back in the day)
Rubbing pins against a candle or wax
Or what my SIL used to do, keeping pins stuck in a firm sponge treated with baby oil


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