New to cloth diapering, need help!

McMrs

I'm new to cloth diapering and a little confused as to where to begin. DS2 is due the middle of September so no huge rush but I'd like to get the diapers prepped and ready to go. I bought diapers from ebay( may be a no-no but I wasn't interested in spending $20/diaper on brand names). I have 11 minky like pocket diapers that came with what I'm assuming are microfibre inserts and 10 pockets (also with microfibre inserts) that I'm not really sure what to call them but their not minky. I'll try and attach a picture if I can. I also have 10 cotton liners that i figured id use as extras for nighttime. How do I prep them? Do I wash the covers with the liners? From what I've read I'm not supposed to wash cotton with microfibre is that right? Do i just run a load with only 10 cotton liners? Do I need to wash it all 6 times or just the cotton ones. Some diapers are darker colours (blue, brown and red) and most are white/lighter colours, do I need to separate colours like I would normal laundry? And most importantly what laundry detergent do I use? I in Canada and limited to pretty much what Walmart carries. I also have a front loading washer, how should I go about washing them once I start using them? How many cycles, do I have to rinse first, etc? I really am clueless so anything you can tell me would be great. I already read here somewhere about the videos on you tube and plan to watch those tonight. I know these may not fit as a newborn but I'm fine with using disposables until they do I don't want to buy two separate stashes of diapers. I'm also thinking about possible using these on my 27 month old, good idea or no?

CLLDLL

Synthetic fibers (microfiber, PUL covers, etc.) only need to be washed and dried once to prep them.  Natural fibers (cotton, bamboo, hemp) need to be washed separate from synthetics because the first wash or two will be getting rid of oils processing.  If you prep with synthetics the oils can get "stuck" on your synthetics and make them repel.  You technically only need to wash and dry once or twice before you can start using them, but they won't reach full absorbency until they've been washed 5+ times.Once prepping is complete, you can wash everything together.

As far was washing like colors, obviously every diaper/brand is different but I think bleeding is pretty rare.  I've never had any bleed and I have some white diapers and some dark colors like reds and blues.

The best laudry detergent is going to depend on your washer, water type, etc.  Someone told me once to keep it simple at first and only add extra steps/try new things if you start having repelling or stink issues.  That being said, I like www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com as a resource to find out what detergents contain what additives.  Just a warning Tide scores pretty low on their sheet, but a lot of ladies on here use Tide with no issues.  It just depends on how worried you are about voiding a warranty and/or having your PUL/elastic last for multiple kids.

Washing dirty diapers: Run a cold rinse cycle to rinse out any poo & pee.  (NB formula/breastmilk poo can go straight into the wash.  Once you start solids, you need to spray or scrape the poo into the toilet before washing.)  Make sure this is a rinse, not a soak as you want to get the dirty water out before adding your soap.  Then run a regular cycle (whichever one uses the most water on your HE machine - check your owner's manual) using detergent and hot water (not sanitary, but the next hottest) and a cold rinse.  Most people add an extra cold rinse at the end.  Then you can dry everything on low heat in the dryer.  Or if you prefer, hang dry anything with PUL and dry your inserts on medium or low.

Also, yes you certainly can try your diapers on your 27 month old if they are one-size diapers.  You will have to scrap/spray his poo off before washing though.

 

unaveragejane

The non-minky diapers are probably PUL. If they are, they will feel kind of like bathing suit knit material on one side, and the other side (inside the pocket) will look laminated. In any case, it should wash the same as your minky. Some folks find that the darker colors bleed. I haven't had any do it, but it happens.

For prepping, the covers and microfiber only need to be washed once and they'll be ready. The cotton should be prepped separately from the covers and MF, but you can wash them with other clothes, sheets, etc. You can also boil cotton to prep it in order to skip so many wash cycles to prep, but I don't know for how long.

As far as detergent, a lot of people do fine using Tide powder -- the original, I think. There is a good detergent guide on the Pinstripes and Polkadots website, so you can see how they rate whatever is available to you. Generally, it only takes a very small amount of detergent to get them clean. If you use too much detergent, you'll get build-up which leads to all kinds of problems. When you start using the diapers, you'll want to rinse them (no soap) first to get the pee out. (I have a FL, and I use a Quick Wash cycle on Warm.) Next you'll do a wash on Hot with whatever setting uses the most water. (For my washer, I use the Cotton/Towels setting with the added Water Plus option.) After they wash and rinse, do another cold rinse to help ensure that all of the detergent is out. Inserts seem to hold up alright in the dryer, but your pockets will last longer if you can hang them to dry.

megpeg

https://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html I have found that helpful when trying to find a detergent.

daffy2k

Same advice as PPs, but I wanted to add that I am also in Canada. The cloth safe detergents I would recommend are ECOS (Canadian Tire is usually the best place to find it). I personally use Nellie's All Natural Laundry Soda for all of our laundry including our cloth diapers. I ordered it from costco.ca. They sell smaller quantities, but since I use it for everything I ordered it in bulk. It comes in a 5 gallon pail for $94.99 incl shipping. I have been using this pail for over a year and it is not even 1/2 gone.

McMrs

Thanks so much everyone, this helps a lot!

MagPie 1986

I'm glad you posted this b/c I am starting cloth diapering as well and am so overwhelmed with the prepping process.  This helps so much!

One more question.  When prepping workhorses and prefolds (both GMD) , do I need to dry them in between washing sessions?  If so, what setting do I put the dryer on?  It seems they will shrink quite a bit in the process.  Thanks!