ftm, new to cloth, getting a good wash routine?

beckyvaughn5215 · February 2016

I'm super new to all this, and just started stocking up. So far I have 1 fleece to make inserts and maybe covers (if anyone has instruction that worked for them that would be appreciated!!;)), 10 flour sack towels, and 6 baby goal pocket diapers with microfiber liners.
What should my wash routine look like with this stash? I'm planning on using the pockets as covers for newborn over the flour sack towels if they fit. I know I'll be washing at least once a day and supplementing with disposable until I get more, but what should I use as detergent(how much etc) and what settings? Thanks!

emgee27 · February 2016

I would suggest visiting fluffloveuniversity.com they are an awesome resource and have both a washing machine index and a detergent index. You will need to start by getting test strips to test the hardness/softness of your water and then you can move forward from there. The Fluff Love & CD science FB group is also great for posting questions and having an admin chime in on your wash routine once you've decided.

barrelocarol · February 2016

Oh man, I might be in the minority, but I use the cheapest free and clear, Dreft scent crystals and I use the highest water temperature setting.

I wash preoflds, aio's, pocket diapers and microfiber inserts this way.

PipSqueak0313 · February 2016

NO!!! Do not go to FLCDS - the F'ing Liars and Cloth Diaper Saboteurs is not the place to get good information. Go visit the new home of this board's members if you need assistance with any aspect of cloth diapering.

WillyH19 · February 2016

I would strongly advise against fluff love university. Their advice is destructive to diapers and many people have trouble with leaks, stink and rashes following their advice. The recommend far too much detergent than is really needed.

We'd love to give you some further advice at our board (t)hen(co)m*esfa^mily(dot)com

How should I wash my diapers?
A good routine to start with is cold or warm rinse, HOT wash with detergent and cold rinse, one more cold rinse. You can tweak your routine from there if your diapers are not getting clean enough. Make sure you spin out the water from your first rinse so that you’re not washing in poop/pee water.
Wash your diapers every 2-3 days. Going longer is likely to cause stink issues.

What detergent should I use?
It’s going to depend on your diapers, washer, and water type. There’s no way we can tell you that. As a general rule, stay away from liquid detergents as they cause build up. A well-liked detergent on this board is Original powdered Tide, but there are lots of great cloth diaper detergents out there that work well. Check out Pinstripes and Polkadots (Linky) to see how cloth friendly your detergent is.

Loriimagination · February 2016

I agree with Pip and Willy, stay far far away from Fluff Love. Come visit us at the new place. We will help!

RockiesNugget · February 2016

I also agree to stay as far away from Fluff Love. As the others have mentioned there is a much better place to get information.

freezorburn · February 2016

Agree that you should be very careful with what you read on the Fluff Love website or in their FB group. Some of their advice is fine, but a lot of it is just stuff they made up, even if they talk like it's science. If you really think about it, it would be really difficult to gather the resources to properly test and verify their philosophy of how to wash diapers. Nobody has a massive lab full of every different washing machine on the market, piping in a spectrum of different water types, not to mention you can't control for ages and stages of babies, and their dietary changes, and potential food sensitivities and chemical sensitivities.. And sadly, when their methods don't work for someone, they have a culture of shaming, blaming and banning those people.

It's far more reasonable to recognize that people are going to have very different water types, different machines, and preferences as to laundry detergent, and help them troubleshoot based on collective experience and common sense. If you are looking for a group that doesn't care whether you are using Tide or Charlie's, and will say, hey that's an unusual routine, but if it's working for you, keep doing it! You could check out Cloth Diaper Tech Support on FB.

And it's also worth looking for the old regs. If you are still stash building, they have a pretty active weekly swap thread. Could be a great way to try/acquire different diapers while you figure out what works for you.

kartish · February 2016

You've gotten some good advice on wash routines, but I would suggest some tweaks on your stash. You'll want some NB dipes, I suggest Imagine diapers if you are low on funds. Both their NB covers and AIOS get a lot of love, and they're a great value. For the newborn stage, flats or prefolds in cover will be more economical than pockets, and I suggest GMD for flats and covers, but their are cheaper options out their, like Imagine. Good luck!

xJKxOR · February 2016

I've been fairly simple so far (only been cloth diapering for 5 months though so I'm still a newbie). I have a no name top loading washer and we run on well water.

I do two cold short rinses. One regular washing cycle on hot with Norwex detergent and then a rinse after.

we wash every three days and hang dry. No issues so far (fingers crossed).

Knottie1442268460 · August 2016

*Removed for TOU Violation* The extra rinses aren't good if you have hard water.

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ftm, new to cloth, getting a good wash routine?

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