I wash laundry for 6 people....which means I do a LOT of laundry! How I do the laundry depends on several things. I wash mine and my hubby's one way (tho usually, he does his own laundry!!), then I do my older 2 kid laundry a different way (they are the ones who need the stain treatment!), then I do my younger 2 kids laundry another way (but luckily I can combine them into 1 load), and then I have a completely different way of doing my cloth diapers! Not to mention if I am doing a load of sheets/blankets, or if I am doing towels, which also require different ways.
For today's post tho, I am going to talk about how I wash my cloth diapers, because it took me months and months to find a wash routine that worked out the best for us. I have a high efficiency front load washer. I know a LOT of cloth diapering Momma's love Rockin green Detergent, but unfortunately it made my daughter break out in a horrible rash that bled 8(. I currently use ALL Free and Clear, but I read recently that it can cause build up, so I looking for a different detergent to use, so I don't have to strip my diapers too often.
First, I put all my diapers into the washing machine. I put my machine n the 'normal' setting, change the water temp to cold, and hit my button for the extra spin cycle at the end. then I run my machine. i do not use any detergent for this cycle. I found doing a whole cycle like this was better then just doing a rinse with extra rinse like I did before.
After that cycle is done, then I add detergent to my machine. I put my machine on the 'Sanitary' setting (I know I could do a different cycle, but I like the extra wash time this provides). This automatically puts my water temp on extra hot (it can't be changed in this setting), then I hit the button to add an extra rinse.
Finally, I put everything into the dryer, I change my setting to 'Freshen Up' and put the setting on low for 60 mins. I would LOVE to line dry my diapers and just dry the inserts in my dryer, but we have no clothes line, and no way to put one up. I'm hoping once we move i'll be able to put up a clothesline so I can line dry the diapers, but for now, this will work.
So there you have it, how I wash my cloth diapers.
How do you do your laundry? Do you have any stain removal tips (I can always use them with a 12 and 3 yr old boy!)
I use the Spray & Wash/Resolve spray on the kids' clothes, and always wash with Oxiclean. I also, for particularly tough stains, throw a can of Coke in the washing machine. It sounds weird, but it works.
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