Caring for reusable diapers

What to do after receiving your cloth diapers?

The first things not to forget :-)

• We advise you to soak your all-in-one diapers, classic diapers and inserts overnight in cold water (pocket all-in-one diapers and diaper covers do not need to be soaked).
• Once dry, you can wash them and put them on your child, changing frequently at first (absorption reaches its maximum after about ten washes).
• Microfiber (polyester) inserts and diapers with a microfiber interior do not need to be soaked: polyester fibers are immediately absorbent.

Storing your cloth diapers

Storage should be dry (to avoid bacterial proliferation if soaked in water) in a diaper pail, for example.
If you don't want to use a diaper pail, large diaper bags can also be used for storage.

-) A laundry net is practical for moving your diapers from the pail to the washing machine.

On our blog: an article dedicated to dry storage

How to wash your cloth diapers?

Simple and effective washing

For parents who wish, first rinse your soiled diapers in the machine to remove as much urine as possible.

Wash your diapers at 40° (with or without the rest of your laundry) using a mild and ecological detergent (or your usual detergent).
You can add a few drops of essential oils (such as tea tree or lavender) or a disinfectant like Miofresh to a cotton wipe or washcloth.

Warning: never use bleach, Marseille soap as a detergent (the glycerin contained in this detergent makes your diapers much less absorbent), and little or no fabric softener.

An article listing detergents to use and those to avoid is available on the website.

• Do you have a tumble dryer? Classic diapers, inserts & boosters can be tumble dried: it softens the fabric.
• If you don't have a tumble dryer, consider laundry balls :)
• Covers and the waterproof parts of all-in-one diapers should be air-dried.

Diaper liners: practical!

Protects the diaper from poop, simplifies changing

The diaper liner (washable or disposable) protects cloth diapers from baby's poop.
It also allows parents to change baby quickly and easily: just remove the liner containing the child's poop and throw it in the toilet (or in the trash).
The diaper liner is placed directly on the diaper, in contact with the child's bottom. There are two types of diaper liners:

Disposable diaper liners made from wood pulp, biodegradable and washable, approximately 1-2 times if no poop, to be reused.

Washable diaper liners: usually made of micropolar (100% polyester), a very soft fabric where poop doesn't stick much, if at all.

The fleece liner is economical, being washable and reusable.
Another advantage: it keeps baby's bottom away from moisture, unlike disposable diaper liners. For busy parents, the simplest is to use disposable liners.

Diaper liners for cloth diapers: a must?

Absolutely not!

Diaper liners (disposable or washable) are optional accessories, but they make using cloth diapers easier.
It's easy to remove poop from a cloth diaper. Most of the time, shaking the diaper over the toilet is enough.
If that's not enough, rinsing the diaper also works very well.

In case of poop stains, it is advisable to use stain remover salt for cloth diapers, or gall soap.

Stripping cloth diapers: when? how?

A necessary step to keep your cloth diapers absorbent.

Here are some "symptoms" that will enlighten you:

• Your cloth diaper absorbs less than usual, shows more leaks, even though it worked very well on your baby before.
• There's an increasingly strong urine odor, even after a machine wash with detergent and disinfectant.
• Your child starts to have red bottom even though they had no problem before.
• All of this can be due to detergent/softener/limescale/diaper cream/etc. residues in the cloth diaper, which prevents effective absorption.

These residues can also be the cause of your child's red bottom.

How to strip a cloth diaper?

There are different ways to strip diapers.

Here are two, in all cases, your diapers must be clean before you start stripping.

* Washing without products: machine wash (long cycle), without detergent at 60° then normal drying on clean diapers (if you only want to strip inserts and not the waterproof part, we advise you to wash them at 90°)

* Washing with products:
Take your basin and fill it with hot water
Add sodium percarbonate and baking soda (2 tablespoons of each)
Place your inserts and diapers in the basin
Mix with a wooden spoon for example, and let sit for about 5-6 hours
Then wash your diapers and inserts in the machine the next day at 60°C, spin at a maximum of 1000 rpm without detergent

It is also possible to use white vinegar, which eliminates limescale very well (among other things) but tends to damage the elastics of cloth diapers.
If you still want to use it, we advise you to put only a very small amount in the detergent dispenser.
Some parents strip diapers with soda crystals, dish soap: we advise against doing so because some diapers get very damaged (no longer absorb, membrane detachment).

When should you strip diapers?

We advise you to strip diapers approximately every 2 months (this depends on the hardness of your water, the detergent used, etc.).

Do you know the water glass test? Our article explains the little trick to know if your diapers are clogged or not?

Warning: some detergents clog more than others.
If you notice that your cloth diapers are no longer absorbing two weeks after stripping, this may be due to your detergent or the products you use during baby's diaper change (liniment for example).