Keeping Cloth Diapers Soft

there are dryer balls that you can throw in your dryer that will soften them up. i don't have them as i think (not having used them) that they soften your clothes by beating them up and would therefore make your clothes ages faster. but since it's for diapers, it can't hurt. i think i've seen these in grocery stores or asian markets:

http://www.norwex-healthy-cleaning.com/catalog/item/44435...

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I just discovered WalMart is carrying a biodegradable UNSCENTED fabric softener sheets - and they were only about 20 cents more than the bounce unscented sheets. It is worth it to me. The have scented available to.. but they are biodegradable which was a big plus.

we just invested in a water softener too... I think that is going to help a great deal..we've only had it two weeks.. so only time will tell if my newer clothes (like sweatshirts) will stay softer longer.

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I use BioKleen as well and Borax. I soak the diapers in hot water with Borax using my machine's presoak cycle. Then I wash them in hot water with more Borax and the BioKleen. Then I dry them on high. Works for me. Yes- you shouldn't use mainstream fabric softener- it's coats the fibers and prevents absorbency (same with towels).

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Hi D.,

I don't have any good advice for how to make your diapers stay soft (sorry!) but I just wanted to comment about the fabric softener.
When My son was about 9 months old, one morning we discovered his arm was Bright red oozing, with skin peeling and hot to the touch as though he had gotten a severe steam or chemical burn.(It was horrifying because it was a really severe sore covering his whole forearm, and we had NO idea where it could have come from) He had on long sleeve pajamas all night,and you could see where the burn stopped at the same place the pajama sleeve stopped..We took him in immediately and The doctor said it was most likely a reaction to fabric softener. (I had not heard of them being unsafe prior to this)After hearing this I checked the pajamas and I noticed they smelled especially strong of Downy.
Why it effected just his arm I do not know,(maybe more softener somehow was concentrated on the arm??) but it was the most awful thing to see on his chubby little baby arm!! baby skin is so delicate and the reaction he had was really terrible. It was like it was literally eating away at his skin. So Yes, Mom's out there who have not heard to be careful with babies and fabric softener (Like I had not!) Be Safe and stay away from it until your baby is older!
Good luck with finding a solution to your cloth diaper issue. I know there are a lot of resourceful moms out there, someone is bound to have a handy trick! ~warm regards, D.

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Most fabric softeners build up on the diaper (leaving a waxy residue) and therefore actually make the cloth diaper repel instead of absorb. HOWEVER, I've used (and heard others use) the 7th Generation Lavender/eucalyptus fabric softener and no repelling (seems to help absorbancy) and it's "natural".

Ideas that have worked for me:

Vinegar in the rinse

Not drying on high heat too long-our old dryer was failing so I had to dry a load of clothes/diapers 2 times before they were dry and they were hot and stiff....we now have a newer dryer with "moisture sensor" that gets the job done in one load and everything is softer (without any different laundry product).

Changing your soap can sometimes make a difference.

Hope any of these help!

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I agree with Crystal G, the vinegar in the rinse really helps keep our cloth diapers soft. Both the prefolds, and the AI1's we have. The vinegar also helps keep cloth diapers from odor (because it helps keep the residue off of them).

I usually dry our dipes on a low/medium setting. Depending on where you're located in the area, water hardness can also affect your dipes... But I'm pretty sure the water company can come and test your water fairly cheap or free if you aren't sure, and there are websites that have tips on how to help depending on water hardness!

Hope that helps!! Good luck with those dipes!

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