Hi. We are making the switch to cloth diapers! I didn't realize what a cost effective choice this was! And it is made so easy these days. Anyway, you are supposed to wash them in cold first and then hot. I don't have a cycle on my machine that is cold/hot. I have the LG Steam Washer. What cycle (or cylces) should I put them on? Should I use the steam choice? I've been putting them on rinse/spin (an 18 minute cycle) and then putting them in "Babywear" cylce which is hot/hot. The rince/spin doesn't go cold, but I'm not sure what to put it on.
Any advice would be great!
most important is to get all the detergent out, as that is what causes irritated skin. I use the soak and prewash on cold with a minimal amount of soap...very little and then a hot wash no soap and cold rinse and line dry in the sun. I bleach only about once every 6 weeks. no vinegar. but, again the most important thing, I am told is to get all the detergent and additives out. We use bum genius and love em.
Hooray for cloth diapers! I used them over twenty years ago but didn't have a fancy washer. The hardest part is getting a good leak-proof cover - plastic pants were about all that was available back in the old days so we went without as often as possible. I think your hot/hot cycle by itself is fine especially if you have rinsed the soil into the toilet immediately - usually a cold cycle is to save energy and my opinion about cloth diapers is that a hot wash makes for more sanitary conditions for the wee one's underside. My only recommendations would be to take care in what detergent and/or fabric softeners that you use and perhaps try out some natural alternatives to the commercial brands (check out soap nuts online) that contain no heavy metals, phosphates, fragrances, etc. These ingredients (pollutants) can cause severe skin irritations as well because the skin is the largest organ of both absorption and elimination. You may want to do the hot/hot cycle with detergent and then do a rinse only to get out the leftovers.
I dont have that specific washing machine but on my front load washer (LOVE LOVE it! it's my second front load washer) I would wash it cold to hot (mine has a stain-something cycle which basically starts out with cold water and gradually heats up the water but it takes 2 hrs instead of 1 hr to wash. And in AZ, all my water is hot anyhow! I dont typically use this cycle but do love using the pre-wash option. I find that I have to use powdered for the main wash with using the pre-wash option as liquid will seep in with the pre-wash leaving none for the main wash.)
If you have particularly poopy/stainy diapers, then I would wash with cooler rather than hot water. My husband swears by Tide (he brings home manure covered coveralls). Even so, there still are stains that slip through. The most important things in preventing stains is to NOT dry it without having washed the stain out completely first as the heat sets the stain.
For dirt/poop stains, washing with warm water is fine. For blood you soak first in COLD water, then wash in hot. Grease will not come out in cold water. Generally, for anything I think you are safest in starting with cold water (pre-wash or pre-soak is fine) then washing in warm/hot water.
We have an LG TROMM and I love it for the cloth diapers (fuzzy bunz for the first and bum genius for the second!) There is a custom setting on ours that we set for the pre wash, which we have set to cold and I think for like 8 minutes I use just a tiny bit of laundry detergent then, no spin by the way since it is going to be rewashed.... after that we set the washer for perm. press which I think is a hot wash cold rinse setting with an extra rinse and add a little more detergent and let it fly. I would be careful with the steam it might not get them as clean as a water type wash might. not sure what detergent you are using or what diapers but if you have any other questions let me know! We are a cloth diaper family with both our children so I it is second nature around here!
Congrats on the move to cloth!
Congratulations on choosing cloth. I used them for my boys now 30 and 18 but i am also taking care of my grandson and at my house he only uses cloth. i dont have a fancy washer just the old fashioned kind so this is what I do. i keep a diaper pail full of warm water in the shower. i fill it up with warm water with a mild soap like dreft and leave it in all day. when i use a pee diaper I just drop it in the bucket. If i have a BM diaper i rinse it off in the toilet and drop it in the bucket. in the evening after he has gone home I put the diapers in the washing machine and let them presoak in hot water with about a quarter cup of regular laundry soap. i let them soak until after dinner and then just wash them in the normal cycle on my machine which i put on hot/warm. I put them in the dryer as usual and fold them up right before I go to bed.I dontuse any fabric softner becasue i found that it makes them less absorbent. the baby has not had any problems with the diapers. the only time he has ever had diaper rash is theis summer when he spent two weeks with hsi parents while they were on vacation and he used disposable diapers.It also depends on what kind of diapers you are using. I have some that are very thin and large those i hang outside to dry becaue the dryer will shrink them but the ones that hae the paddingin the middle i jst throw in the dryer. I never really follow the manufactureres suggestions anyway. but as long as they are clean they should be ok no matter what wash cycle you use.
lately the story is to wash everything in cold water to help the environment (lower green house emissions)...
Hello, N.
There is a cold/cold start with that till first rinse and shorten the time. Then stop and reset to hot works great, just shorten the times.
Hope this helps,
R.- my granddaughter is a N. S also
I used cloth diapers on both of my kids. I didn't do a cold and hot wash though. I did however soak my diapers in water with Vinegar first and then washed them in HOT water. They were always fine.
I don't have that type of washer, but I've cloth diapered three. In general, washing advice is a guideline, but you will be fine however you wash them. Just experiment. I don't always do mine on hot. Sometimes just warm and for a young baby, sometimes even cold does fine. As they get older, going hot is more important. Anyway, don't sweat it too much. Just see what works. If something is a complete failure, just run the load again! It's nothing compared to how much water it takes to make and bleach disposable diapers. Great job and thanks for making such a financially and environmentally responsible choice!
Is there a "prewash" cycle you can do on cold?
t
