This is all the instruction you really need:

• Store diapers in a dry pail
• Rinse on cold
• Wash with 1/2 usual detergent, any temperature (note: if using Charlie’s Soap, please use 1 tbs)
• No bleach or fabric softeners
• Optional extra rinse
• Dryer or clothes line

But I’ll get more detailed!

Simplicity is best.
Start with the basics and only add things if you have problems that need to be solved. These “how to wash cloth diapers” pages tend to get so long not because it’s complicated, but because there’s nothing else we wash as frequently or ask to work as hard as diapers. Much of this is convincing people not to use too much extra stuff.

Pail
Past generations soaked their diapers in a “wet pail” – a pail full of water and washing soda. That is no longer recommended. Mainly because you’re soaking your diapers in sewage. Eew.

Back then, their washing machines couldn’t handle what ours can. So they did the rinsing in the toilet (no thank you!) They were putting much less waste in that soak water. And back then, the diapers were thin and flat and a wash got it thoroughly clean. Most of us have opted for the designs that have many layers sewn together. Harder to clean thoroughly if saturated with stinky water. They also didn’t use synthetic blends like we do now, which are more likely to hold onto odors that have been soaked in.Besides, a pail full of dirty stinking water is hard to carry, a hazard to children, and you don’t need the hassle. Keep them dry, allow them to breathe, and save the water for the washing machine.

Odors
I think the key to a pail that doesn’t make a stink is a roll of flushable liners! Wastes are flushed and don’t make it into the pail. I recommend them – they eliminate having to deal with much solid waste, either in the pail or the wash.

After years of diapering, I seldom felt the need for a deo-disk, baking soda, essential oils, or anything else in my pail. Not that it doesn’t stink. But only when I open it. Urine seems to be the stronger smell – much like ammonia, and stronger the longer it’s in the pail. But I found that once that happened, the pail was full and it was time to wash. If you do feel that you need to do something about odor, Lysol sprayed on the inside of the lid (not on the diapers) seems to work the best. Or a stick-up. Not very glamorous, I know. If you want to use something more natural, essential oils sprinkled in there worked pretty well, too.

Normal Washing Routine

• Empty your diapers into your washer. Start with a cold rinse cycle. This is the rinsing our mothers did by hand in the toilet. Let the machine do it! (See bottom of page if you have a front-loading washer.)
• Start simple. The only thing you should use at first is detergent and plenty of water. At least 1/2 as much detergent as you would normally use (unless it’s Charlie’s Soap, then use 1 tbs) Detergent choice is VERY important. More about this later.
• YOU CAN WASH DIAPERS IN COLD WATER. I’ve heard people speak of diapers being “sterilized”. Perhaps this is a leftover from diaper services, where a diaper would be used by one child and delivered to another. As my pediatrician said: “Perhaps it’s necessary, if you’re going to serve dinner on them”. Personally I only use hot water if my child had a stomach bug or I’m doing one of my occasional oxygen bleach treatments. It’s a personal choice – you certainly MAY, but don’t feel that there’s some reason that you HAVE to wash in hot water. My cold-water washes may be one reason my diapers and covers made it through two children while I see some of my local customers’ diapers looking worn out after one child.
• After the main wash, most people do a second rinse. It depends on how effective your washer was with the first one. It’s just so imperative that ALL of the detergent is completely rinsed out. Detergent residue can cause a lot of problems, including weird odors and rashes. I’d always go for running more plain, clear water through diapers over more, better, or different laundry aids. With diapers, less is more. Most odor problems (like an ammonia smell after baby wets) and rashes are from detergent residue, and the solution is either less detergent, a different detergent, or better rinsing.
• Everything can go in the dryer. It’s true that pocket diapers and covers will last longer if you take them out and air dry them, but if you do toss them into the dryer, you aren’t going to ruin them in the short run.

Front Loaders
The same people who cloth diaper are the people who care enough to save water when laundering. So I know a lot of you have front-loading high efficiency washing machines. Some people report no problems washing diapers in these, but some people do. I think the key is using more water when you’re washing diapers. Prewash or run a rinse cycle. Then use two short wash cycles rather than one long one so you get fresh clean water in. You’re still using less water than those of us with traditional machines. It’s also easier to use too much detergent in a front loader than traditional. And you know that initial rinse I recommend to get rid of waste? Front loaders don’t allow as much water to flow around the diapers, and rinsing that much solid waste may be asking too much. I strongly recommend flushable liners to cut down on the amount of waste that goes into a front loading washer.

See “Choosing a Detergent” to read important information about how detergent choice can affect your diapers.