Washing cloth nappies is easy! It's nothing to be afraid of and it is certainly no where near as difficult or time consuming as you may think. Basically, if you can wash your own clothes, you can wash your baby's nappies.

Storing soiled nappies.

You will need to store the soiled nappies until wash day. It is best to use a nappy bucket or similar container with a lid. One bucket is quite sufficient for both soiled and wet nappies - although you can keep the separated in different buckets if you wish there really is no need to do so. Keeping a smaller bucket in your nappy change area is helpful if your laundry is in another part of the house, as you can store the soiled nappies there until the end of the day instead of having to make numerous trips.

There are two ways to store your nappies - the dry method and the wet method.

Dry Method: The dry method is probably the easiest method to use. After tipping any solids into the toilet, simply put wet and soiled nappies into the bucket until wash day. You can sprinkle some drops of tea tree, lavender essential oil or bi-carb of soda at the bottom of the bucket to reduce odours, but if you wash every second day odours really aren't a problem. You can put the nappies straight into the bucket, or line it with a nylon bag (like a sleeping bag cover) which can go in the wash with the nappies. If you wash less frequently than every second day, I recommend briefly rinsing each nappy before storing to help prevent staining, to reduce the ammonia which over time will deteriorate fabrics and to reduce odour.

When tipping solids into the toilet, some people will dunk the nappy in the water or hold the nappy tightly in one corner and flush it. Both of these ideas gross me out and I have never done it, if you feel the same way, there is a gadget many parents recommend (I don't use one personally) called a Little Squirt that is a hose that attaches to the tap in your toilet so you can squirt off solids.

Wet Method: Fill the bucket 1/2 to 3/4 full of cold water. You do not need to put anything in it, although if you want to do so you can add any one of the following:

Soiled nappies should have the solids tipped into the toilet and the nappy should be rinsed briefly under cold water before placing in the bucket. Wet nappies do not need rinsing if you are using the wet bucket method. It is best to change the water daily to avoid smells, prevent staining and preserve the fabric of the nappies.

WARNING! If you choose to use the wet bucket method it is essential that the nappy bucket has a tight fitting lid and is kept in an area where your baby cannot access it (such as in the laundry sink). Babies have drowned in nappy buckets and this is the reason why I recommend the dry bucket method of storing soiled nappies. The other thing to consider if you are small or have any injuries is that a bucket full of water and nappies is heavy, so lifting it to the washing machine can be dangerous.

If you prefer to store your nappies in water until wash day, you can use your washing machine as a safer and easier alternative. Simply fill the machine to the desired level with cold water, fill it up with nappies and keep the lid closed to reduce smell. Its easy to empty and refill the water daily (although you will obviously use more water), If you need to use the washing machine before washing the nappies, you can spin the water out and transfer the nappies to a nylon tote bag or plastic washing basket.

A word on Nappy Sanitizing agents.

You do not need to use chemical nappy sanitizing agents or chemical bleaches. If you do use them it is important to follow the minimum soak time recommended on the package, as these products damage the natural fibres in cloth nappies. Bleaches, especially chlorine bleach should not be used on nappies. If you do use nappy sanitizes to soak your nappies, you do not need to use detergent during the wash cycle - doing so is likely to cause a build up on the nappies that may cause a rash on your baby.

Washing Cloth Nappies

On wash day, simply tip the nappies, liners and wipes into the washing machine - its best to wash a maximum of 24 nappies in one full load so that they can move around as much as possible and get thoroughly clean. If any are still folded, open them up a bit so they unfold in the wash.

Run a short rinse cycle with cold water. Although you can skip this step and only do one full wash cycle, the cold water is important to remove and prevent stains from setting.

Add ¼ to ½ of the recommended dose of your normal washing detergent (low allergy and low phosphate detergents are good) or natural soap flakes (such as LUX flakes). Wash on warm for one full cycle. A ¼ to ½ a cup of distilled white vinegar can be added to the final rinse to help soften the fabric. DO NOT add fabric softeners as this will reduce the absorbency of the nappies. If your baby is very sensitive to the perfumes and ingredients in soap or detergent, a second rinse cycle will remove any residue left on the nappies.

You could was with cold water only, although warm (50-60C) water should be used during times of illness, after vaccinations, during thrush/yeast infection, for little babies and if the nappies are used on more than one baby.

A word on soaps and detergents

Natural soap may be gentler on babies and the environment than normal detergents, but in some areas with hard water soap can form a scum on nappies that reduces absorbency and can make them grey looking. If you live in an area with soft water, soap is likely to work better for you, although a build up of residue can still occur over time. If you are having problems with soap (and you are not using too much in each wash), try changing to a detergent low or free of phosphates, dyes, perfumes, whiteners and fabric softeners.

A word on Vinegar

Distilled white vinegar is useful for washing cloth nappies, although it does have disadvantages for some people (which is why some people love it and others hate it). It is beneficial in that it removes soap and detergent build up, helps prevent stains from setting, neutralizes urine and balances the pH level and it is a natural fabric softener. However, in some areas, vinegar can react with the water condition and the minerals in the water to make nappies smelly. If you are not storing soiled nappies too long, you are not using too much detergent and you are double rinsing your nappies and they still smell, try washing without the vinegar for several washes to determine if vinegar is the culprit. On the other hand, if you have smelly nappies and you aren't using vinegar - give it a try because it might be the answer you need!

Drying Nappies

Most cloth nappies can be tumble dried, although check the manufacturers instructions first. Long term tumble drying may reduce the durability of the fabric, but many people only tumble dry their nappies for ten minutes after line drying to fluff them up and soften them.

Line drying in the sun is the best method to use if you can as the sun will naturally deodorise, bleach and sanitise the nappies.

Washing Nappy Covers

The manufacturer's instructions should be strictly followed when it comes to covers as washing or drying the wrong way is likely to affect the waterproofing of the cover. To get maximum life from any nappy cover it is best to hand or gentle machine wash and air dry. The only type of nappy cover fabric that should be tumble dried regularly is autoclavable PUL as the fabric is specifically designed to withstand high temperatures. If you have nappy covers that have Velcro type hook tape without fold-over laundry tabs, it is best to wash them separately as the hook tape can damage the fibres in your other nappy covers.

If you do need to tumble dry your covers, dry them on warm, not hot for only ten minutes.

Nylon or PUL nappy covers that are just wet can be rinsed with clear water, hung to air dry and run through a gentle machine wash once a week or so unless they are smelly. Covers that are soiled can be soaked for a short period of time before washing in the machine, but don't soak polar fleece in poopy water as it will most likely absorb the odour.

Polar Fleece covers are generally easy to care for, simply machine wash on a gentle cycle. A small amount of detergent or natural soap will usually work well - fleece covers are very leak resistant, so if you have problems try changing the washing agent that you are using.

Wool covers can apparently be used for several weeks before they need washing as long as they are not soiled (I have no personal experience with wool covers as all three of my children are allergic too it, however I think I would prefer to wash them once a week at least). Most wool covers require hand washing and air drying only, and they do need to be re-treated with lanolin usually once a month. You can do this by dissolving a teaspoon of lanolin in hot water, then when it has cooled, soak the nappy cover for 15-20 minutes in the solution.

Wool covers are best dried by rolling in a towel to remove excess water or spin dried in the machine, then either laid flat or hung to air dry completely.

If you use PVC or plastic nappy covers they should be hand washed only as machine washing and tumble drying will make them harden and crack easily.