We use a "Bulky" setting for the wash cycle - it adds more water and a thorough soak at the beginning.
ANDROID USERS: Get a FREE App by Bummis called 'Wrap Up' to troubleshoot your laundry and diaper routine! Fantastic information! To summarize: Do not store soiled diapers in a humid environment, like
bathroom or basement; Wash diapers every 2-3 days; Wash 12-15 diapers at
a time; select the highest water level; wash in hot water; use the
recommended amount of a zero-residue detergent; Use the right amount of detergent based on your water type (More for Hard water, Less for Soft water)
Diaper Care from:
Recommended Care for Soakers and AIOs:
Dispose of solid waste in the toilet. Using a mini shower to rinse or flushable liners will help keep your hands clean!
Wash your diapers on warm with sufficient detergent. Recommended detergents can be found here
Tumble dry
Recommended Care for Shells:
Always tuck your tabs under the laundry tab loops on wash day
Wash on WARM (not hot or sanitize cyles)
Hang to dry. If drying outside, dry mesh side-up: Do not tumble dry
Stains! The simplest way to treat stains without chemicals is to expose them to UV rays by hanging the soakers in the sun right after they have come out of the wash, and before they are dried. Even if it is cold or overcast outside, placing soakers in indirect sunlight through a window will still significantly lighten stains. See more on sunning below.
Stinky diapers coming out of the wash! Add more detergent to your wash load and see if that doesn't help! Everyone's washing machine and hardness of water is different, so it is impossible to guarantee that every detergent manufacturer knows exactly how much you need individually, so don't be afraid to increase incrementally until you know your diapers are getting clean enough! Recommended detergents: www.gro-via.com/detergents.html
Stinky diapers as soon as they are wet! Try adding an extra rinse at the end of your wash cycle, Sometimes if detergent residue builds up in your soakers because your rinse cycle doesn't have enough water in the cycle then it will cause the diaper to smell after it has been wet. This combination of urine & detergent residue can also cause redness on the baby, so it is important to be sure you are getting enough of a rinse.
Stinky Hybrid Shells! Try separating your shells out from the soakers and storing them in a separate wetbag to keep them from absorbing the moisture and odors from within the wetbag. Also, try washing them with a traditional detergent in a regular load of laundry, but remember to hang them to dry! Also, hanging them in the sun, mesh side up should help too.
Can I PLEASE dry my Hybrid Shells in the dryer? It isn't recommended! If you look at your shell carefully you will see that there is only the mesh layer covering the elastic. This isn't enough to protect the elastic and keep the dryer's heat from literally cooking and melting your elastic. Additionally, our unique nylon loop does not like heat. They line dry in just an hour anyway!
Leaks! Are your diapers fully prepped? How frequently are you changing the diaper? Is it time to add more absorbency? Most often it's new diapers that are still getting the natural oils washed out that leak, it takes time but is worth it in the end! If your soaker is completely saturated and dripping wet when you get leaks then you need to either change more frequently or add a booster.
Using petroleum-based rash creams.There are many alternatives without zinc in them, and the petroleum bonds to your cotton and causes it to repel rather than absorb liquid.
Using detergents with plant oils in them, which can also bond to the fabrics and cause your diapers to repel. Recommended eco-friendly detergents: click here
Elaborate wash routines. Keep it simple. The more washes and rinses and spins done on your diapers the faster they will wear. Organic cotton is a wonderful material because very few babies have allergic reactions to our cottons and they are super soft. They are super soft, however, because they do not have finishes and additives that other synthetics help them hold together through lots of abuse. Love your cottons but don't wash them to pieces.
Skimping on diapers. If you want your GroVia system to last from infancy to potty training, you will need enough soakers and shells to rotate them adequately. 6 shells and 12 soakers might be enough to get you through a day and a load of laundry, but if you wash those soakers every single day they will show significant wear before baby is ready to potty train. We suggest a minimum of 24 soakers and 12-14 Shells for full time diapering, 36-50 if that full time diapering is needed for 2 or more years. A healthy stash keeps things working longer.
Recommended Diaper Detergents and Tips
Recommended Eco Detergents and Common Sense Laundry Tips!
*WE DO
NOT RECOMMEND SOAKING YOUR DIAPERS. Soaking in caustic detergent eats
away at natural fibers such as cotton, hemp, and bamboo.*
Recommended/Scent-Free Detergents:
Tiny Bubbles
Allen's
Country Save
All Free and Clear (military version)
Ecos Free and Clear
Tide Free
Sun Free and Clear
Trader Joes
There seems to be no ONE detergent that works for everyone. Different
water types, machines and diaper stashes means that you will get a
variety of recommendations for detergents. For eco-friendly and scent
detergent options see the above list. You can also go to just about any
store and buy their store brand of detergent, Tide, Purex, and Gain to
name a few. ALL will clean your diapers well. Just stay away from
detergents with lots of plant oils, fabric softeners or bleach.
There is a ridiculous amount of laundry information out there but
here are my top diaper laundering tips. No, these tips are not on our
care labels, but these are just good common sense rules of laundry:
1) KEEP IT SIMPLE
2) USE ENOUGH DETERGENT
3) WARM OR REG. HOT WASH + ONE EXTRA RINSE IS ENOUGH
4) IF YOU HAVE STINKY DIAPERS, THEY GENERALLY AREN'T GETTING CLEAN.
5) "STRIPPING" SHOULD BE NEEDED RARELY IF AT ALL. TWEAK YOUR DETERGENT
(SWITCH BRANDS OR INCREASE AMOUNTS) BEFORE THINKING YOU NEED TO STRIP
YOUR DIAPERS!
6) TO GET DIAPERS CLEAN YOU NEED:
-TO EXPOSE THEM TO THE PROPER CONCENTRATION OF DETERGENT FOR AT LEAST 45-50 MINUTES.
7) A VERY PERIODIC (every 4-6 weeks) BIT OF BLEACH (1/8c) or OXYCLEAN IS
NOT GOING TO "KILL" ANY DIAPER. JUST RINSE WELL SO IT DOESN'T EAT
FABRICS.
You have to remember, diapers are garments that get peed and pooped
in and need to get clean. You shouldn't need to baby them, but also know
that they (especially cotton ones) will wear out over time.
-Reprinted with permission from Gro-Via Everybody seems to have an opinion on which and how much detergent to use/not use. What are the rules?
Exclusively breastfed babies make a lovely water-soluble poop that simply washes away in the washer. Once you introduce solids, though, things change.You'll need to shake off the solids into the toilet before you put it into the dry pail. For the sticky ones, a toilet sprayer is helpful. Now that I've introduced solids to my baby, I SWEAR BY THE TOILET SPRAYER! (The toilet sprayers are also nice and gentle for post-partum cleansing, toilet bowl cleaning, and later - potty training bowl rinsing.)
If you choose a microfiber diaper, like FuzziBunz or Bum Genius, most solids simply fall into the toilet. If you go with cotton, like a prefold or GroVia , you can lay a biodegradable liner between the baby and the diaper. When baby poops, simply grab the ends of the liner, and plop into toilet to flush. Word of caution: know what kind of plumbing you have in your house before you flush anything besides the norm! For instance, we have a poop-mulcher/pump because our plumbing terminates in our basement, below the grade of the sewer pipe. Having already had to replace the $1700 pump once because a tampon was thrown down the toilet, I don't think that the bioliners will have enough time to biodegrade before they are chewed up and wedged in the pump (and I am not going to test my theory). Same goes for Septic systems. Caveat Emptor.
Definition: A washing and drying process that readies a naturally oily fiber, like cotton and hemp, to become fully absorbent. Prepping can be a pain, especially when you are excited to start using your diapers right away. But you only have to do it once and it makes all the difference in the world. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP! Cotton and Hemp are my favorite diapering materials - but they can be tricky in the beginning. The great thing about natural fibers is that you can beat them up in the washing process and they only get more absorbent and soft.
TRADITIONAL PREPPING:
Wash on Hot with normal amount of detergent. Rinse.
Dry on Med-Hi.
Repeat 5 times.
You may do this with other laundry, like towels, t-shirts, or sheets. Just don't prep with your other diapers or the oil from the new ones will coat the old ones and cause them all to repel.
Once prepped, all of your diapers can be laundered together from here on out.
Ready to Wash?
1) Grab your full diaper pail liner bag. Insert new one. 2) Drag bag to washing machine. Dump diapers in, toss in bag. 3) Set the wash for a Cold prewash/rinse cycle. No detergent. 4) When complete, set to 'Super Cycle' on Warm with the normal amount of detergent and double rinse. DO NOT use super duper HOT water on items that contain PUL or TPU (the waterproofing layer). Hot water will break down the fibers and cause tears, shrinkage, breaking. And will usually void the manufacturer's warranty. 5) Transfer to dryer on medium heat (be sure to read manufacturer's suggestions as well) or sun/line dry for extra energy savings and natural bleaching.
Removing Cloth Diaper Stains: SUN - click here for a longer explanation
Concerned about Bacteria?
Twice a month, whether we are cloth diapering or not, a good practice is to run a load of sheets, towels, shower curtains, etc with bleach or Hydrogen Peroxide (color-safe). This sanitizes the basin.
Stinky Diaper Pail?: Simply toss a cloth wipe (or torn piece of t-shirt) with a few drops of tea tree oil on it into your diaper pail and don't close the lid all the way. Wash with your diapers. Air circulation is your friend in the diaper pail.
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