Laundry Instructions by Brand

Bummis Covers

Diaper covers can be re-used until soiled or smelly. Simply rinse off any urine residue and air dry in between uses - or simply wipe clean if using the Super Brite. Rotate your covers after each change. Please check the care instructions on the label of your cover.

The following products can be washed along with your cloth diapers in hot or warm water and dried at a regular setting in the dryer (do not over dry.) Though these products hold up very well in the dryer, we encourage line drying as the most environmental choice in caring for your diaper covers.

These are the washing directions for:

Super Whisper Wrap
Super Snap
Super Brite

The following products should be washed in lukewarm water and hung to dry or air dried at a low setting in the dryer:

Swimmi

Always close the hook and loop closures before washing. Don’t use bleach or whitening agents. They will breakdown the fibers of your diapers and covers and are also very harsh on your baby’s skin and the environment.

Never soak your covers! This will interfere with their waterproof qualities.

Bummis Cloth Diapers

Bummis’ Very Simple Method For Washing Cloth Diapers

1. A note about washing machines

Top loaders are great for washing cloth diapers!

High efficiency front loading machines are great because they don’t use much water, but they can cause a big problem because of that too. Not using enough water to wash and rinse your diapers can cause serious residue problems. Please see our info sheet on residues for further information.

Set your machine manually to maximum water level to wash your diapers. If this is impossible, call the manufacturer and ask them how to adjust your water level manually. If it is still impossible, use the wet towel trick! Reduce the number of diapers per load and add a wet towel or two to trick the machine into adding more water.

Multiple rinses are not necessary if you are using enough water to wash and rinse your diapers clean.

2. Before You Start Using Your Diapers – Very Important!

Wash diapers in hot water with a small amount of zero residue detergent before first use in order to make them absorbent. If your diapers are made of unbleached cotton, bamboo or hemp, you will need to wash and dry them at least three times to remove natural oils and waxes that will inhibit absorption.

Test your diapers for absorbency before you use them! If your diapers are made of natural fabrics, you can test their absorbency by pouring a small amount of warm water onto the fabric. It should be absorbed immediately. If your diapers have any sort of ‘stay dry’ synthetic layer, you will have to apply light pressure before liquid absorbs. If the water beads on your diapers, they are not ready to use! If your cotton diapers do not absorb properly after 3 washes and your synthetic diapers after 1 wash, please refer back to the previous “note about washing machines”, as you probably need to increase the water level in your washing machine.

Please check the washing instructions for the specific product you have purchased as they may be different!

3. What To Do With Dirty Diapers

Remove diaper and diaper cover from baby. Flush away flushable liner or shake off excess poop into the toilet.  If your baby is exclusively breastfed, there is no need to shake excess poop into the toilet as it will wash out easily.

Unfold your diapers to ensure thorough cleaning and remove liners or inserts.  Secure velcro type tabs by sticking them to the fold back tabs (on the inside back of the diaper cover or diaper).

Put wet or soiled diapers in a pail or a hanging diaper bag. Dirty diaper covers can be stored with your dirty diapers (never soak them!). Wash every 2-3 days. Polyester diaper covers can be washed with your diapers; nylon and wool diaper covers should be washed separately.

4. Washing Diapers

• First run a cold pre-wash (or a short cycle with no detergent).

• Then do a regular wash in hot water (60C/140F max) Do not use a sanitize cycle on any products with velcro type closures or elastic.  See detergent information below please!

• Rinse diapers in lots of water to avoid build-up of detergent, bacteria and urine.

• Dry in the dryer or outside on a clothesline (check the label of your product, as some products should only be hung to dry). Sunlight is a natural brightener and disinfectant!

• Once washed, your diapers should not smell like urine or detergent! If they do, chances are you have a residue problem. Please see our info sheet on residues!

5. Detergent

We recommend using a zero residue detergent! If you have a top loader, you can use the full recommended amount of a zero residue detergent. If you have a front loader or HE machine, stick to the lower end of the recommended amount of detergent.

If you are using anything other than a zero residue detergent, use maximum half of what the detergent package tells you to use and one quarter of the recommended amount if you have a front loader or HE machine.

Choose a detergent that does not contain any of the following additives, as they can create residue problems. Detergent residue will lead to leaking, absorbency issues and stinky covers.

• Fabric softeners

• Natural oils

• Perfumes

• Dyes

• UV brighteners

• Stain guard ingredients

• Enzymes (they will not affect performance, but may cause rashes on some babies’ skin)

Please be cautious about using vinegar and/or baking soda, as they can together or individually cause problems with some diapering products. We recommend that you do not use either of these unless specifically suggested by the manufacturer of your diaper or diaper cover. 

We recommend the following washing products:

• Sensi-Clean and Sport-Wash

• Charlie’s Soap

• Country Save

• Allen’s Naturally

• Mountain Green Baby Free & Clear*

• Seventh Generation Delicate Care*

• Nature Clean Powder or Liquid*

• Claudia’s Choices*

• Wonder Wash

A bleach alternative can be used on an occasional basis for stain removal. It should contain no ingredients beyond sodium carbonate or sodium percarbonate.

We recommend the following bleach alternatives:

• Oxy-Boost Oxygen Bleach

• Nature Clean Oxygen Bleach

• BioVert Oxygen Bleach

 BumGenius Products

• For bumGenius products:
  
  1. Wash once in cold water with no more than 1/4 (high efficiency machines) to 1/2 (top loading, regular machines) of the detergent's recommended amount per load.
  2. Wash once in hot (up to 120 degrees) water with no more than 1/4 (high efficiency machines) to 1/2 (top loading, regular machines) of the detergent's recommened amount per load. Optionally (and only occasionally), add 1/4 cup of bleach to this cycle.
  3. Add an extra rinse to remove any lingering detergent in the diapers.
  4. Line dry. bumGenius 3.0 One-Size Cloth Diapers will line dry quickly. For any product made with organic cotton, tumble dry briefly to soften and then finish the drying process on the line. bumGenius AIOs will dry quickly on the line if you turn them inside out.
  5. IMPORTANT NOTE: To preserve your hook and loop closures, we suggest washing bumGenius products separately from heavy cotton or hemp diapers (like prefolds or cotton fitteds).
• What detergent can I use?
  You should only use detergents that are free of dyes, enzymes, perfumes, whiteners and brighteners. Using detergents containing these ingredients will cause damage to your diaper including elastic failure and leaking.
• What should I avoid?
  Do not use extra additives in your wash (like baking soda or vinegar). These ingredients are unnecessary and will cause problems in your diapers. Do not use fabric softeners. Do not boil your diapers.

Econobum

Flip Products

Happy Heiny One Size

Store wet and dirty diapers in a dry pail. Older babies? solid waste can be removed by gently shaking the diaper over a toilet. The fleece will release solids easily ? there is no need to rinse them before washing.

Washing instructions for pocket diapers and trainers:

• Remove the inserts
• Cold Soak for 10-20 minutes depending on the level of dirt
• Wash on hot with slightly less than 1/4 cup of detergent
• You can add a downy ball of vinegar to the wash if the diapers have a heavy urine scent. I recommend a downy ball because it releases the vinegar at the right time - no need to wait by the machine.
• Rinse well to ensure all detergent is removed from diapers.
• Dry on warm. The warm of the dryer will keep your Happy Heiny functioning like new. We personally dry our PUL products on warm and although we have had prolonged use with these products we have not noticed any break down of our PUL.
• DO NOT use SANITARY CYCLE. Use of the sanitary cycle can cause melting of elastics, Aplix, snaps, and it can make the waterproof layer no longer water proof. Use of sanitary cycle will void all warrenties.

How can I get my Aplix tabs to fasten as firmly as they used to?

Easy! By washing your diaper and then drying it in the dryer, the heat will cause the Aplix to recontract and fasten more firmly again.
If by chance this does not work you can always send the diaper into Happy Heinys and we can add snaps to the aplix for you for a stronger hold.

Washing Hemp

All Hemp products should be washed separate from other diapers.  Hemp contains natural oils that could effect your other diapers. 

Wash hemp products 2-3 times with separate if you have enough to do.  Or you can wash your hemp products with your clothes just make sure to use the same detergent you will be using with your diapers. 

You can also boil your hemp but do not leave it unattended because of the oils.  Boil for about 15-20 minutes.

After the initial washing, you can wash your hemp with your other diapers.

Washing Tiny Tush Pocket Diapers

To Ensure Complete Cleaning of Your Tiny Tush Pocket diapers

• Wash Tiny Tush pocket diapers using the highest water levels in your washer. For a normal size washer you will probably be able to wash 24 to 30 diapers on the highest water level. It is important that the washer is not overloaded and the diapers will be able to circulate normally throughout the wash and rinse cycles.
• You may wash Tiny Tush pocket diapers in any water temperature. Normally washing on warm and rinsing on cold will achieve the best results.
• DO NOT use the sanitize wash cycle on Tiny Tush pocket diapers as it will prematurely break down the water resistant coating.
• Use ¼ - 1/3 of the recommended amount of detergent. Using to much detergent produces buildup which is the single most common cause of most odor and leaking problems. Buildup can also cause rashes.
• Avoid using detergents with perfumes, dyes and fillers. Detergents with perfumes, dyes and fillers can create a buildup on the fleece causing leaks.
• Effective detergents for washing Tiny Tush pocket diapers are Charlie�s Soap, Sensi-clean, Allen�s Naturally, Planet 2X Ultra Laundry Detergent Standard and HE, Planet Ultra Powder Laundry Detergent Standard and HE compatible, Planet Ultra Liquid Laundry Detergent, Mountain Green Free and Clear Baby Standard and HE, Nellie's All Natural Laundry Soda Standard and HE, Purex Free & Clear, and Country Save and plain Arm and Hammer WASHING Soda.
• If your Tiny Tush pocket diapers smell bad or smell like detergent - wash them again with less detergent and more water.
• Dry Tiny Tush pocket diapers on tumble dry medium/low heat or hang dry. Do not dry clean or use bleach. Allow the pocket diapers to completely cool prior to stuffing and using.

Any detergent residue will affect the performance of any diaper products!

If you need to repair your diapers from coating/residue repeat the following process twice:

• Turn your pocket diapers inside out.
• Wash using hot water with 1 Tbs. of Dawn dish soap* (original blue formula), ½ cup baking soda and ½ cup vinegar. In the wash allow to soak for 10-15 minutes.
• Add ½ cup vinegar again in first rinse cycle. Use plain water in the second rinse cycle.
• Run a second wash using only hot water. If you would like to omit Dawn dish soap you will need to repeat this process twice.

* Use only approved detergents for your laundry machine.

Please note... we do not recommend using vinegar in your normal wash routine for pocket diapers. Occasionally you can use ½ cup of vinegar to the first rinse cycle in order to remove any residual detergent. This deodorizes, sanitizes and brightens. Your diapers may become smelly if it is overused or use in final rinse!

Do not use fabric softeners as they usually leave an oil coating on clothes. This will coat the fleece causing leaks. If dryer sheets are used in your dryer for other laundry, they will coat the inside of your dryer and your diapers.

Other tips:

Do not use the sanitize wash cycle on PUL items as it will prematurely break down!

When choosing an insert for your pocket diaper you will want to allow ½ inch on both sides so the insert can lie inside properly preventing leaks.

Avoid using diaper creams. If you find that you need to use a diaper cream you should use a barrier such as disposable diaper liners to prevent staining of the diapers..