If I knew what I know now... One Year of Fluff

Well I know lots of you reading this are new to cloth diapers and to you I would like to say Welcome! It has been one year since I started cloth diapering and I have learnt so much in that year. This is a bit of an if I knew what I know now type of post. These are some of the things I wish someone would have told me when I started out with cloth diapers.

First off, regardless of what you read on blogs, forums and manufacturer websites the detergent you use isn't going to make your diapers blow up into a fiery inferno. You can use what ever detergent you want to on your diapers as long as 1. your baby is not sensitive to it and 2. you are comfortable using it. While some detergents void some diaper warranties and there are many detergents with less than favourable ingredients the choice is yours. If you are using the right amount and in the right way you shouldn't have issues. Some ingredients are best avoided because they are proven to cause issues like brighteners and softeners but even so it is your personal choice. You need to be happy with the results and feel good about using it. I tried many detergents and I always make suggestions based on what my experience has shown me. I prefer natural detergents to chemical ones even if I have to source it and order it but that is my choice for my family.

Secondly, KEEP IT SIMPLE. An over complicated routine with baking soda, vinegar, bleach, oxyclean is a sure way to get in trouble. You shouldn't need any additives if you use the right detergent and have the right routine. I find that a warm rinse, a hot wash with my detergent and a cold rinse to end is all I need to keep things going. Some moms have such over complicated routines it makes my head hurt. If you use baking soda in your pre-wash, detergent and oxyclean in your main wash and then vinegar in your rinse at the end how do you know where the problem is when it arises? If your detergent alone isn't cutting it maybe you need another detergent. This being said many with hard water find that adding calgon to help soften the water is needed and that is ok. Or if you use mainly cotton and find that it is really stiff after you dry it a touch of vinegar in the last rinse is again no biggie.

Third, Please don't reach for the additives the moment you have an issue.  Really, DON'T. 99% of the time a small tweak in your wash is all that is need. You have stains... sun them before you reach for the oxy. If your overnight diapers are a bit stinky... rinse them in plain warm water before you  throw them in your pail before you think Bac Out, not totally clean diapers after the wash.... try warm rinses first. This list can go on and on but you get the point. RLR, Dawn, Vinegar and baking soda all have their place in the cloth world but not as a regular part of a routine.

Fourth, If you need to strip your diapers start with hot water washes. You don't need RLR, Dawn or whatever else people may tell you. Again these things have their place. RLR, great for removing hard water mineral deposits, don't need it to strip soap build up. Dawn, amazing if you get a non cloth safe diaper cream on your diapers, again don't need it to strip. Stripping is removing built up residues from diaper fibres so why add things in if you are trying to work them out?

Five, if you have to strip on a regular schedule there is a problem. I have not had to strip for anything other than new to me diapers or when I switched detergents. If you are stripping frequently maybe you aren't using the right detergent or the right amount.

Finally number six, diaper laundry is really just laundry so don't over think it.

In the last year I have run into issues twice. Once during my cold water experiment but as soon as I switched back to hot washes it was all good. Second more recent when I realised that I wasn't drying my prefolds thoroughly enough and they were getting a musty icky smell as a result. I was washing them and the doing one cycle in the dryer then hanging them on the line. Well my clothes rack was in the basement where there must be more humidity and less air circulation than the rest of the house. As soon as I moved the rack upstairs problem solve. So in a year no real issues, and I don't use Tide, bleach, BacOut, Dawn, RLR or anything special. Just me and my washer and the detergent. That's it.

I would like to close by saying a big thank you to all the wonderful and amazing women I met through cloth diapering in the last year. You ladies are truly an awesome bunch!

Happy Fluffy Journeys.