Your diaper laundry is probably some of the easiest laundry you can do. If you have any further questions after reading through this prep list, please feel free to contact us for more help. Please remember that washed or used diapers cannot be returned or exchanged for health and sanitation reasons, so please make sure that you have the right size diaper or cover for your baby before washing anything. Use a washcloth or a towel in the diaper before you try them on your baby. Please see our return policy before sending a return.

Click here for a printable PDF version of this washing guide. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to open the document.


Getting Your Diapers, Inserts and Wraps for Their First Use:
(Please note that everything except new hemp can be washed together. If you have several types of diapers, there is no need to wash everything separately)

Prefold Diapers must be washed in hot water and dried on high heat several times before first use. The washing strips away the natural oils as well as shrink up the fabric. Unbleached/natural pre-folds will need to be washed 4 to 6 times before you first use them due to the natural oils present in the fibers. To check to see if your diapers are prepped enough, pour a small amount of water onto the diaper. If it soaks in right away, the diapers are ready to use. If the water beads up or stands on top before absorbing into the fibers, the diapers should be washed some more. The diapers will more than double in their fluffiness - they will not stay as flat as they are when they are first shipped to you.

Fitted Diapers should be washed at least twice before you first use them. They may be washed with other diapers and dried on medium or high heat. These diapers will shrink a little bit but you should still try them on your baby before washing them. *HEMP diapers should be washed separately from pocket diapers for the first several washes. This will prevent the natural oils in hemp from building up on the fleece or suede-cloth in the pocket diapers, which will cause repelling and compromise the absorbency of the fabrics.

Pocket Type Diapers should be washed and dried on warm or hot once before using. This will seals holes from production in the PUL (waterproof outer layer). Always remove all of the inserts from the pockets before washing - you will have to re-stuff them after your drying cycle before you use them again. Before washing and drying your pocket diapers, make sure you try them on your baby to ensure that you have the proper size.

One Size Pocket Diapers should be washed in any temperature water and dried in the dryer before using. If you want, you can also line dry your diapers. This will help them last longer.

Plushies microfiber inserts and any other type of diaper doublers should be washed and dried once on high heat before using. Inserts and Doublers can be washed with your first washing, as well as subsequent washings.

Hemp or Bamboo Inserts (any kind, any brand) will have to be washed a minimum of 5 or 6 times before you use them. To be "fully primed" they will require 8 to 10 washings. Do not wash any of your new hemp products with any fleece products. The hemp can leave an oily residue on your fleece which will cause moisture to repel and your fleece lined diapers will begin to leak.

Waterproof Diaper Wraps, Waterproof Diaper Pants or any other type of waterproof PUL type diaper cover should be washed and dried one time on hot to seal any holes left from construction. Covers can be washed with your diapers.

Overnight Woolen Soakers or Wraps or any brand or variety should ALWAYS be hand washed, wrung out or rolled in a towel, and hung to dry. Use a lanolin based soap to clean and rejuvenate the lanolin in the wool. Make sure that you NEVER dry wool in the dryer as the fibers will felt and the product will drastically shrink in size. Remember, woolen soakers are not meant to be waterproof but due to the ability of wool to absorb 3 times its weight in moisture, and its natural ability to neutralize the odors of urine, it's a perfect night time diaper cover that will keep your baby's bum warm, while wicking more moisture away from delicate skin.

So, now that you have everything washed and ready to use, the question you might be asking is "How do I keep all of this fluffy good stuff clean"? The following recommendation is a sample washing routine. Feel free to use it and change or adapt it to suit your schedule and personal washing style. Just remember to never use bleach, any type of fabric softener, or detergents that contain natural based oils or whitening agents and your cloth diapering washing experiences should be fret and trouble free.

Typical Wash Regimen:
When you remove the soiled diaper from your baby, shake any solid poops into the toilet. If you're using disposable diaper liners, take note that you can use one liner a total of 3 or 4 times before you will have to just throw them away. This makes a roll of 100 very economical indeed! Diaper sprayers that hook up to the plumbing of your toilet are very handy for remove poops too. You usually don't have to use a sprayer if you are using disposable diaper liners. After the solids have been removed from the diaper, simply toss the diaper (and the liner!) into your diaper pail (see the insert on Diaper Pail Methods for more information on keeping a pail). Diapers that are wet from urine with no #2 business can go straight into the pail.

On wash day, this is what you should plan on doing:

1. Take all of the dirty diapers, liners, wipes & washies, and diaper wraps to the washing machine. Put enough diapers in the tub to make a full load. Make sure that you separate your inserts out of any pocket diapers before you wash or the inserts will not get completely clean!
2. Set the machine for a cold water, rinse-only cycle, or a cold-water wash cycle and let it run through. This cold water soak will keep most of the stains from setting into the fabrics.
3. For your actual wash cycle, wash in any temperature water with about 1/4 cup of detergent - use more or less depending on whether your water is hard or soft. Little Pea Pods recommends using either Tide Free or Cheer Free detergents, which are available at any convenience or grocery store. These soaps do not have any additives or perfumes that will irritate your baby's tender skin and are very effective at thoroughly cleaning. Do not use any detergents containing whitening agents or oils and never use bleach on your diapers as it will damage the waterproof linings.
4. Pre-fold diapers can be dried on high heat. Pocket diapers should be dried on medium or high heat for about 15 minutes, or hung to dry. All-in-One type diapers can be dried on high heat but it is best to dry them on medium heat instead.

You see, that's all there is to it - getting all of your new diapers ready for your baby to use couldn't be any easier. Pre-washing is the bulk of all the work. You should really plan on doing a load of diapers every two to three days, or as often as you need.