My Obligatory Cloth Diaper Post: Part 3

Organization 

Being organized is the most important part of cloth diapering, in my opinion. If I weren't organized and didn't have an effective wash routine, it would be a lot more difficult, and I would be much more likely to reach for the disposables.

I bought a white bookcase from IKEA for $25 that I use to organize Rory's cloth diapers. It sits right next to her changing table, which makes it very easy to access her diapers and anything else that I may need when changing her.

There are 3 shelves. On the top shelf, I keep her diaper covers and all-in-ones. The second shelf houses the inserts, and I keep her liners and wipes on the bottom shelf. Since I usually change her on the floor, this set-up works best for me at the moment.

I keep her diaper cream, lotion, and grooming kit on top of the bookcase, since I often reach for these things during changing times. Her diaper pail and a bottle of Bacout are easily accessible on the other side of her changing table, and the smaller wetbag that I use to dispose of her wipes/liners hangs on the inside doorknob. Her room is quite small, so everything is relatively close and easy to reach. Her bedroom is right next to the bathroom, which is convenient for those times when I need to use the diaper sprayer.

My Wash Routine

I must have read at least 30 blogs and message boards before deciding on a wash routine, and my first time washing CD was still a disaster. (I ended up with diapers that still had poop on them!)

After doing some more reading, I figured out that my top-loader high efficiency washer wasn't using enough water to clean the CD, so I reworked my wash routine and I haven't had a problem since.

If you're still trying to figure out the best wash routine, don't give up. It's a frustrating process because there are so many factors to consider. It's all about trial and error and making adjustments until you get it right.

Many of the wash routines I read about online included up to 5 rinses per wash! I don't know about you, but one of the big reasons I am cloth diapering is to save money and to lessen my environmental impact. If I'm rinsing my diapers seven times per wash, I'm doing neither. Fortunately, I've discovered an effective wash routine that involves only two rinses.

My wash routine is as follows:

1 soak cycle with warm water
(No detergent, one scoop of Oxiclean Baby)

This helps remove any of the excess solids and the soak feature allows the Oxiclean Baby to work its magic. Also, the diapers become heavier after absorbing water from the soak cycle, which tricks my HE washer into using more water during the actual wash cycle. After this cycle is finished, I quickly look at each diaper, and if there are any stubborn stains, I rub my Buncha Farmers stain stick on the spots before beginning the wash cycle.

1 wash cycle set on "bulky" using hot water and 1 extra rinse
(With  Ecos Free and Clear detergent)

I  think it's important to use the hottest water possible at this point to kill any germs and remove as much ammonia as possible. I use the bulky setting because it uses more water and I turn the extra rinse on to make sure all of the detergent is removed.

So far, I haven't had any problems with staining or stink. I've been cloth diapering for almost two months now, and haven't felt the need to strip my diapers, but I do plan on ordering Rockin Green Funk Rock just in case I run into any ammonia problems.

I put all of my inserts in the dryer and hang dry anything with PUL. I wash my CD twice a week, but I don't have set wash days. I wash the diapers when there are about five clean diapers left. This ensures that there will be enough diapers for Rory to use while the others are washing/drying.