My new cloth nappies have just arrived - and they don't feel anything like I was expecting - why?

Every cloth nappy – no matter what type you choose – will need to be washed between three and five times before you can use it. This is because all manufacturers coat their threads with softeners, to make them feel better to the buyer. However, these softeners will reduce the absorbency of the nappy if not thoroughly removed. These washes will also bulk the nappy out. When you've finished, your washable nappies will feel more credible!

Am I going to need to be washing nappies every day?

You may not have to wash every day – depending on the number of cloth nappies and wraps you have. I had 18 nappies for each baby – which was enough to allow me to wash every other day if I felt like it. You don't have to have a clean wrap every time you change the nappy, either – only once every four or five changes, or if they get pooed on in between, so you won't have as many wraps to wash as cloth nappies.

How do you deal with the poo?

At each change, you flush any solid waste down the toilet. If you are using a flushable liner, then simply flush poo, liner and all. If any waste has clung to the nappy - or you are using a washable liner - you may have to sluice this, too – it's not as difficult or distasteful as it sounds! You simply grip firmly onto a corner of the nappy or liner and rinse it in the toilet as it's flushing. Incidentally, if your flushable liner is merely wet, you can wash it in the machine with your nappies – I find they last fine for three or four washes before developing holes. If your water pressure is insufficient, and the toilet sluicing trick doesn't work, then rig up a shower spray (either use your shower, or use a rubber spray attachment over your bath taps), and use this to shower poo off the nappy into a dedicated bucket. This is very easy and effective. You then simply put your rinsed nappy into your storage bucket, and flush away the contents of the sluicing bucket.

Do I have to soak my cloth nappies before I wash them?

No. If you prefer not to soak then it is perfectly hygienic to store the nappies dry, and a wash at 60°C will be more than enough to clean the nappies and destroy any germs. A good tip is to sprinkle your dirty nappies with some lavender oil too – this helps to mask any odours. I would suggest that you keep your dirty nappies in a bucket even if you're not soaking them - this will help discourage curious little fingers from poking around!

If I do soak my washable nappies, what should I soak them in?

Soaking is beneficial to cloth nappies, as the water dilutes the urine in the fabric, and therefore prolongs the life of the nappy. I put enough water in the bucket to cover the nappies, initially, and top it up as I add nappies – this minimises the amount of fluid swishing about, as each top-up is absorbed, and therefore, reduces the impact of accidents.

If desired, you can add to the water:
2-3 tbsp. white distilled vinegar OR
1tbsp. sodium bicarbonate OR
5 drops of tea tree oil, which has antibacterial and antifungal properties. We no longer recommend using vinegar or sodium bicarb with bamboo nappies, the fabric is more delicate than cotton and repeated use of these products may harm the bamboo fibres.

I prefer not to use cloth nappy sanitising powder as it tends to make velcro fastenings go stiff and scratchy. Sanitising powder also tends to damage the waterproof fabrics in the wraps.

Do I need to use anything special when I wash my cloth nappies?

No. When you come to wash the nappies, drain the water (if you've soaked them!), and put nappies into the machine on 60°C. Most wraps can also be washed at this temperature. Use a non-biological washing powder, and no fabric conditioner. Adding ½ to ¾ of a cup of white vinegar in the last rinse cycle will help keep cloth nappies soft, if you prefer - however we do not recommend doing this with bamboo nappies (see above).

If your nappies have aplix fastenings, please remember to close them before washing. This prolongs the life of the aplix and stops it getting stuck to everything else in the wash. Aplix wraps should be fastened and wshed inside out for best results.

What washing powder should I use for my washable nappies?

Because babies' bottoms are very sensitive, a non-biological powder is better than a biological. You can use any of the non-bio powders available in the supermarkets, or a 'deep green' powder such as Ecover, Bio D or Clear Springs which are often available in health food shops. Whatever you use, you will only need about 1 tablespoon of powder/liquid - a minute amount, compared to the manufacturer's recommendations! This is for two reasons: first, it is mostly the temperature of the water which kills any bacteria present in the cloth nappies, not detergent, so there is no particular need for lots of detergent; secondly, it is critical that there should not be any detergent residue left in the cloth nappy, as this will redissolve on contact with wee, and will act harshly on your baby's skin to produce a characteristic detergent rash (wide-spread, distinct red spots all over the nappy area). The best way to prevent this is to use very little detergent in the first place, and do an extra rinse at the end of your wash cycle to check all detergent is out of the cloth nappy. If you are experiencing staining with your nappies, then a product called Nappy Fresh - again available from good health food shops - is an excellent remedy.

You can also wash your nappies using Soap Nuts or Eco Balls.

How can I dry my cloth nappies?

The nappies are all very versatile - you can dry them either on the line, in a tumble drier if you have one, or on radiators or an airer over the bath. Most of the wraps are not suitable for tumble driers, though - although they all air dry in very little time. Do not put your wraps or all in one nappies in direct contact with a radiator or other heat source. A quick blast in a tumble drier will keep your cloth nappies lovely and soft, especially if you live in a hard water area. Even just 10 minutes will fluff the nappies up. I do this at the beginning of the drying period; my husband does it as he brings them in off the line/radiator - it makes no appreciable difference either way!

Isn't it all just a load of hard work?

It sounds like it when you first consider it, but I truly found that the washing and drying of my washable nappies added no more than ten minutes extra work to my day. When the babies had gone to bed I took the bucket downstairs, loaded the machine and left them to wash. Then, before I went to bed, I took the wraps out and hung them to dry overnight (so I was never, in theory, caught short!) and dealt with the clean nappies according to the weather in the morning. That's all there is to it! When you take into account that cloth nappies usually leak far less than disposables (so you will have less clothes to wash), it balances things out somewhat. I'm not a huge fan of hard work, yet I managed with two babies in washable nappies at the same time for a year.

All nappies and wraps will be supplied with full washing and care instructions. If you would like another copy at any time, please just ask.