When we started using cloth nappies a few people have asked me about if I find it an inconvenience to wash and dry them.
My answer is no, having a baby meant that we were going to have to get use to having to do more washing
anyway and I only have to do an extra load every two to three days.
Pre-wash
One of the things that is recommend is that before you use cloth nappies you pre-wash them. If you don't they may not be absorbent enough and will most likely leak.
It's recommended that they are pre-washed twice before use, it's not a hassle as there is no need to dry nappies in between the two pre-washes.
Pre-washing is simple all you have to do is add a small amount of detergent and wash at 30/40 degrees. Nappies will reach their full absorbency after five washes but two pre-washes are enough to get you started.
Washing
We dry pail nappies which means that we don't soak our nappies we just flush away the liner and pop wet or soiled nappies into the nappy bucket.
When it comes to wash day I pop the nappies into the washing machine and put them on a rinse with no detergent once that is done I then put in a small amount of detergent and a scoop of miofresh and run a 30/40 degree wash. I always put it on an extra rinse as well.
Drying
We live in a flat but still manage to get our nappies dry quick.
We have a heated dryer which we use to dry the cotton prefolds but all in ones and wraps I tend to put over a radiator that we don't have turned on.
Other ways on drying nappies are:
Line drying this is the best way as the sun is a natural bleaching agent and can get stains out of nappies pretty well.
Tumbling drying nappies can make nappies feel nice and soft but works out expensive and shortens the life of your nappies.
You could also use a ceiling drying rack, in your airing cupboard and radiator.
Another thing to add is that by using a high spin on your washing machine you can reduce the amount of drying time needed. It is recommended however to go less than 1000 revs as higher than this can damage some nappies or at least make some nappies go tatty.
