I don’t give a sh*t about having the perfect cloth diaper wash routine.

I think it’s an unattainable goal to have the ultimate perfect admin approved cloth diaper wash routine.

After 2 years of cloth diapering and being involved in the cloth diaper community, I’ve learnt one thing. It applies to wash routines, diapering and motherhood. Everyone’s experience is different and you need to find what works for you. *mind blown*

I’m writing today to call out the diaper brands, the cloth diaper admins, and general know-it-alls of the Internet. There’s no one-way to wash your cloth diapers. Washing diaper’s is extremely subjective If it’s not working change it. If it is working, don’t change it.

I think there are some basic fundamentals to washing diapers, but I don’t think its a science and anyone claiming to hold the secret science of diaper washing is high on their horse. Often when asked for resources, they site notoriously unscientific websites that lack any basis in scientific theory and actual research. I also believe that there are a few people out there who just get it. They understand the basics of laundry and detergent and are capable of offering simple, straightforward strategies to mastering the cloth diaper wash routine.

The *Ultimate Goal

Finding the prefect cloth diaper wash routine is the *ultimate goal* for almost any cloth diaper family. The question is constantly asked on cloth diaper groups, blogs and forums – even mommy play dates. Nailing your wash routine is a hallelujah moment because it just makes the cloth diapering experience easy. It means your cloth diapers always come out clean, bums are almost always rash free, and there isn’t any unsavoury smells lingering from your child’s pants.Many families struggle with finding the “perfect wash routine.” I know this because I’m on the internet. In doing so, families turn to cloth diaper communities online to help find this “perfect cloth diaper wash routine”. Many groups offer “admin approved” stamps of approval to their routine in an attempt to weed out the chaos, claim their truth, and exert control over something so fundamental to the success of cloth diapering

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I consider myself fairly active in the cloth diapering community, and day in and day out I witness the war of the wash routines play out in diaper and mom groups across the web. It is time to end this war and offer helpful suggestions without blame, guilt and judgment. That’s right, you go ahead and use rocking green detergent if it works for you.  

It’s just f&cking laundry.

Practice and experiment with what works, and don’t get caught up in a seal of approval. If it works for you and your family go for it.

It’s okay if you have to occasionally tweak your routine. I promise, it’s not the end of the world. It’s not okay if you have to continually bleach and strip diapers. Then you’ve got a problem and when you do, reach out for help, but don’t get caught up in the stress of finding the perfect cloth diaper wash routine. Instead, arm yourself with some knowledge about laundry and make some tweaks.

I’ve only twice had a real cloth diaper issue. The first was when we started solids and Nellie’s no longer cut it with solid poop food (the amount of detergent I needed to clean was finiancally irresponsible). The second was a round of ammonia after Christmas due to increased toddler pee concentration (it was stinky even in the potty) and influenced by too much detergent from me being overzealous with the scoop. I don’t believe in bleach. I did a double tide wash on hot with a couple rinses the first time. Boom clean. The second time, I used Mini Kiwi Sanitizer to kill the stink the second time. Following, I started using a little less detergent going forward.

Problem solving is the key to a successful cloth diaper wash routine.

If you are struggling with stink and ammonia burns, I’ll help you out, but this mama blogger has decided there is no right way to do things. It is just f&cking laundry. It’s why I told you how to rock your hand wash routine, instead of giving you a recipe for success. I much prefer chatting about cloth diapers, building the ultimate stash, and collecting them all. Can’t wait to finish my next cloth diaper review – that’s what’s actually fun in the world.

 

Peace.

 

Are you having trouble with getting clean diapers? My first and foremost recommendation is to connect with your diaper brand or retailer. They often have people paid to help. Many brands like GroVia or CottonBabies will work with you over the phone or email to solve cloth diaper wash routine problems. Likewise, your local cloth diaper retailer is often more than willing to talk you thru it. Keeping you in cloth, keeps everyone in business.