Nappy Care
How many nappies do I need?
It depends on which type of nappies you use (some take longer to dry than others) and how you wash and dry them (tumble drying reduces drying time but increases costs and energy use).
Most people need 15 to 25 nappies and 4 wraps.
What else will I need?
A bucket with a well-fitting lid to store wet/dirty nappies in until you are ready to wash them (you can get these from most hardware shops).
Optional Extras
A nappy mesh (a drawstring mesh bag) to go in the bucket enables you to lift the nappies into the washing machine with minimum handling.
Nappy liners – either flushable paper, which go straight down the look, or fleece, which solids fall off into the loo easily. Liners also keep the baby drier. Fleece liners can be made from any old piece of fleece fabric.
Washable wipes: if you are using real nappies, then it makes sense to use washable wipes as well. You can buy them, or use old flannels, cut up towels or tea towels, etc. Simply put them in the wash with the nappies!
Washing real nappies
Wash at 40ºC if nappies are soaked or 60ºC if they’re not. A few drops of tea tree(not suitable for coloured nappies) oil in the bucket or rinse cycle, or a tablespoon of white vinegar in the rinse cycle, will sanitise nappies. You only need half the recommended amount of washing powder. Fabric softener coats the nappy and makes it less absorbent.
Some handy hints for caring for washable nappies:
Do:
Try to use an A-rated energy efficient washing machine and line dry as much as possible - best for your pocket and the environment.
Wash nappies at 60°C or lower depending how soiled they are and whether you have soaked them.
Wash covers (wraps) at 40°C where possible so that they last longer.
Wash fleece wraps separately from nappies to prevent bobbling – they can be washed with clothes.
Use half the recommended detergent, preferably non-bio, environmentally friendly detergent or Eco Balls.
Add a small amount of white vinegar if necessary, instead of fabric conditioner, to help remove limescale and other impurities that make fabric feel hard.
Do an extra rinse or wash without detergent every now and then to make sure the detergent is rinsed properly, to avoid nappies smelling of ammonia (modern machines use little water).
Dry in the sun for extra sterilising and bleaching then store in an airing cupboard if possible to make sure they are completely dry and are nice and warm when put on a bottom!
If tumble drying add a dry towel to reduce the drying time.
Don’t:
Boil wash, its unnecessary, time consuming, costs you money and shaped nappies can deteriorate
Use fabric conditioners. They reduce the absorbency of the nappies by coating the fabric with a wax-like substance
Wash the waterproof covers every nappy change unless they are soiled. If damp, they can be wiped over and aired
Put wraps or all-in-one’s directly on radiators as direct heat can damage their waterproof properties
Soaking
There is no need to soak washable nappies – they can be stored in a dry bucket with a lid (known as “dry-pailing”), although any soiling should be rinsed away first. However, if you are keeping nappies in a bucket for longer than 48 hours, soaking them in a solution will reduce any odours.
Soaking can also help to prevent nappy stains especially with newborn nappies. Try adding one of the following to the bucket of water:
1 tbs bicarbonate of soda
2-3 tbs white vinegar
5 drops of tea tree oil (not for coloured nappies)
2 tbs lemon juice
You can also try rubbing a bar of white soap onto a wetted area, or simply hanging the nappies to dry in the sun, which will bleach stains.
Commercial nappy sanitisers (such as nappy san) are also available in most supermarkets, but they are often biological and may ruin the elastic found in some modern nappies. However, a non-biological, antibacterial nappy sanitiser is also available called Nappy Fresh. It can be purchased via nappy agents, wholefood stores or websites.
A nylon mesh bag sitting inside the bucket will make it easier to transfer the nappies to the washing machine, simply dump the whole bag into the machine with the drawstring open and the nappies will work their way out of the bag during the wash.
If dry-pailing, you can keep the dry bucket smelling fresh by adding a few drops of lavender essential oil on a piece of cloth each time you empty it. You could also use tea tree oil as both lavender and tea tree have antibacterial qualities that will help to keep your nappies sanitised, however, it’s not recommended for some nappies and small babies may be sensitive to tea tree oil in particular.
Washing
Cotton nappies can be washed hygienically at 40°C if you soak, or 60°C if not. You may find that running a cycle with a pre-wash every few washes helps maintain the whiteness. Use half the recommended amount of a very gentle non-bio powder – many people use Ecover as it's a fairly environmentally friendly brand or Ecoballs as they use an ionic cleaning effect without the use of detergent (so no build up/residue).
Don't use fabric conditioner as this will reduce the absorbency of your nappies by coating the fibres but you can add white vinegar.
Smells are best dealt with using cold water. If your machine will allow you to do a cold rinse cycle BEFORE the main wash this will get rid of a lot of the urine and lingering smells before the hot water gets to the nappies. Hot water can have the effect of setting in the smells and stains.
If you can't so this and your machine has a hot pre-wash option try using this with a tablespoon of washing soda (soda crystals) in the pre-wash drawer as these also act as a sanitising agent and help break down residues in the fabric.
Drying
Most cotton nappies dry very quickly – either on the line or indoors – and many types can be tumble-dried. Drying your nappies in a tumble drier will give them a lovely soft fluffy finish but may ultimately shorten their lifespan slightly and uses more electricity. The most economical and environmentally friendly way to dry nappies is on the washing line. The sun will naturally bleach any slight discolouration or staining and line-dried nappies have that lovely summer-fresh smell. When the weather doesn’t allow many people use an airer near a radiator, or tumble for a while then air dry. Putting a dry towel in the tumble dryer can help to dry the nappies quicker. Drying on clothes airers near radiators or in fact over radiators can leave the terry fabric feeling hard but giving the nappies a good shake while they are still a bit damp can help them soften up.
PUL wraps will dry in a couple of hours on the line or on an airer - give them a good shake to get the drips off first. Sometimes PUL can benefit from a whiz in the tumble dryer to rejuvenate its waterproof qualities but a lot of tumble drying will shorten its life span.