Washing my nappies (diapers)

How often you need to wash your nappies depends on how many nappies you have in your stash. When I started washing my cloth nappies, nearly 12 years ago, I had twenty cotton nappies in my rotation and they took nearly two days to dry.  So I had to wash every two and half days. But now my nuababy nappies dry in a matter of hours and certainly by overnight. The soaker pads are dry so quickly when I hang them on my Ikea washing octopus.  

Just pop your nappies into the large wet bag hanging on the side of your changing table or the back of the door, and on wash day tip them into your machine. We recommend you wash at 40 degrees. My favourite washing routine is to pop on a quick rinse (my machine only takes 6 minutes), and then put it on for the main wash, with another rinse at the end. The first rinse just loosens any stubborn stains stuck on the soaker pad and the final rinse makes sure there is no detergent residue left. 

There is of course nothing like a line of nappies drying in the sun and we all know the amazing stain-busting power of the sun! With the torrential rain we've been having here in Ireland at the moment, I'm mainly drying my nappies inside on laundry pegs. 

I know lots of people who are put off using beautiful cloth nappies because of the wash routine, but as a mum of four, I can honestly say that the nappy wash is no big deal. I remember my Mum having to soak nappies for days in a bucket and the smell in the back bathroom, but there is none of that now! I am so thankful for washing machines.