There are lots of conflicting ideas on how best to care for your nappies, and the recommendations may differ slightly depending on the brands you use. There is a certain amount of trial and error involved in finding just the right washing routine for you as so much depends on your water type, your machine and the types of nappies you are using. If you need any advice please contact us
The following are the best practice that I have found over the years:
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Used nappies should be dry pailed (ie stored in a nappy bucket until washing day, not soaked)
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Always run a cold or cool rinse cycle before your main wash. This rinse removes some of the pee and poo and stops smells and stains being baked in by the hot water of the wash
- Run your main wash cycle. This can be at anything from 30-60 degrees. I would always recommend the use of a nappy sanitiser such as Tots Bots potion or Bambino Mio MioFresh if you are washing at less than 60 degrees
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DONT use fabric softener it clogs the fibres of the nappies reducing the absorbency.
- We use Rockin Green Laundry Powder in our wash, however you don't need to use a dedicated nappy washing powder (we prefer Rockin Green after extensive testing as it washes out well in our soft water so no build up or nappy stripping required). If using standard washing detergent powder is recommended rather than liquid and manufacturers recommended to use between a third and a half of your usual amount (although you may need to adjust this amount depending on whether you have hard or soft water).
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Wash your nappies on a full wash cycle (the longer the better) and definately no quick washes if you want your nappies to be thoroughly cleaned.
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A cold rinse cycle at the end of your main wash cycle is recommended to ensure you have removed all powder. If during this rinse you can still see bubbles in the water you need to do an additional rinse and think about reducing down the amount of powder you are using.
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I recommend line or air drying nappies where possible as this is much kinder to your nappies, your pocket and the environment. If you need to use a tumble drier this should be set on low and it is recommended to air dry as much as possible and maybe just finish off in the tumble drier. Care should be taken with items containing PUL so I would recommend that you avoid tumble drying these items.
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If you have any questions on your nappy washing routine please contact us for advice