Spring cleaning for cloth diapers
April 2, 2012 3:10 pm
Ahh, spring cleaning. The time of year when you find all those little nooks and crannies in your home that have been ignored all winter long and give them a good cleaning. It’s also a great time to do the same for your cloth diapers. Did you know there are some hidden areas of your cloth diapers that may need a little extra TLC every so often?
Cloth diapers are generally worn every other day and washed 3-4 times a week, depending on the size of your stash. If you have hook and loop closures, this allows opportunities for the hook portion on your tabs to rub up against other clothing and over time, lint, carpet fibers, pet hair, etc. can get caught. An easy solution is to take a little time and a safety pin to remove these fibers from your closure tabs. If you look closely, you’ll see there are rows of hooks. Simply slide the open end of a safety pin between these rows and gently lift the fibers up and out of the hooks. It takes a little time and be sure to do this during nap time or after bedtime so no one accidentally finds your safety pin tool.
While you’re checking out the tabs of your cloth diapers, don’t forget to turn them inside out to check for lint. Just like the pockets of your favorite pair of jeans, lint can collect in the tabs of your bumGenius 4.0 or Flip covers over time. Turn the tabs inside out and use a pair of tweezers or a crochet hook to remove it.
Since you wash cloth diapers by themselves, there is not usually as much build up as in your jeans pockets, so you don’t have to check this very often. However, if you start to notice graying or shadows in the tabs (especially of lighter colors like Noodle or White), lint is usually the culprit. Lint can also collect in the pocket of the flap on the bumGenius Freetime and can be removed in the same manner.
Another good time to check the corners is if you discover you accidentally wash a disposable product like a liner, baby wipe or disposable insert with your cloth diaper laundry. I can’t tell you how many times in my sleep deprived state I’ve tossed one of these items in my laundry. If it happens to you, just remove the disposable item, check the stretchy tabs and hook closures for lint. Give your cloth diapers another rinse cycle and you’ll be good to go.
The last place you’ll want to check your cloth diapers during spring cleaning is on the loop tape (aka landing strip) for your hook and loop diapers. Those little hooks will pull at the loop tape over time, creating a bit of fuzz like on a sweater. Again during nap time or after bed time, grab a pair of sharp scissors (embroidery scissors work well) and trim those little fuzzies. This will help your tabs grab a bit better and refresh the look of your diapers.
Depending on the size of your stash and how frequently you wash, you should only have to check these things once or twice a year to keep your diapers in great shape. And now that spring is upon us, don’t forget to give your cloth diapers a day in the sun to remove stains.
Those are our favorite tips for keeping your cloth diapers looking as good as new. Do you have any special cleaning tips that you perform every few months to keep your diapers in tip-top shape? Share with us below.
Comments
5 Comments
I also turn the flaps of the freetime inside out because lint collects in there
I use a snappi to clean out the hook tabs. works great!
Love this! I’m a new cloth diapering mama and really appreciate the tip!!
http://wastingnothing.blogspot.com/2012/03/my-cloth-diaper-conversion.html
I live in Michigan, so the first sunny hot day we have, I try to get the diapers out on the line to bleach Winter right out of them.
Great tips! I’ve never thought of turning my diapers inside out. I will be sure to share this on my Facebook page for other cloth diapering parents!