Washing your terry nappies
Modern washing machines really do take the work out of using terry nappies. My machine does it all for me. You will soon find a routine that suits you and your baby. In the meantime, I have tried below to answer some questions people commonly have.
Am I going to need to be washing nappies every day?
You may not have to wash every day – depending on the number of terry nappies and wraps you have. I had 15-20 nappies for each baby – which was enough to allow me to wash every other day if I felt like it. You don't have to have a clean wrap every time you change the terry nappy, either – only once every four or five changes, or if they get pooed on in between, so you won't have as many wraps to wash as terry nappies.
How do you deal with the poo?
At each change, you flush any solid waste down the toilet. If you are using a flushable liner, then simply flush poo, liner and all. If any waste has clung to the nappy - or you are using a washable liner - you may have to sluice this, too – it's not as difficult or distasteful as it sounds! You simply grip firmly onto a corner of the nappy or liner and rinse it in the toilet as it's flushing. Incidentally, if your flushable liner is merely wet, you can wash it in the machine with your terry nappies – I find they last fine for three or four washes before developing holes.
Do I have to soak my terry nappies before I wash them?
No. If you prefer not to soak then it is perfectly hygienic to store the terry nappies dry, and a wash at 60°C will be more than enough to clean the nappies and destroy any germs. A good tip is to sprinkle your dirty terry nappies with some lavender oil too – this helps to mask any odours. I would suggest that you keep your soiled terry nappies in a bucket even if you're not soaking them - this will help discourage curious little fingers from poking around!
If I do soak my terry nappies, what should I soak them in?
Soaking is beneficial to terry nappies, as the water dilutes the urine in the fabric, and therefore prolongs the life of the nappy – but please don’t soak your wraps, it’s not good for the waterproof fabric! I used to put enough water in the bucket to cover the terry nappies, initially, and top it up as I added more nappies – this minimises the amount of fluid swishing about, as each top-up is absorbed, and therefore, reduces the impact of accidents.
If desired, you can add to the water:
2-3 tbsp. white distilled vinegar OR
1tbsp. sodium bicarbonate OR
5 drops of tea tree oil, which has antibacterial and antifungal properties.
Do I need to use anything special when I wash my terry nappies?
No. When you come to wash the terry nappies, drain the water (if you've soaked them!), and put the nappies into the machine on 40-60°C. Most wraps can also be washed at this temperature. Use a non-biological washing powder, and no fabric conditioner. Adding ½ to ¾ of a cup of white vinegar in the last rinse cycle will help keep terry nappies soft, if you prefer.
Which washing powder should I use for my terry nappies?
Because babies' bottoms are very sensitive, a non-biological powder is better than a biological. You can use any of the non-bio powders available in the supermarkets, or a 'deep green' powder such as Bio D or Clear Springs which are often available in health food shops. Whatever you use, you will only need about 1 tablespoon of powder/liquid - a minute amount, compared to the manufacturer's recommendations! This is for two reasons: first, it is mostly the temperature of the water which kills any bacteria present in the terry nappies, not detergent, so there is no particular need for lots of detergent; secondly, it is critical that there should not be any detergent residue left in the nappy, as this will redissolve on contact with wee, and will act harshly on your baby's skin to produce a characteristic detergent rash (wide-spread, distinct red spots all over the nappy area). The best way to prevent this is to use very little detergent in the first place, and do an extra rinse at the end of your wash cycle to check all detergent is out of the terry nappy. You can also use Eco-Balls or Soapnuts with your terry nappies.
What about stains?
Any staining can be easily dealt with by hanging nappies out to dry in the sunshine, this usually takes care of it, even in the winter, just find a sunny room to dry them in. You can also use a little lemon juice on any stains, this is a natural bleaching agent and works wonders. In all my years of nappy use I had only one nappy that didn’t respond to the lemon juice and sunshine treatment, and even that one looked considerably nicer afterwards! Soaking the terry nappies before washing will also reduce the risk of staining, but please don’t soak the wraps, it’s not good for their waterproof properties!
How can I dry my terry nappies?
Terry nappies are one of the fastest drying nappies you can choose - you can dry them either on the line, in a tumble drier if you have one, or on radiators or an airer over the bath. Most of the wraps are not suitable for tumble driers, though - although they all air dry in very little time. A quick blast in a tumble drier will keep your terry nappies lovely and soft, especially if you live in a hard water area, but I don’t recommend tumble drying all the time as there really is no need with terries, and it will just cost you money!
Isn't it all lots of hard work?
When you first consider terries they may sound hard, but I truly found that the washing and drying of my terry nappies added no more than ten minutes extra work to my day. When the babies had gone to bed I took the nappy bucket downstairs, loaded the machine and left them to wash. Then, before I went to bed, I hung the lot on an airer to dry overnight. That's all there is to it! When you take into account that terry nappies usually leak far less than disposables (so you will have less clothes to wash), it balances things out somewhat.
All nappies and wraps will be supplied with full washing and care instructions.
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