What can I do with the dirty ones until I wash them? I have been throwing them in the washing machine with water but, it is not working out when I have to wash other clothing. I have a diaper pail and it said suitable for cloth diapers when I bought it. Do I just throw them in there or put something like water in there? I am clueless. I wash diapers about every 3-4 days. Also how should I wash them? I have been using laundry soap and some bleach but, I heard that is not good to do.
I use a small dry pail with a foot pedal so I don't have to touch it. We had a Diaper Champ, which was supposedly for cloth or disposable, but I got rid of it because it was so big and awkward and wasn't as great as I thought. (It was good for our disposables, but not as good for cloth.) I wash about every two days. We were using Dreft on the diapers because that's what we used on the rest of my daughter's clothes, but regular detergent coats the diapers. A lot of my friends use Dr. Bronner's or something similar to that, but we have started making our own detergent out of borax, washing soda and grated soap flakes. My husband found the recipe online and it seems to work very well. It's also easy on the budget! I never do a load of diapers without a few drops of tea tree oil. It keeps them smelling fresh! My husband also started sprinkling a little borax (dry) into our diaper pail to take care of the smell, and I think it helps a little, but a dry pail with nothing in it is fine too. We don't even use a liner. Maybe I should also mention HOW I wash ours. An expert friend recommended a cold rinse first, because we were having stink issues and she said it could be that the odors were getting set in on hot. So we do a cold rinse, then a hot wash with our homemade detergent and tea tree oil (a little of that goes a long way!). Also, when it gets a bit warmer I may try drying them in the sun. It's supposed to be fantastic.
RE: where to keep the dirty dipes I have a hamper that I throw them in, and it is lined with a mesh laundry bag which I got from target for $2. The top is not sealed shut, it is one of those swinging lids. I either use a diaper sprayer or a scrub brush for the poops, so I do not throw poopy diapers in there (ever). If you have a younger baby who is exclusively breastfed (no solids), you can just throw the diapers in the dry pail without rinsing. When you do a load of dipes, make sure you also wash the laundry bag (!) I did not notice much of a smell when he was younger. ((now, I have to wash every 2 cause his urine smells strongly like ammonia!!)). I would not recommend the wet pail method. It is actually a bit of a drowning hazard to have around the house and it can get EXTREMELY stinky. That water will grow and fester all sorts of bacteria and can be quite disgusting. The dry pail method is much better. Trust me, I have tried both :) RE: washing the diapers I would recommend using an additive free detergent with one cup of white vinegar. I always use Bio-Pack or Charlie's Soap (the dry powder). I buy the Bio-Pack in bulk at the local organic market and it is very cheap. Charlie's Soap is also cheap if you buy wholesale (I think you can buy a five pound bucket, you only need a tablespoon for each load). Bio-Kleen is also really good, and is a pretty good value too (you can get it at Whole Foods). I would not recommend using bleach at all. Vinegar works much better, and it much safer and earth friendly :) If things get really gruesome, try 1c vinegar + 1 tbsp baking soda. BTW: I use unbleached cotton prefolds. I would recommend them any day over Bum Geniuses and other pockets (many of which are lined with polyester). Just my opinion. They are so easy to care for, and so much better for baby's skin.
Been a while since I used cloth diapers (did with my eldest who's 12 now lol) but what I can remember is cold ater in the diaper pail along with a diaper sanitiser to soak them (I used Napisan or Milton) until I was ready to wash them. But I always did a daily wash as leaving them to soak for too long isn't good for them. Don't use bleach-use a sterilising fluid and a non biological laundry detergent.
