Washing, Care & Storage Instructions for Cheeky Nappies

1. If your Nappies are brand new 

We recommend that you pre-wash your nappies before use. If you run a full cycle with a little detergent twice before using this will enable your nappies to become more absorbent. 

Dealing with poo before washing your nappies…

Firstly we like to recommend that you always use a liner in your two-part nappy as it does not have an integral stay dry liner.  You can choose a reusable stay dry liner or a disposable.

You want to get as much solid poo off as possible before putting your nappy into the washing machine. Pre weaning poo is water soluble so washing machines are well equipped to deal with any that may make it onto the nappy after rinsing and liner removal

Reusable Liner

Tip any solids into the toilet and either rinse the liner in the flush of the toilet – making sure you've got a good grip on it! – or have something handy to scrape any poo from the liner into the toilet.

Disposable Liner

Tip the poo into the toilet and bin the liner (be careful not to flush the liner as most are not flushable!)

2. Secure any velcro

If you've got other nappies with velcro tabs, make sure any velcro tabs are either folded back or stuck down, just to make sure they don't grab onto anything they aren't supposed to in the wash.

3. Pre-wash

Pop the nappies in the washing machine on a quick or cold wash cycle making sure the nappies can move around freely. But we suggest avoiding the pre-programmed pre-wash cycle as in most machines this reuses the water and want the first rinse to completely drain.

4. The main wash

Run the longest cycle on your washing machine, you should pick a wash between 40-60℃ and use the appropriate amount of detergent for the size of your load. As eco friendly as we are, we avoid using the pre-programmed eco cycle as you'll need the full amount of water to wash the absorbent fabric the nappies are made of.

5. Line dry your nappies

Either dry your nappies on a clothes line outside (our preferred method) or alternatively inside on a drying rack or airer. You can tumble dry the nappies on low heat but this can work out expensive in the long run and will also shorten the life of your nappies. DO NOT tumble dry the PUL wraps or put them on a direct heat source like the radiator. A good rule is that if it's too hot to hold your hand on them it will be too how for your and bamboo or PUL products.

What can I use to wash my nappies?

We believe that powder detergent works better at cleaning our nappies, choose a non-bio one to protect the fibres from damage.  We love Nimble Babies Nappy Lover which is non-bio and doesn't contain bleach.  But DO NOT use detergents with bleach or any fabric conditoner as this will affect the absorbency of the fabrics.

Do I need to soak my cloth nappy before washing it?

We recommend dry pailing your nappies this is because fabrics in your nappies can become damaged if soaked in water for long periods of time and it will reduce the life of your nappy. When dry pailing your nappies, ensure you do not leave any longer than 2 days before washing as ammonia in pee & bacteria in poo can damage the material in your nappies and cause 'balding' spots. 

What is the best way to rinse or pre wash my nappies? 

We recommend using The Strucket or similar to rinse and strain your nappies prior to putting them in your washing machine. Just using plain water is fine, or you can use The Strucket to agitate the water and rinse off any remaining poo if you like.You can do a cold rinse cycle or quick wash in your washing machine (more details below) BUT do not use detergent. Likewise do not soak in harsh stain removers or bleach as this can damage the fibres in your nappy. 

Why are your nappies coloured grey? 

Why not?  It didn't make sense to us that one of the most soiled things you will ever wash should be white!  The dye used is of course formaldehyde free and certified safe to use.

There are many different schools of thought on how to wash / care / store / wear / use cloth nappies. Just a quick facebook search or google will show you legions of people who think they know the absolute best and correct way. Trial and error and taking guidance with a pinch of salt should start you on the path to working out what is best for you and your baby! Here are some storage ideas for your nappies that are waiting to be washed and their pros and cons, it doesn’t need to be complicated!

Dry pailing in a nappy bucket with lid and pail liner (our recommendation!) - great to keep smells locked away, and baby is less likely to get into it as it has a lid, it can cause a build up of smells when lid is removed, but you can leave a wipe in the bottom with a drop of tea tree to keep smells at bay, it can be hard to empty into the machine without touching but using a pail liner eliminates this.

Dry pailing in closed large wetbag - great to keep smells locked away, baby is less likely to get into it as it has a zip, it can cause a build up of smells when zip is opened but this will only be for a second as you add a used nappy or open to pop in he machine, you can leave a wipe in the bottom with a drop of tea tree to keep smells at bay, easy to unzip and dump the whole thing straight in the machine.

Dry pailing in air flow storage basket - nappies open to air so smells don’t build up, great if you have a utility room, not so if your nappy storage is in your bathroom or kitchen, takes up space, open to visitors seeing and smelling them and harder to keep away from exploring toddlers.

Wet pailing in strucket or bucket - old school, less likely to get stains but thought to cause ammonia to leach into the water and will eventually affect all nappies and wraps. Hard to drain, tricky to store out of reach, easy to knock over, and is definitely our least recommended method. Using a modern washing machine, a good washing routine will deal with stains anyway, but he strucket is great for rinsing prior to washing.