Reusable Wipes Washing and Care Instructions

1. Soak your washable baby wipes first!

For bum wipes we recommend soaking your wipes after use in our mucky wipes container or a strucket. Like soaking any soiled item in cold water, this prevents stains from setting and ensures that your wipes wash out well. 

Our all-in-one reusable baby wipes kit comes with a mucky wipes container, with a removable mesh bag insert for easy washing (this means you never have to touch the mucky wipes!). In addition, we include a bottle of teatree and teatree lemon essential oil, which kick starts the hygiene process as it is anti-bacterial.   This starter kit is perfect for using with disposable nappies.

If you're using reusable nappies, you can of course store your used wipes with your nappies.

2. Pop your reusable wipes in the wash

When it's time to put your wet wipes in the wash remember to leave the mesh bag open to make sure your wipes come out nice and clean.

3. Washing temperatures for washable wipes

ALWAYS wash your wipes on a decent length of wash. 

A rapid wash is no good for soiled items! We find that our regular daily wash length which is about 60 minutes is fine, but longer is always good.  You can wash with baby grows or any baby clothing.

If you're using cloth baby wipes for bums, we recommend either washing at 60c (for white cotton terry wipes ONLY) and 40c (specifically for coloured wipes and with similar colours) or using a laundry additive such as Dettol antibacterial laundry liquid which is certified safe to use on all fabrics.

**Please refer to the washing instructions on the labels of the wipes you have for specific advice

4 & 5. Drying your cloth wipes

Tumble drying to K.O. any bacteria

Tumble drying also helps keep your wipes clean and fresh as you are essentially heating your wipes beyond the temperature that bacteria can endure. We do not recommend you use any bleach, not even a diluted solution on your wipes as it will damage them.

**Do not tumble dry our microfibre wipes

Line dry to remove lingering stains

Baby poo can be the most incredible colour! Newborn baby poo is usually a very bright yellow / mustardy colour and that stuff can stain! Second only to spaghetti bolognese which is literally the devils work to get out! However, a top tip from the world of cloth nappies is to get your wipes out on the washing line wherever possible to remove any lingering stains. The Nappy Lady has a fantastic blog post on this, explaining the science behind why UV light (daylight) will remove stains from nappies. Fun fact: The staining is caused by bilirubin in newborn poo, which is photosensitive and breaks down under UV light! 

6. Use your normal washing products

You don't need to be precious about what you wash your wipes with. Use whatever standard detergent you normally use. Here at Cheeky HQ we use a bio powder from Aldi which is also a 'Which' best buy. We tried using eco eggs and eco-friendly washing powders, but in all honesty didn't find they washed clothes as well, which meant that long term they were a poor choice as they reduced the longevity of our clothing. If you use fabric conditioner you can use this with our wipes, no problem. Unlike cloth nappies, our wipes are soaked before use, so using fabric conditioner has no impact on cloth baby wipes.

7. Use white vinegar to soften your cloth baby wipes

If you don't use fabric conditioner and live in a hard water area, now and again you may want to use white vinegar in your washload to remove limescale build up and soften your wipes. Citric acid which you can get in most hardware stores also does a great job (and is suitable for removing limescale all over the house, so is eco-friendly and multi-functional. Alternatively, tumble drying your reusable baby wipes will soften and fluff up the fibres.

For people using the basic kits: If you're also using cloth nappies, you can store the soiled wipes with your dirty nappies and wash them all together. For people using our hand and face kits, just rinse the excess food off the wipes and they're ready to go in the wash, no need to soak!

Want to find out a bit more? Why not check out our product reviews for cloth baby wipes kit?