Cloth diapering day to day

What is my day to day routine with cloth diapering? When I decided to go the cloth diaper route I spent a lot of time online looking for advice. It is exciting that after a year of using cloth diapers that I actually have my own tips to share. There are many ways to take care of cloth diapers, but the basic principles are the same. Your baby wears the diaper, gets it dirty, you store it for a bit, wash it and then the cycle repeats many many times. Coming from a research background I look for the most efficient method that will produce the best results. I also like to simplify things so I don't take any special precautions when storing or washing the diapers.

Diaper supply
You will need about 24-36 cloth diapers, 4-6 diaper covers. I make hemp diapers and use pul diaper covers. I go through go through anywhere from 6-10 diapers per day. My little guy is a heavy wetter so he goes through a bit more than most babies do each day. I use the diaper covers more than once and hang them up to dry in between changing. I wash all the covers each time I do a load of diapers which is every 2-3 days.

Diaper changing and storage
I store the soiled diapers in a dry diaper pail. I don't add water or pre-soak the diapers. I use a 5 gallon plastic bucket with a pul liner. I made two bucket liners so when I have one in the wash I have another one ready for use. If the diaper is pee only then I take it off and throw it in the bucket. If it is poop then I shake off the solids in the toilet and it usually comes off fairly easy. If not I turn the diaper inside out swish a bit in the water. I then squirt the inside with Bac-Out Stain and Odor Eliminator from BioKleen which is enzyme based and helps break down the waste. I then toss the diaper in the bucket. The Bac-Out does a great job with controlling any odors in the bucket. I also use citrus circles deoderizers that I tape to the bucket lid.

Diaper washing
Once the pail is full I pull out the pail liner with the soiled diapers and bring it over to the washing machine. I dump the diapers and the pail liner into the washing machine. I use warm water and a scoop of BioKleen Premium Plus Laundry Detergent on the longest high agitation setting. Once the diapers are clean I hang them outside on a clothes line or dry them in the dryer. If I hang the diapers then I put them in the dryer for about ten minutes to soften them a bit.

How do you know if your diapers are clean?
The best way to tell if your diapers are clean is to smell them after they are washed. If you don't smell anything then they are ready for use. I do love the BioKleen products though and feel like they do a great job with cleaning and controlling any odors. If I have any stains on the diapers then I use Imse Vimse Wash Away Stain Soap. It works great and I use it on our clothes also.

That's about it for my diaper cleaning routine. Pretty simple and has worked great over the past year.