Oh no, the time has finally come to pack up our cloth diapers and decide what to do with them next. We are finally potty trained during the day and only use 2 diapers or training pants each day. We’re still using cloth so I need to save a few for nights and naps.
How to Store Cloth Diapers (for future children)
1. Clean your diapers thoroughly. Now is a good time to wash your diapers very well. This should include a good wash followed by a good stripping to remove any mineral and detergent that has built up in your diapers. Depending on your machine and how dirty your diapers are I would recommend the following routine:
- 1 warm rinse cycle (or 1 full warm water wash cycle) with no detergent
- 1 hot wash cycle with your favorite detergent (you can add Calgon or RLR if you have hard water).
- (Optional) You may choose to add a small amount of bleach to this hot wash cycle if you think they need to be sanitized. Remember to check your manufacturers directions for using bleach.
- 3-6 additional hot rinse cycles (or 2-4 full hot wash cycles) to remove build up
- Hang dry in the sun or dry in the machine on low/medium
- Cloth diapers have a strong resale value on Craigslist, Ebay, Forums, and even some local consignment stores will accept cloth diapers these days.
- You can also donate and share your diapers with friends or parents in need of a little financial support. I’m packing up a small shipment for Giving Diapers, Giving Hope this week (I procrastinate) and plan on donating some locally as well.
- Flats, prefolds, and inserts can be used around the house for cleaning.
- I’m sure I’ll be saving a few for demonstration purposes as well. You never know when someone you know will ask you about cloth diapers.
- My toddler will probably get a few of the old, torn, and tattered diapers to use on her babies too.
Have you had to pack up your diapers yet? What did you do with them? Let’s continue the conversation on Facebook – come visit The Eco Chic fan page and share with me your best tips for storing diapers long term.
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Thanks for writing this! I could find SO many tips for how to use cloth diapers, but now that I need to pack some away, this was all I could find in a quick search in the whole Internet! Haha, so thanks 🙂
Thank you Tammy. I’m glad you were able to use the information. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks! Packing up #2’s diapers and expecting #3 in a few months, so this was exactly the article I was looking for!
Hi!! I am pregnant with baby 2 and want to know what I have to do to prepare the diapers for her arrival? Thanks!
When you say to use a fabric bag…what exactly should that be? I have quite a few cloth diapers… 🙂
Like a pillow case.
We’re currently living in Indonesia (for 1 more year) and are done with our cloth until then. I was thinking along the lines of vacuum-sealed bag with a lavender pack inside, due to lack of space and not wanting them to mold, as there’s no such thing as a “climate-controlled” space in our home. Ha! Do you think that’s a bad idea?