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Monday, December 13, 2010

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It's Prepping Time

All your stalking of the mailman has just paid off- your Fluffy Mail has been delivered!  Oh joy!  Oh rapture!  Oh wait!  .....How do I wash all of this?  If your box contains more than one kind of diaper, it can get confusing.  What can be washed together?  What can't?  Some diapers come with prepping instructions, so follow those if they're included.  If not, read on for some general guidelines. 

Cotton prefolds. They're awesome pocket inserts, they're great pinned or Snappi'ed, and they're nice for tri-folding in a cover.  But when they come to you all flat and stiff, they sure don't look like the soft, absorbent diapers you were expecting.  They need to be washed 4-5 times before you use them.  Do they need to be dried between every wash?  Not in my opinion.  Wash them twice, dry the once (on hot) then wash them 2-3 more times and dry them again.  Now they're ready to go!  They'll reach full absorbency after 8-10 washes, but the initial 4-5 washes will get the natural oils out of them that you don't want coating your other diapers.

Hemp inserts/prefolds.  They're the most absorbent diaper inserts, but not when you first get them.  They need a good 5-6 washes before the natural hemp oils are out of them.  If you've purchased a good stash of them, you can run them through your washer three times, then dry them.  Then wash 3 more times, then dry them.  If you only have a few hemp inserts, you may want to shorten the process by boiling the hemp on the stove.  Stick it in a pot of boiling water, and boil for 15-20 minutes.  Then run it through your washer once and dry. 

Microfiber inserts.  Wash them once and then dry them- now they're ready to use!  (There had to be an easy category, right?)

Pocket diapers/covers.  Pocket diapers that have fleece or suede cloth linings in them and most covers just need a single wash and dry before using.  You can wash these with your microfiber inserts, too. 

All-in-one diapers.  If the AIOs have microfiber as their soakers, you can wash them with your pockets and covers.  If they have natural cotton, bamboo, or hemp fabrics in them, then they'll need 3-4 washes before you use them- and they should be prepped separately from your other diapers. 

Yes, Fluffy Mail Day can turn into Prepping Day if you have a variety of diapers in your package, but following the prepping instructions can help your diapers function at their best- and that's what you want from new diapers!  Once everything is prepped fully, you can thereafter wash all of your diapers together in big happy, fluffy loads.  :)

By Stacy F.

11 comments:

Erika said...

How timely- my first order of diapers is in the mail as I read this! :) Two questions- I understand that hemp must be prepped separately from other diapers, but I want to verify- once prepped and used, it can be washed with other diapers? I will have a mix of hemp, cotton, organic cotton, and microfiber.

And second, I feel dumb for asking, but what is "fluffy mail?" I guess it means diapers? I googled it and even tried urban dictionary but it is not 100% clear...

Jenny K said...

I actually love prepping diapers. When I get a new package in the mail I get all giddy. I can't wait to get them on my son! Weird? Yes. But I'm sure I'm not the only one!

kkyc816 said...

what about bamboo?

Court said...

This is such a perfect summary for me! The only thing I don't look forward to is prepping individual diapers that I'll order after I figure out what I like best.

For example, can I prep individual bamboo/natural fiber diapers with a load of already prepped natural fiber diapers? Or should I prep new natural fiber dipes alone?

Mindy said...

Beyond prepping, is it okay to wash prefolds together with pockets and microfiber inserts?

Katrina said...

What about fitteds? I have Sandy's mother-ease fitteds that I need to prep. Is it just a simple wash/dry once since they're 85% cotton and 15% polyester?

Unknown said...

Question for you,
Can I prep the organic cotton prefolds and the hemp
inserts/prefolds together?

Once everything is prepped can it all be washed together?

Thanks
Ruth

Anne said...

What happens if you accidentally wash a single new diaper with bamboo with your regular load of diapers? I have a new WAHM diaper that I washed and just realized it probably had a layer of OBF...

Brandi said...

I'm one of those weird people too. I like prepping diapers as soon as I get them so I can use them asap!! I love trying out new diapers on my daughter and finding out if one brand works better than another.

Anonymous said...

Do you separate your hemp from all your diapers and microterry inserts with each load? I use 1-2 hemp inserts per diaper batch, and I'm not sure how to handle washing them. Will it really matter if I just wash 1 or 2 hemp inserts with 8-10 diapers and a bunch of microterry? Or should I absolutely keep the hemp separated?
-Amanda

Unknown said...

I just found this site and this was exactly the info I was looking for! I am getting 4 hemp inserts in the mail in a couple days and I needed to know how to prep them. I think I will be trying the boiling method. OMG, I'm going to be cooking diapers... how weird! LOL! I just got my first CDs last week and so far I love it! My little girl is 3 months old and we're planning on having another... It's amazing that I might not have to buy 100s of diapers! ("HAVE" to... but there are some really cute CD patterns... hehe) Great blog!! Thanks for doing it! :)