As promised, here is my super simple wash routine for cloth diapers. Forget the special detergents, laundry additives, and complicated routine. All most people need is a scoop of a good detergent and this easy routine. You might need to tweak it a bit depending on your water quality, how often you wash, your washer type (HE vs non-HE for instance), etc… but this is a good starting point.
Ok – so just a bit of clarification first. If you exclusively breastfeed, your baby’s poo is completely water-soluble. This means you do not need to spray off the diapers before tossing in the wash. This sounds gross, I know – but I swear that the diapers (and your washer) will come out completely clean! If your baby drinks formula (or once you introduce foods), you will need to remove the poo from the diaper before washing. You can use the dunk and swish method, a diaper sprayer (a peri bottle also works), or disposable liners.
Step 1: Pre-rinse
You will want to do a pre-rinse to get rid of the majority of the pee and poo so you will be washing in cleaner water. Many washers only have the option to run a rinse with cold water. When my son was exclusively breastfed (and therefore I was putting poopy diapers in the wash), I ran the shortest possible cycle of a warm wash/cold rinse because poo comes out better in warm water. Now that he eats solids and the poo goes in the toilet, I simply do a cold rinse.
Step 2: Long warm wash with full amount of detergent
You can wash your diapers on any temperature, but I personally use warm because a) the washing machine fills much faster, shortening my laundry time; b) it requires less energy (gas or electricity) than a hot wash (good for the environment and your wallet); and c) most standard detergents work best in warmer water. I highly recommend Tide powder, but any good quality detergent will work.
Choose the longest cycle for this wash, set your washer to the appropriate water level for the number of diapers you are washing, and use the full amount of a quality detergent. After trying several different detergents, I found Tide to be the only detergent that works for me. Powder rinses out much easier than liquid – but I have used liquid several times in a pinch and it works just fine… just be prepared to do a couple of extra rinses. Also, just a couple of notes about the amount of detergent… First, read the label! Many people assume that Line 1 is for a small load, Line 2 for medium, and Line 3 for large… but this is not always the case. For instance, looking at my bottle of Tide liquid, those measurements are correct… but the Tide powder box states Line 1 is for medium, Line 2 for large, and Line 3 is for “heavily soiled” loads. Second, consider the size of your machine. I have a stacked washer/dryer and, even though it says it is “extra large capacity”, it definitely is not. A large load in my washer is barely a medium load in a standard washing machine. Therefore, I always (for clothes and diapers) use the recommended amount for one load-size smaller. Third, consider your water quality. Hard water will require the use of more detergent than soft water. Fourth, start with the recommended amount (or the amount you would use for a similarly sized load of clothes) and check for suds during your final (extra) rinse. If there are a lot of suds, rinse again and try using slightly less detergent the next time. Some people recommend starting with small amounts of detergent and increase if necessary, but trust me… it is better to have clean diapers that need an extra rinse or two rather than diapers that aren’t completely clean!
Step 3: Extra rinse to make sure all of the detergent is fully rinsed out.
So there you have it. 1) Pre-rinse; 2) Long wash with a good detergent; 3) Extra rinse. As I said, there will be a few tweaks you will need to make based on your water quality, type of washing machine, etc… but once you figure out your routine, it is quite simple 
Hi. I am planning on cloth diapering when LO arrives in October. I live in an apartment and will have to use the coin operated laundry in the building. Because of this, I will not be able to do a pre-rinse or extra rinse at the end. Do you have any advice for me?
Hi Krissi,
I apologize for the delay in my response – your message got mixed into the Spam folder! What type of diapers are you planning to use (flats, prefolds, pockets, all-in-ones, etc)? Flats (or flour sack towels) are the easiest to maintain under less-than-ideal laundering conditions because they are pretty much indestructible and are so thin that they wash out very easily. If you are using pockets, you might consider pad folding flats or flour sack towels to use as inserts. The pre-wash is a relatively important step – especially during the newborn phase if you plan to breastfeed since newborn poo is so liquidy that it cannot really be sprayed off before going into the washer. The extra rinse at the end is also pretty important to make sure all detergent is rinsed out. So here are the options I would consider in your situation. 1) You could invest in a portable washer (hand-operated ones like the WonderWash run less than $50). 2) You could make a camp-style washer. You’ll need a 5-gallon bucket with a lid and a new plunger. In the lid, cut a hole large enough for the handle of the plunger. Put the bucket in your tub or shower, fill the bucket with water, toss in the diapers, put on the lid, agitate with the plunger, and drain. 3) You could rinse by hand in the tub (for the pre-rinse you can always designate a pair of rubber gloves to use!). I know these options sound a bit inconvenient, but once you figure out the right routine for you, it really can be quite simple. Best of luck in your cloth diapering and please comment again with feedback on your experiences once your little one arrives