How do you wash real nappies?

[Janoschi]

Sorry to be a numbskull here but I'm going to try using real nappies on DD and I'm worried about how to get the poo stains out. Just noticed I'm rubbish at getting stains off rompers. I just soak them then throw them in the wash and it doesn't work at all!

Don't want to ruin the nappies so some advice would be fantastic.

Cheers

Does it matter if nappies have poo stains?

Use fleece liners - keeps the baby's bottom dry and protects the nappy. Any stains on the actual nappies tend to come out with repeated washes anyway, and you can hang them out in the sunshine for the sun to bleach them.

I use pocket nappies and routine is dry pail them, bunk them in machine when bucket is full, do a cold wash without any detergent to rinse them thoroughly, then 40 degree wash with very small amount of detergent.
I do the occasional (maybe once / twice a month) 60 degree wash if they look a bit stained and sometimes give them an extra rinse and spin to avoid any detergent build up.

I find sunlight is very effective at removing stains on nappies and clothes.
In fact it never fails to amazed me how well a bit of UV works

Some really useful info here

Use fleece liners - way better than paper ones - and stick them in the sun for a day or two when they are really stained.

My wash routine is dry pail, sling in wash and cold rinse, separate pockets, etc after they've had a rinse, then wash on 40 or 60 and then cold rinse. I wash every 2-3 days. I use a small bit of Bold 2 in 1 and some Rocking Green powder.

It also works fine without the Rocking Green but I like that I don't need to strip my nappies now.

Dry pail all the way for me, then no horrid water to deal with - if you line the bucket with a string bag thing then you get brilliant at swinging the whole thing into the easing machine - easy.
Real nappies are great - bit more work than sposies (though remember you can always buy a packet if you need to catch up with washing), but you'll save money, they smell better than wet disposables and your baby's likely to potty train sooner.

Thanks guys! I'll get trying it then. The use of sunshine will be a big spanner in the works up here in the Frozen North but it's great to know you can leave it 2 or 3 days before washings!

I'm using Little Lambs, by the way. I have fleece liners and also a big roll of paper liners. Got the lot off eBay as a complete set and have been itching to try them out. Now that DD is 6 weeks old, I feel I've got enough of a grip on the feeding etc to experiment a bit with the nappies.

I use liners in the nappies. Then i rinse twice in cold wash with small amount of BIO powder (non bio is not as good) then rinse twice again. If DD2 has gone on a huge pooing spree i somtimes add a little napisan with detergent which works wonders.

I live up north too, when the suns out its good for stains but rain is just as good. I discovered when DP left the nappies out in the rain and i do it often now, plus it softens them aswell!

I used to dry pail and then put them in the washing machine at 40. Would put them outside when I could (I'm sure I read somewhere that moonlight helps with stains) but at the end of the day stains aren't the end of the world. Had some brightly coloured ones made by clwt twt that were lovely

If you can just get the nappies hung outside on a line then it doesn't actually have to be sunny, just daylight, and the poo stains magically disappear, honestly! I've put mine out in rain before now, just to get the stains out and then dried them indoors!