Can I put nappies in with other stuff to wash?

[crazypenguinlady]

I've only got about 6 nappies so far (buying more the weekend, I'm converted!) however this obviously means I've only got a fraction of a load to go in. Can I put the nappies in with DS with towels/wash cloths etc until i build up my stash enough for the full load?

I used to. The nappy wash was the white wash. I did rinse off the poo in the toilet first though...

I rinse all the nappies under the cold water tap (not hot - it sets stains) to loosen stains and help break down the urine.

I dry pail because soaking can degrade the elastic and reduce the waterproofness on wraps and also fades anything that is coloured.

I don't use oxygen or chlorine bleachs, napisan, bicarbonate of soda, washing soda, citric acid, vinegar or lemon juice cos it can also damage the fabric and elastic or any oils cos they can make the nappies start repelling liquid. I don't use fabric conditioner cos it coats the fibres and so reduces absorbancy.

I try to do a wash every day because the longer nappies remain wet the quicker the fabrics will break down.

I use a mesh bag for the nappies as well and for the main 30 degree wash I put it in my normal load of washing. It's only the prewash and the extra rinse where I put the nappies in on their own.

I do a prewash with no detergent, a 30 degree wash with half a tablet or 1/4 the recommended amount of powder. Powders outperform liquids and have more "features" built in to them, such as ingredients which work at different temperatures. However powders generally contain bleaching agents which will fade and damage your nappies, but liquids do not.
Try and find an eco friendly non bio washing powder that doesn't contain dyes, enzymes, perfumes, whiteners, brighteners or phosphates which can damage nappies. However Ecover is not recommended as it frequently causes skin issues and problems with elastic in the nappies as it tends to build up on fibres very quickly.

Then I do an extra rinse if the final rinse of the wash programme still had suds in it.

I hand wash wraps cos it makes them last longer.

I'm a fan of line drying in the sun as much as possible as it gets ride of stains without harming the fibres in your nappies, but if not then I line dry inside on an airer near the radiator or in the airing cupboard. I don't put them directly on the radiators or tumble dry as this can damage them in the long run and tumble drying also makes the nappies hold onto smells more. After i've hand washed the wraps I wipe them out with a towel to remove excess moisture and dry them as per the nappies.

Nappies that have poo on them are not recommended to go into the machine with other washing so frankly it’s often easier just to do a separate nappy wash.

However, if you have a couple of nappies that are only wet and not soiled, you could add them to a load of clothes or linen. It's up to you.
However, as a rough guide, you'll probably need to do about two loads every other day while your baby is a newborn, and one load every other day by the time he's six months.

When you take the nappies out of the washing machine, they should smell fresh and clean. If they still smell of dirty nappies, even faintly, rewash them. Bad smells can mean that the nappies contain lingering bacteria, which may irritate your baby's skin or cause nappy rash.

I'd wash nappies at a minimum of 60 degrees, definitely no fabric conditioner, but I'd put in Napisan and bio detergent (Persil as my lot are allergic to Ariel). None of this 30 degree wash for anything that's actually dirty!

You need a 90degree boil wash for dirty nappies, I wouldn't suggest putting anything in with them but I'm not sure why, just don't think I'd fancy it.

I agree summer but not all the time, 60 degrees is generally enough but a 90 degree wash now and again is always good. And I'd wash nappies always by themselves.