How to use re-usable nappies

[vincettenoir]

I hired a bum genius nappy from a nappy library and my daughter got on well with it. I plan to buy a load on eBay and switch to them. If I can do an extra load of laundry every couple of days I think I can make it work.

Just a couple of questions. There are some quite specific instructions about washing these nappies on a number of cycles snd using particular detergent. But I just put it on a 60 wash with a regular liquitab and it came out fine. Is this ok?

Is it also ok to use nappies previously worn by another baby or are there any health risks associated with this?

I don’t use bumgenius but a combination of a few other brands of reusables and they all get bunged on a Cotton wash at 60. I use non bio powder (Aldi own brand) and a spoonful of Napisan detergent.
I know some people wash on a cooler wash and don’t use Napisan and get on fine. As long as they’re coming out looking and smelling fresh and you’re using a non bio powder so it’s gentle next to babies bum I think it’s all good.
But I’m by no means an expert...just what’s worked for us for the last 5 months!!
I’ve had a few second hands nappies and put an extra rinse on the end of the usual washing cycle/detergent combo and all seems fine!
Hope that helps but others may have more insight which I can also learn from 😂

Also - the extra laundry feels like a big deal at first but once you’re in a routine with it I’ve found it’s not a huge amount of extra work. We’ve just come back from a holiday where we used disposables as there weren’t any washing facilities and I am glad to be back to our regular cloth nappies even with the associated extra washing!!

Generally powder and long washes with lots of rinsing are thought to be better as this stops nappies losing their absorbency over time..... liquid clings to fabrics more. I’ve also always done a cool prewash or rinse first, as the advice was going straight to a hot wash can set smells and stains rather than get them out.

Can i ask a much more stupid question? How do you get poo of them to an extent that they are okay to in the storage bucket/washing machine? I know the “flushable” liners aren’t actually flushable, do you put them in a nappy bag and bin?

For disposable liners I did used to put them in a nappy bag & bin them but I've recently switched to fleece liners & they're really good. To get them clean I was advised to hold the four corners of the liner so the poo was facing down into the toilet & dunk it in & out of the water until most of the solids had come off, flush & repeat until you're happy enough has come off. It's a bit gross the first few times but I was surprised by how quickly I got used to it!