sterilising nappies

[lyra41]

How important is it to soak nappies in some kind of sterilising solution such as napisan etc.? Is it just dirty nappies or is it important for wet nappies too? I wash nappies at 90 degrees but don't soak them, will that kill all the nasty bacteria? Also I sometimes cold wash wet nappies with the normal wash, is that ok? There have been no noticeable problems, but have I just been lucky, should I really be 90 degree washing all nappies?

60 degrees is fine and no need to sterilise.

I always put in a couple of drops of teatree oil (natural antibacterial) but that was mainly for the smell. You don't need to do it and you don't need to wash at 90.

thanks for that. what about wet nappies? ok to cold wash or better just do nappies all tog at 60?

I do them all together at 60, with some napisan added to the wash.

I would do them all together at 60. In many ways I'm more worried about the effects of the ammonia in wet nappies, than anything in dirty nappies.

I wash all mine together. I do a cold rinse first to get rid most of the wee and poop, then a 60 degree wash.

You don't need to use napisan or wash at 90!!!

first i rinse all the nappies under the cold water tap (not hot - it sets stains). then i put them all in the nappy bucket which is filled with cold water and sometimes some nappy fresh. i don't use vinegar or lemon juice cos it can damage the elastic or any oils cos they can make the nappies start replling liquid. i wet pail cos it breaks down the urine and loosens stains so the nappies last longer. i don't soak wraps though cos this affects their waterproofness.
i try to do a wash every day because the longer nappies remain wet the quicker the fabrics will break down.

i do a prewash with no detergent, a 30 degree wash with half a tablet or 1/4 the recommended amount of powder/liquid (we use the ecover non-bio original washing powder because it is the only one that doesn't contain dyes, enzymes, perfumes, whiteners, brighteners or phosphates which can damage nappies. if the nappies are a bit stained i use some nappy fresh or ecover laundry bleach aswell.) and an extra rinse if the final rinse of the wash programme still had suds in it. i don't use fabric conditioner cos it coats the fibres and so reduces absorbancy. i hand wash wraps cos it makes them last longer.

i'm another fan of line drying as much as possible, 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.

nappyaddict, I worry that if i wash cooler then 60 deg then bugs in the poop will hang around, cos surely it's normal for there to be bugs and stuff in poop? Isn't that one of its functions, to rid the body of waste and bacteria?

A lot of my nappies can't be washed at higher than 40 it say so on the label so it must be considered ok. I think if you do a wash every day it's not long enough for much bacteria to get into the nappies. Also fast forward to potty training days. If your lo has an accident in their underpants you wouldn't wash them on 90 would you - more like 30 or 40.