Washing new reusables

[RidgewayLass]

Hi, I don't post here very often but wondered what other people think about washing reusable nappies before use.

I just bought some bamboo nappies. The instructions say to pre-wash "8 - 10 times" prior to use.

Does anyone do this? If so, what process did you follow - wash and dry, just wash, and at what temps and how much detergent? Did you just wash the nappies by themselves or did you make up a full load 10 times?

I've got five, I'd need about 25 to make a full load in my machine, and if I hang around until I've got enough other stuff to wash with them, DD will be in school before they are ready to wear.

It seems awfully wasteful of energy (mine as well as the electrical sort) and chemicals. I asked the supplier why they couldn't do it in bulk and they just waffled a bit.

I can't help thinking that after all that effort DD might hate them having weed on them once or twice and I will then have rag them. I had to rag about £50 worth of nappies I bought when she was tiny.

How many other mums had that experience, of doshing up huge sums of money for reusables only to find they were unsuitable and unsaleable?

Hope this doesn't come across as a rant, but I actually wish I could find a sensible reusable, and maybe if we all talk about the problems with them we might solve a few.

yeah you do need to wash them, it makes them more absorbant. you could not bother, but you'll need to change them very frequently, so it's easier to do it first.

no need to dry between washes, just keep washing them. chuck them in with some towels or something like that which doesn't need conditioner
and if they aren't suitable then sell them on!

I got a trial pack of Tots Bots Bamboozles and flexitots a couple of weeks or so ago. If there was anything telling me to pre-wash them, I missed it. So I didn't. And they've been fine - superbly absorbent. But maybe Tots Bots pre-wash them before sending out, which would make sense. Us mums have enough to do! But if the manufacturer hasn't bothered to pre-wash them then I reckon, yes, you probably should.

In terms of washing, I've put them through the rinse cycle first if they've been really dirty. Otherwise I've already washed them about 3 or 4 times on a normal cycle with the rest of my laundry, at about 40 or 60 degrees (depending on staining), using Fairy non-bio gel and a little bit of fabric conditioner, and they've come out great each time so far. The Flexi-tots have dried really quickly too.

I also have bamboo nappies - yes, you do need to wash them first but don't go crazy doing 10 washes! I think I did 3 or 4 washes but be aware that they won't have their "best absorbancy" for a while so give them a few weeks before you decide if you like or not. But don't wash with fabric softener - it coats the fibres & reduces absorbancy. I can also recommend Tots Bots Bamboozles & Flexitots - especially the Flexitots.

Meanda cat, it's Totsbots Stretch and no, they haven't pre-washed them. I did a test and poured water on them in 2oz bursts, and found that a nappy with one additional booster it held 8oz both before and after a single wash (I washed on cold mind you, I was damned if I was going to use energy to heat water.)

Another booster by itself held a whopping 4oz of water, again both before and after one wash.

I will keep testing each time I wash so I can see what the measured increase in absorbency is.

DD was so excited about them that she insisted on wearing one anyway instead of Huggies Pullup. She woke me up at 2am to say she had wet it (she does that with the pullup) and it was all fine, no leaks. So pleased with the Stretch it's the leap forward I've been waiting for.

it isn't how much they'll absorb overall that will change, it's how quickly it gets absorbed.

a full wee may well run off a brand new nappy before it gets soaked up

I wash new nappies about three times, normal wash no drying in between and they seem ok. I wouldnt wash them 10 times that seems a bit much, maybe wash them a few times and change her frequently until they are fully absorbant? I used a tiny amount of detergent and make sure i rinsed really well to get it all out.

Thanks for the replies. That's interesting, no-one saying they wash them that often.

I soak my nappies for about 24 hours when I receive them, then wash them once, and use them. I try to keep in mind to change my daughter more often at the beginning, but I never had any leaking problem even before reaching the 10 washes.