Washing Instructions & Troubleshooting Advice

Washing- Quick Reference:

• Rinse soiled nappies and place in nappy bucket
• Wash nappies every second day
• Put nappies in machine and do a rinse cycle ( set machine's water level to the highest level if possible)
• Wash in warm or hot water (for best clean) with 1/2 scoop of detergent. Heavy Duty/ Long wash cycle.
• Hang or tumble dry

Washing- Detailed Instructions:

Preparing your nappies for first use

• Baby BeeHinds nappies are fine to use in front and top loading washing machines.
• Wash nappies 3-5 times prior to first use to remove residues left behind from fabric manufacture. In the first wash, simply use half a scoop of detergent. In the second and third washes no detergent is required. Warm or hot water is best for these initial washes. No need to dry in-between these first 3-5 washes.
• Dry your nappies. Baby BeeHinds nappies are fine to use in tumble dryers. Please use warm cycle only. The hot cycle is not recommended as it will wear out your nappies quicker. Line drying is best for our environment.

Your cloth nappies' absorbency will increase with each wash until they've had around 8 washes, at which time they will have reached maximum absorbency.

Caring for your nappies + PUL covers

• We recommend washing your nappies every second day. We do not recommend leaving them dirty any longer than this as doing so may be detrimental to the lifespan of your nappies.
• When baby needs a nappy change, clean baby's bottom as per normal and change baby in to a clean, fresh nappy. If the used nappy has been soiled, rinse into a bucket and then tip bucket contents down the toilet and flush. To make life easier though, we highly recommend the 'Little Squirt'. It is a sprayer device that attaches to your toilet to enable you to spray the mess off the nappy directly into the toilet without you having to get your hands dirty. Little Squirts are sold in the 'Nappying Accessories' area of our webstore.
• Nappies that have only been peed can be placed directly in to the bucket, however if baby has very strong pees, it is a good idea to give your nappies a quick rinse by hand prior to putting them in the nappy bucket. This will dilute the urine in the nappy. Sometimes, strong urine can degrade nappies if they are left too long in the bucket.
• We do not recommend regularly soaking your nappies in any solutions (eg Napisan), particularly those that contain chlorine bleaching agents, as it will directly affect a nappy's lifespan. However, soaking in plain water is okay if this is your preference.
• Once the bucket is full (generally every second day) simply put the nappies into your washing machine and set your machine to do a rinse cycle. Once the rinse cycle is completed you can wash your nappies. We recommend washing in either cold, warm or hot water. Any temperature up to 60 degrees celcius is fine. Remember to use only half a scoop to one full scoop of detergent. Using too much detergent can lead to a build up of product on your nappies and can affect the nappy's absorbency and perhaps make them smelly. Never use fabric softener at any time as it will leave a residual coating on the fabric fibres.
• PUL covers are to be cared for in the same manner as your nappies, however we recommend washing them in a lingerie bag to keep them looking nice! Remember to always fold back the laundry tabs on your PUL covers.
• If line drying your nappies, to keep nappy elastic in best condition, try pegging your nappies on the line 'horizontally' (like you would a bedsheet) rather than 'vertically'. This way, the weight of the wet nappy does not stretch the elastic whilst drying. Alternatively, drape nappies over a clothes horse instead. If tumble drying your nappies use the warm setting only.

Caring for your Wool Covers

Wool covers require some extra care. In order for your wool cover to perform its best, it needs to be 'lanolised'. Lanolin is the natural oil found in wool that helps to keep sheep dry in the rain. The wool needs to have this lanolin replenished every couple of weeks to maintain its leak proof abilities. The best product to use during this process is 'Lansinoh', which is sold at chemists (commonly used to soothe sore nipples when breastfeeding). It is the purest form of lanolin available and is completely natural and hypoallergenic.

Lanolising is actually a very easy process! Simply fill a bucket or sink with about 5cm of very hot water, than add a pea-sized amount of pure lanolin and mix to melt and disperse. Once the lanolin is melted and evenly dispersed throughout the hot water, add enough cold water to make it cool then submerge your cover and leave to soak for a couple of hours. It does not matter if it is left longer- some people choose to soak overnight. When you are ready to remove the cover, do not rinse it, just squeeze out the excess water by hand. Following this, roll your cover up in a towel to remove as much moisture as possible, and then hang your cover in the shade to dry.

BeeHinds wool covers only need washing every few weeks! (Providing they are not soiled and have been lanolised well enough). When you change your baby's nappy, hang the wool cover to air dry until you next need to use it again (it is best to alternate between covers when using wool). The lanolin in the wool neutralizes the urine, meaning your cover self-cleaning. You only need to wash your cover if it becomes soiled, stinky or dirty, or when it requires re-lanolising. If your baby is a heavy wetter with very strong urine, you will probably need to lanolise more regularly. We'd recommend lanolising about once per fortnight.

Baby BeeHinds wool covers can be machine washed, on the gentle cycle, inside a laundry or delicates bag. Make sure you attach the Velcro to the washing tabs inside the cover so that it does not catch on other items in the wash or on its own binding. Make sure you only use cold water to wash in (you could wash them in with your clothes). If you prefer, you may choose to wash by hand in cool water using soap flakes or wool wash (ideal). These are nice and gentle on the natural fibers of the wool. Once it is clean, rinse well under cool water, lanolise, and then hang in the shade to dry.

Do not soak your wool covers in whitening or soaking solutions

TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS!

Stinky Nappies/PUL Covers?

A smell issue with nappies and PUL covers is generally a result of a) not washing them as frequently as they need, b) not being completely dry before they are reused c) possibly a 'build up' of detergent on them, which can create a bit of a musty 'wet dog' kind of smell or d) they haven't received an effective clean.

If you are experiencing a smell issue with your nappies, we recommend giving them a good deep clean. Deep clean as follows:

1) Take all your clean dry nappies and put them in the machine, with NO detergents. Fill the machine with hot water to a HIGH water level and let it complete its wash cycle.

2) During the second wash (again, hot water, high water level), you might like to consider using 1 teaspoon of non-moisturising dishwashing liquid in the wash cycle and 'Dettol Sanitary Laundry Rinse' in the rinse cycle (available in the laundry isle of the supermarket- we find this FANTASTIC to freshen up nappies).

3) A final rinse should then have fixed the smell problem.

In order to prevent the problem re-occurring, the following tips might be useful:

1) Always ensure your nappies are washed no longer than 48 hours after use, as after they are used, bacteria can breed on them, causing smells etc. Nappies that have been left for longer are harder to keep 'fresh' as regular washing is not then as effective. Washing every 2 days equals only 3 loads a week, so it isnt too time consuming.

2) Always ensure that you do a 'rinse' cycle prior to the 'wash' cycle in your washing machine. If you dont do a rinse cycle first, the nappies are agitated around in dirty water, and the detergent acts on the water, as opposed to the nappies themselves.

3) Always ensure that in the rinse and wash cycles, that the water level is set higher than the nappies. Because nappies are designed to be absorbent, they actually soak up a lot of the water that fills the machine. This is particularly important for front loaders which typically use less water anyway than top loaders. If your front loader does not have the ability to adjust the water level, ensure you always use the longest/most intensive rinse and wash cycles possible.

4) Personally, we find washing our nappies in hot water provides a more effective clean. 60 degrees celcius is ideal.

5) Always ensure that the nappies are completely dry before they are used again. Completely dry nappies should smell fresh, rather than musty.

So, basically, this is a good wash routine:

1) Cold rinse cycle in high water level (sometimes called a pre-wash)
2) Hot wash cycle in high water level
3) Hang to dry (or tumble dry if you have to because of rain)

with a deep clean every few months.

Sometimes, smelly nappies can result from not using enough detergent, so if the deep clean above does not help smell issues, try using more detergent instead. Typically, hard water areas do require more detergent to provide a thorough clean.

Leaks?

Sometimes, leaky nappies can result from baby simply needing more absorbency in their nappy, or requiring more regular nappy changes.

If absorbency is the problem, try 'boosting' the nappy. Anything absorbent will do, but a folded washer is a cheap option! You dont necessarily NEED proper nappy boosters.

Time between changes: some people change baby's nappy as soon as it is wet, others change by the clock (except in the instance of a poo, in which case the nappy is changed immediately). If changing by the clock, try to aim for every 2-3 hrs in the interests of good hygiene.

Fit: If using a cover, ensure the cover FITS correctly and covers all of the nappy. If using an AIO ensure there are no gapes around the legs or back and that the nappy comes high enough up between the legs to provide good coverage (ie no plumber's crack!).

Build-Up: Build up of product such as creams or detergent can result in leaks, as such products used in excess can clog the fibres of the nappy. In this instance, follow the instructions above for a strip wash / deep clean. Try to avoid using zinc based creams unless a liner is used in the nappy to protect the fabrics.

Stains?

It is inevitable at some point during the time spent nappying your baby that the nappies will get stained (just wait till baby eats blueberries for the first time!)! It is important to remember that stains don't necessarily mean the nappies are dirty. Sure, they are not as aesthetically pleasing, however as long as you are following the recommended wash routine your nappies should be sufficiently clean.

Stains can result from changes in baby's (or mum's) diet, illness, medications, frequency of washing etc. Stains are best treated by re-washing the stained nappy and hanging in the sun to dry (UV is fantastic to fade away stains!). Particularly stubborn stains may take a few sunnings to disappear.

If you have a REALLY stubborn stain that you want to remove, it is okay to occassionally use a spray treatment (such as Preen). You would use it on a clean, dry nappy (not a used one). Do not saturate the effected area, and only use this treatment after all other measures have failed. It is not recommended that this treatment is undertaken any more frequently than every 8 weeks.

To prevent stains, follow the recommended wash routine, hang in the sun to dry, and if stains really bother you, consider using nappy liners to catchy baby's mess.

Stiff Nappies?

Over time, it is very normal for any nappy (or even towels) made from natural fibres to stiffen a bit. This is because the natural oils found in the fibres when new, eventually wash out. As they wash out, the nappies/towels also become more absorbent. just how stiff they become is affected by a few things, including how hard the water is in your region, the RPM speed on your washer, the amount of water used during the wash etc. Here are some tips to keep your nappies as soft as possible:

• Ensure the water level in your washing machine is set higher than the nappies during the wash. Highest level, if possible.
• Rather than using fabric softener (which Baby BeeHinds does not recommend) try washing with bi-carb soda every 2nd wash (approx 1/2 cup).
• Hang nappies out in the cooler part of the day to dry. The quicker they dry, the stiffer they dry. Some people choose to hang their nappies out at night and then bring in about mid-morning the next day (or as soon as they are dry)
• Hang in the shade, or on a clothes horse under a ceiling fan.
• Finish off in the tumble dryer for about 15 minutes.
• Lower the RPM speed on the washing machine- 800 is ideal.

Nappies that feel a bit stiff after line drying wont hurt your baby, as once they are being worn, the movements and body heat of baby will soften them up (kind of like a pair of denim jeans fresh off the line). We have also found that using 'Dettol Sanitising Laundry Rinse' (available in the laundry aisle of the supermarket) really helps to keep nappies soft (and fresh too).