Washing and Care Instructions
These washing and care instructions are intended to keep your diapers looking great wash after wash. It is important to follow our washing and care instructions in order to take advantage of our guarantee.
Take care of those snaps! Knits are by nature a delicate fabric. It is important to use your finger nails to gently pry the snaps apart rather than yanking them apart by tugging at the fabric. The snaps could eventually rip through the fabric if you are not careful.
PreciousDignity.com has worked to be responsive to the issues of elastic failure in fitted diapers. The Clover diaper has button hole elastic so that it can be replaced should it wear out in the future, making your diaper last longer.
The slot in the back of the diaper is for PreciousDignity to gain access to the interior of the diaper to replace any worn out elastic or to perform any necessary repairs according to our lifetime warranty.
One bonus feature of the button hole elastic is that it can be adjusted to fit. BE EXTEMELY CAREFUL should you ever access the diaper interior. The tiny snaps at the access slot should be carefully opened with fingernails or a tool (butter knife) to prevent stretching or tearing. Your hand will not fit into the interior of the diaper without tearing the fabric at the seams. Organic velour is a delicate fabric and will positively rip when stressed. If you need to adjust the elastic, it is best to only work with the points at the top of the diaper, closest to the access slot.
Do’s and Don’ts
Do rinse poopy diapers before going in the hamper (excluding breastfed newborns).
Don’t use bleach. It eats fabric!
Don’t use fabric softener. It reduces absorbency.
Do wash every 2-3 days. Don’t dry on heat higher than medium.
Do use biodegradable, eco-friendly washing supplies.
Don’t use too much detergent. It can lead to build-up.
Do dry them in the sun to lighten stains and reduce electric consumption.
Don’t wash with polyester fleece covers. It’ll leave secondary pilling (little cotton fuzzies) all over your fleece.
Do use your Velcro™ item’s laundry fold-back tabs. The hook can snag the Wooly Nylon serging.
Don’t be afraid to email me with questions!
Our Recommended Washing Routine
- Rinse poopy diapers before going in the hamper. Optional: Pretreat with Imse Vimse natural stain soap or BioKleen’s Bac-Out. There is no need to rinse the poop from the diapers of breastfed newborns.
- Every 2-3 days wash your diapers starting with a cold rinse. This will rinse away to bulk of the urine and any poopy residue. Don’t use hot water just yet. Hot water will set the stains.
- Wash on your washer’s hottest water temperature setting, and use a small amount of biodegradable detergent. You can also use a biodegradable bleach alternative at this time, if you choose. We also strongly recommend using Borax. It is septic and plumbing safe and will aid your detergent by making it more effective. It does not contain phosphates or chlorine. Other optional additives at this time are tea tree oil and lavender oil.
- Rinse in cold water and add a little white distilled vinegar. The vinegar will soften the fabric and restore ph balance. But remember, only a little. You should not smell vinegar when the diapers come out of the wash.
- A second cold rinse is recommended. It is important to rinse all soap residue which can cause skin irritation, reduce diaper’s absorbency, and make diapers difficult to get clean.
Tips of the Trade
Cotton has naturally occuring oil that we all know does not mix with water. Wash your new diapers in very hot water at least once before use to dissolve and wash away that oil. Diapers will become more absorbent with time as the oil continues to dissolve with each subsequent wash.
If your diapers appear to lose their absorbency or do not seem to be getting completely clean, you may have detergent build-up. It is recommended that you “strip” your diapers by washing them in hot water, followed by a cold rinse, with NO detergent. This will eliminate old detergent buried in the fibers and bring your diapers back to life. Dry your diapers in the sunlight to naturally whiten them and reduce stains.