Hard water, rough nappies...

Hi, I'm new to the forum and need some advice on how to wash nappies... I've always used squares til my lo decided he wasn't gonna lie still long enough for the nippa to go on! Have bought several different types to see what suits his shape best.

We live in a hard water area, and everything is coming up rough. Like the itti inserts, they're like cardboard! I never use the tumble dryer, always line dry when I can or hang them in our boiler cupboard in the warm to dry in the winter. Not sure what use to soften them up? I used to tumble dry the squares once fortnightly to soften them up, but not sure about aio's/fitted/sio's?? Also, what is all this stripping all about (my OH's ears pricked up last night when I said "stripping" - he didn't hear the word nappy I said before it though )??!! How often should I strip nappies? I've been using non-bio but found the nappies still had a feint smell of amonia so have just started using bio to see if it makes any difference. I've bought preloved nappies from here and they always smell so fresh compared to my non-bio'd things that don't smell of anything. Is that because they're bio'd? Also, was told not to use softener as it stops them being absorbent, but a few comments on here I've seen people have said they use Bold 2 in 1...

Sorry for all the questions! Just a tad confuzzled...

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We live in a hard water area, and everything is coming up rough. Like the itti inserts, they're like cardboard! I never use the tumble dryer, always line dry when I can or hang them in our boiler cupboard in the warm to dry in the winter. Not sure what use to soften them up?

I also live in a hard water area and have this problem. My Itti inserts dry like cardboard too I must admit tho that I put mine in the drier for a 10min softening spin Its works for me with all types of nappies. For fitteds that come out a bit crispy, you can always rub them together to soften them up a bit as this works quite well. I've also heard that rain water can soften nappies but if you're like me then there's not been an over abundance of rain lately You could also try putting some white vinegar in when you wash them as this helps strip out excess detergents.

Also, what is all this stripping all about (my OH's ears pricked up last night when I said "stripping" - he didn't hear the word nappy I said before it though )??!! How often should I strip nappies?

Strip washing is when a method for 'stripping' excess detergent, stains and smells out of your nappies. There are various methods (some of which are posted in threads): viewtopic.php?f=19&t=23823 and viewtopic.php?f=19&t=39305

I do mine about every 3 months by doing a rinse and then a full wash at 60' with a full dose of bio powder and then rinse till there is no bubbles - usually about 3-4 rinses. You can add some vinegar to the wash as well.

As for powder - I used to use non-bio but have now switched to bio after reading other posts on the subject and am yet to have a smelly nappy.

Hope this helps

Once all your nappies , inserts , outers etc are dried stick them all in the tumble drier for 20 minutes - they'll come out lovely and soft and you've nothing to feel guilty about for putting them in for that little amount of time

I didnt find non bio cleaned nappies at all well , so after the first couple of washes with non - bio i switched to using my normal detergent on the nappies too - either persil 2 x concentrated or surf small and mighty , just use half the dosage. Im in a hard water area too.

In 2.5 years of using cloth nappies ive only ever had to strip nappies twice. What is your wash routine for your nappies?

I do a cold rinse , no spin
60 degree full wash with half dose of detergent , extra water & extra rinse , no spin
then a rinse with 1600 spin
and in winter months i do a 2nd 1600 spin to help drying times

hth?

I've just been doing 60 degree long wash, rinse, then spin, I haven't done a cold wash first, but now I've just read on another post about how hot water can bake stains in. Will try that. Also need to "wash" my washing machine, never tried doing anything with white vinegar so will try that. Just bought some plain bio powder, but will try some surf too as bold makes my lo's eczema irritate. That's another reason why I stuck with non-bio as I was a bit worried about his eczema, but so far seems ok so prob has outgrown it a bit now he's one.

Will also try using the tumbler for 20 mins Thanks for the advice, will try tonight and see how it all goes!!

cold rinsing should stop any amonia smells too hun

Also, just as a ? do I need to use napisan? I used it with the squares, but no one on here has mentioned it...

Also, just as a ? do I need to use napisan? I used it with the squares, but no one on here has mentioned it...

I've never had to use it as bio powder cleans nappies thoroughly enough and the hor wash will kill any bacteria