Troubleshooting your cloth diaper

There are always going to be some bumps in the road, just like any other parenting venture. Here are some helpful hints for  the most common cloth diapering problems. If you are having any issues with the products you bought from us, or just general help with cloth diapering, especially if you are just starting out, do not hesitate to contact us, we will be more than happy to help you!

Leaks!

The most common of your diapers leaking are :

• improper fit, If the diaper is leaking, but not fully saturated, check to see if you have an improper fit.  If the leak is around the leg area, make sure there no gaps and try to get as snug a fit as possible, without it being too tight. Try adjusting the diaper to a different size or checking the insert. If the insert is not flat it could be creating a pocket area for pee to seep into and leak out of. 
• repelling  If you've got a good fit and you're still leaking, the most likely problem is that your diaper is repelling wetness instead of absorbing it. The causes of repelling could be from diaper cream residue or detergent build up. For either of these causes, there are a few remedies you can try: If you have been using diaper cream on your baby, without the protection of a flushable liner, your diapers will eventually have build up.
• over saturated diapers. First check to see where the leak is coming from, if the diaper is completely soaked, you know you're problem and it's time to change your diaper or insert. If your baby is soaking through diapers quite quickly, you made to change ore frquently or add in a doubler or insert.

Odors

It happens to everyone, you just did laundry and you go to change your babies bottom, and you open it up and you get a strong pungent smell, but it's not from a poopy diaper. It's just ammonia from pee. If you're diapers smell of ammonia, or have any other strong unpleasant smell, it is most likely caused by a detergent build up. To get rid of the smell, you are going to have to strip your diapers. (see above)

Another way to keep odors at bay is to use a little baking soda, in every other wash (1/2 cup). Baking soda is a natural odor eliminator, and a very effective one.

Staining

When dealing with baby poo, staining is inevitable. Staining won't affect how you're diapers work, but lots of parents don't like how it looks. Some good ways to prevent staining are to 

rinse your diapers in the toilet before washing, just swish them around with a stir stick. Or you can purchase a diaper sprayer. A handy contraption which is widely available, that is easily hooked up to your toilet so you can spray poo off the diapers before washing them. Also try not to wash them in hot water right away, or you risk "baking" the stains into the fabric.

If you have stains and want to get rid of them, hanging your diapers to dry outside on a bright sunny day will be the best way to achieve this. Sunlight is the cheapest and most effective way to brighten your diapers.

Caring for your hemp and bamboo diapers

Hemp and bamboo are wonderful fabrics for diapers, and are some of the greenest choices you can make. There are some special care procedure you need to make sure you do to allow them a long life. Before using your hemp or bamboo diapers make sure you pre-wash them at least twice. They will not reach it's maximum absorbency until the 8-10th wash, but you can start using them before then.

When you are pre-washing any diapers, make sure to pre-wash the hemp and bamboo ones separately because the natural oils can coat your other diapers.