How to prolong/ lengthen the life of your Baby Cloth Diapers/ Nappies?

The purpose of us using cloth diapers is so that we can save money.  Of course, the ideal world is for the baby to use from newborn through potty training and then, if they have other sibblings for the sibblings to use as well. Actually, this is how my mama managed to prolong our prefolds for 3 of us.


Here are some of the ways where you can think of to try to prolong the life of the cloth diapers:

• Do not use bleach, I know that there are some brands of cloth diaper tells their customer to use just a little of bleach but we think that in order to prolong the life of your cloth diaper, it is best to not use bleach.  Baking soda and vinegar is definitely a good substitute to whithen your cloth diapers.
• Do not use fabric softener!  I guess all CD moms and manufacturer say that this is a big NO NO.  The reason is because the chemicals in the fabric softener will cause the diapers to lose its absorbency.  Also, if there is microfleece inside the diaper, it will repel moisture when rinsed in fabric softener.  Most diapers now are made out of PUL outside, and causes the PUL to break down faster causing wicking to occur.
• Line dry your diapers.  I guess for those CD moms who lives in tropical countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, etc, it is ok for them since it is hot and humid all year round.  Therefore, it is perfect for them but not for countries with 4 seasons, it's just hard.  I do have customers that tells me that I live in Maine, I cannot line dry my diapers but you can still hang dry them overnight or just partially dry them in the dryer and hang dry them?  For example, my own clothes, I never do put them in the dryer but I hang them in the laundry room.  The room is so hot when the dryer is turned on, it is perfect to hang your diapers there.
• Maybe try not to use Dreft?  A lot of people think that Dreft is a detergent for baby but a lot of CD mom advise us not to use Dreft for baby cloth diapers.  Some say that Dreft is not ideal as Dreft contains scents, enzymes and brighteners.  According to most of them, Dreft contains softener, which is not good for diapers.  I think the best thing is to try out to ensure that it works for you and your cloth diapers.

Of course, there are many more things we need to do to prolong the life of your cloth diapers.  Share with us so that we can share it with other cloth diaper parents!