How to Wash Dirty Terry Nappies

Terry nappies are designed for dirty work so you need to know how to clean them. At every change you flush any solid waste down the toilet. If you are using a flushable nappy liner than you can simply flush the liner and poo together! If you are using a washable liner, or if any poo has clung to the nappy, you may have to sluice this in the toilet. It is not as disgusting as it sounds. Simply grab one corner of the nappy or the liner and rinse it while the toilet is flushing.

You can choose to store your dirty terry nappies dry or soak them until you have enough for a load. Even if you choose not to soak your nappies, it may be best to store them in a bucket to keep little hands off. Washing your terry nappies at 60°C will be more than enough to clean them and kill any germs. Pre-soaking your nappy is beneficial as it dilutes the urine in the material, prolonging the life of the nappy. Alternatively to soaking, you can give it a quick rinse in the toilet while flushing, then drop the rinsed nappy into the bucket.  Do not soak your wraps though as this damages the waterproof fabric. To minimize the chance of spills, add merely enough water to cover the nappies. Simply add more water as needed. You can add 2-3 tbsp of white distilled vinegar or 1 tbsp sodium bicarbonate or 5 drops of tea tree oil which has both antifungal and antibacterial properties.

If you have soaked your terry nappies, you must drain the water before placing them in the washing machine. Wash the nappies and liners between 40 - 60°C. Use a minute amount of non-biological washing powder. It is the temperature of the water that kills the bacteria, not the washing powder. Any residual washing powder will redissolve when it comes in contact with wee, which will react negatively on baby’s bottom. Any stubborn stains that remain are easily removed by sunlight. Dry your nappies on the line or in a tumble drier. However, there is no need to tumble dry all the time with terry nappies and it will just cost you money. Also, terry nappies hanging on the line, drying in the sun and breeze, look fresh and happy! :)

How to wash your terry nappies

There are two ways to wash your terry nappies, essentially... the old way and the new way!


You can a) put them in nappy bucket with water to cover and add 2-3 tbsp. white distilled vinegar OR 1tbsp. sodium bicarbonate OR 5 drops of tea tree oil, which has antibacterial and antifungal properties (and top up the water over nappies when you add them and they fill up past the water line), or b) "dry pail" them in the bucket or put them in a "wet bag" and leave your nappies in there until you need to wash, then put them on to wash just like you would any other item.


As terry nappies are cotton they can handle boiling but you don't need to do this as it will reduce the life of the nappy while not really doing anything useful.  Don't use too much detergent on cloth nappies because if you use too much it will not rinse out fully and when the baby wees in the nappy, it will rehydrate and sting/burm your baby's bottom.


Never use fabric softeners or antistatic products, they can lessen the absorbency and the life of your nappies.  Terries will be disinfected just by hanging in the sun, so you don't need to go nuts with washing them with extra washing powder.  In fact, use less than the manufacturer's recommendation when washing them.


When it comes to drying them, hang them out in the sun if possible because the sun will bleach your terry nappies white again and they will look nice and clean and pretty hanging on the line!  If you can't hang them outside, hanging them inside in a sunny airy room will dry them in next to no time too and direct sun on them will keep your terry towel squares fine as fine can be.  Terries dry so fast, with just a little sun or a breeze, you couldn't ask for nappies that are faster drying.


At the top of this post is an example of a plain plastic nappy bucket.  Some people choose to use "hanging pails" or large wet bags instead.  We used wet bags, as they can be easier to grab and move to the laundry, but some people swear by buckets.  Buckets are bulky, of course, and even if you dry-pail rather than soak they are still heavier than a PUL and cotton wetbag.


That said, pails may hold in smells better, and they still generally cheaper - a large wetbag may set you back more than $30, but a nappy bucket can be "made" simply by begging, borrowing or hopefully not stealing (lol) from a local bakery - the buckets that bakery flour comes in are often an ideal size for nappy dry pailing.