I had this idea that washing diapers by hand was really hard or complicated. I’m discovering that neither is true. We mothers know how to get things clean, and that’s all you’ve got to do when hand washing diapers. It’s a simple matter of rinsing, washing and wringing them out when done. You do have to set aside a lot more time, though.
Here’s the routine I’ve used this week, which closely follows the guidelines at the Cloth Diaper Geek blog. Yes, I used the bucket-and-plunger method, BUT I decided to set the bucket inside my tub as I worked for several reasons:
- It creates a barrier between the mess and my children, who were of course very curious and crowding in to watch
- It contains mess and splashing
- It gives you easy access to running water at different temperatures
- It gives you access to a sanitary draining system. I didn’t want to dump dirty diaper water in my back yard.
Supplies:
- 5 Gallon Bucket
- Detergent and Water Softener
- Plunger
Step 1:
Fill the bucket with cold water to several inches above the diapers. Make sure diapers aren’t swimming in the bucket; they should be close but not packed tightly. If you have too few, add in an old towel. Plunge the diapers about 50 times, steadily and rhythmically. The strong suction may grab a diaper every once in a while; just free it from the plunger and keep going. If you have #2 diapers in there, you’ll see the water turning brown (phew!), but remember, this is just the rinse cycle.
You don’t have to strain your back by leaning over the bucket as you work. I sat on a stool right next to the tub and it was very comfortable.
Step 2:
Dump out the rinse water. Pour in detergent (according to load size) and water softener (optional). Fill the bucket again, this time with hot water. Plunge the diapers another 50 times.
Ensure good agitation by changing the position of your plunger, all around the bucket.
Step 3:
Let the diapers soak in soapy water for 15 minutes. This step is optional, especially if you rinse your diapers as soon as they come off your baby, or if you only have pee diapers. But I like to do the soak. 🙂
Step 4:
If you did the soak, plunge about 20 more times. Empty out the water. Now the diapers should be clean and fresh-smelling.
At this point, I dumped the diapers in the tub, so I could more easily rinse and wring each one. You can do your final rinse in the bucket (with plunging) but I like using my hands to rinse the diapers so I can more thoroughly rinse out all the detergent.
Step 5:
Rinse the diapers either by plunging in cold water in the bucket 50 times or by hand under running water (my preference, because when they aren’t soapy and slippery anymore, I can really feel it).
I’ve also discovered that rinsing under running water does a more thorough job of getting all the suds out, and there’s no need to repeat like you might have to with a bucket and plunger.
Step 6:
Wring out each diaper and hang on the line to dry and treat for any stains.
My flat diapers felt a little bit stiff coming off the line, and that’s normal. Shaking them out and folding helps to soften them a bit. Interestingly, the only cloth wipes that came off the line feeling soft were my GroVia’s (another reason I love those things).
Final Thoughts:
- I timed the whole operation. It took about 40 minutes for all the washing and rinsing and 5 minutes to hang everything on the line.
- Dry time was about 6 hours outside on the line. It was sunny with only a very light breeze. Typically, it’s much windier here in Kansas and dry time would be more like 3 or 4 hours.
- If you do not have access to hot water, allow more time for agitation and/or rinsing.
- If you do not have an outside clothesline, spend extra time on the wringing process to get as much water out as possible before hang-drying inside. A commercial bucket with a wringer works great for this.
- You don’t have to use a plunger. Gloved hands work just fine; scrub the diapers up against each or a washboard, like great-grandma did.
- Hand washing takes more time, but it saves electricity.
- Stains are harder to get rid of with hand washing, but the sun will help a little with that. You might also consider pre-soaking your diapers in an OxiClean solution before hand washing them.
Nearly all of us have had to hand wash something at some point. What are your experiences with this? Oh, and let me know if you have any questions about my tutorial!
aimee place says
You sure made that look easy enough. I see you use persil. 🙂 I love that stuff. How did doubling up flats in your overnight diaper work out?
Anne says
Doubling up the bamboo flats has worked great, 2 nights in a row!
Christina says
45 minutes is not too bad, I don’t have a washer or dryer but I got a panda off craigslist that might not last much longer so when that conks out I’ll probably be trying this.
DeAndra Field says
Flats & bucket washing are the best way to use cloth while camping!
Jessica Long says
I have been doing mine the same way in the tub and all the only difference is I’ve been adding a tablespoon of bleach when there’s a poop diaper. Hand rinsing under the water really is the best I think it’s true you get a better sense of how much soap you need or don’t need in the water during the rinse I also used a buncha farmers stain stick on one of the diapers that was staying so that the sun wouldn’t help or the bleach and that worked out well
Rachel says
You made it look fairly easy! Thanks for all the pictures.
Andrea says
The washing part seems okay, but the rinsing would use quite a bit of water–likely more than my machine would.
Anne says
You may be right, especially if you are used to an HE machine. ~Anne
Nathania says
I wonder why diapers are just so stiff coming off the line! Sometimes crunchy lol
Nathania says
How much detergent do you use -how do you determine hue much to use since the amount of load always varies?
Anne says
Well, it also depends on the amount of water. If you’re washing in the tub, which is good for larger loads, you’ll use more water and need more detergent – probably about the same amount you would use if machine washing. The bucket method I used holds less diapers, so I used about half what I would normally put in the washer. ~Anne
Anne says
Here are some general guidelines from Thirsties http://www.thirstiesbaby.com/blog/how-to-wash-your-cloth-diapers-by-hand/
Ya Ya says
How many diapers can you wash with this method in a 5 gallons bucket?
Anne Marie says
It depends on what you’re washing (flats, prefolds, covers, etc.). Basically, I fill the bucket about half full of diapers for each wash. ~Anne Marie