Newly purchased real nappies need to be prewashed - we would recommend at least twice – this is needed for the nappy to reach its full absorbency.  These prewashes can be in cold water with minimum detergent, or added to your other washing (just don’t add any fabric softener).  Now your nappies are ready to use!

We recommend that you store the used nappies in a lidded bucket until you have a full wash load, soaking is unnecessary.  As the poo goes down the toilet first there is little smell and it is easily contained in the bucket!  When the bucket is full you are ready to wash…

• Use A rated appliances – these are better for the environment and will save you money on energy costs.  A fast spin cycle is excellent for nappies and can really shorten drying times.
• Wash in full loads – 10-15 nappies at a time is a good guide, or wash fewer nappies with other laundry.
• Wash at no more than 60˚, you may well find that washing at 40˚ is adequate for you.
• Avoid tumble drying – hang outside or use an airer.  Sunshine has a natural bleaching effect to help keep your nappies sparkling!  Airing the nappies overnight before tumble drying them will halve the time needed to dry them.
• Store used nappies in a lidded bucket – no need to soak, in fact traditional ‘nappisan’ can damage Velcro and modern fabrics.
• Use an eco, non-biological detergent but don’t use fabric conditioners or chemical sanitisers
• Consider switching to an eco energy tariff for your electricity.
• Never iron your nappies!

By following this simple guide your nappy washing will be easy – remember the washing machine does all of the hard work for you!