How to Wash and Care for Cloth Diapers

Written by a cloth diapering expert with over 15 years of experience in the trenches (and laundry rooms).

Step-by-Step Washing Instructions

1. Remove solids: If your baby is on solids, shake or spray poop into the toilet. Breastfed poop is water soluble – you can toss those straight in the pail. Pro Tip: Use biodegradable liners once baby is on solids. They look like fabric softener sheets minus all the chemicals and do a great job of keeping most of the poop (even the mushy stuff) away from the fabric while letting the urine pass right through. When you change the diaper just throw away the liner with the poop.
2. Pre-rinse or quick wash: Run a short cold or warm cycle without detergent. This removes most of the urine and any leftover solids (it's okay for there to be a little left on the edges, it will wash out, I promise).
3. Main wash: Use a heavy-duty hot wash with a strong detergent. This is the cycle that matters most. Hot water + a good detergent = clean diapers. I usually recommend adding an extra rinse at the end unless you have really hard water, then you can skip the extra rinse.
4. Dry: Tumble dry low or hang to dry. Sunlight naturally whitens and sanitizes.

Common Washing Issues & How to Fix Them

• Diapers smell like ammonia when baby pees: Likely due to detergent buildup or insufficient rinse. Run a few hot washes with no detergent to strip them. Follow by washing the load with a quarter cup of bleach and an extra rinse. For future washes decrease the amount of detergent you are using or add an extra rinse at the end of the wash cycle if you haven't already done so.
• Ammonia burn: This can be caused by either detergent buildup or diapers not getting clean enough. Make sure you’re using enough detergent and a strong main wash cycle. If you've been smelling ammonia in your diapers when you change baby, follow instructions above first and see if that solves the problem. 
• Diapers smell like a barnyard or poop when baby pees: What you are smelling is a build up of bacteria in your diapers, which means they are not getting clean enough. Increase the amount of detergent you are using, make sure the washing machine is 1/2-3/4 full (this is ideal to get the right amount of agitation), and wash the diapers with a quarter cup of bleach to kill the bacteria. You will not need to use bleach in every load, in fact we do not recommend using bleach regularly because it will decrease the life span of your diapers, however it is important if you have bacteria or your child is overcoming a virus that bleach is used to kill it so you can start fresh with the next wash cycle.
  
• Leaks: Can be from mineral buildup (if you have very hard water and are using a microfiber insert) or repelling (detergent build up that will usually be accompanied by a strong ammonia smell). If you think you may have mineral buildup due to hard water, soak your diapers in a bathtub with hot water and RLR (you can purchase on Amazon) for 30-40 minutes and then wash with detergent and a quarter cup of bleach. If you think you may have detergent buildup and your diapers are repelling, follow instructions above for getting rid of ammonia smell. 
• Rashes: Look at detergent residues (usually accompanied by an ammonia smell) or sensitivity to fragrances/dyes. Switch to a gentle, fragrance-free detergent.

The Science of Getting Diapers Clean

Cloth diapers are made to hold human waste. That means you need ingredients in your detergent that are strong enough to break down proteins, fats, and bacteria. Here’s what to look for:

• Surfactants: These lift and trap dirt and oils in water. Think of them as the little soap soldiers scrubbing every fiber.
• Enzymes: Protease and amylase break down protein and starch-based stains (ahem, poop). Lipase helps with fats.
• Builders (like sodium carbonate): They soften water so your detergent can work more effectively.

Recommended Detergents

• Tide Original Powder – Excellent cleaning power, widely available.
• Gain Powder – Strong enzymes, works well in hard water.
• Persil ProClean (liquid or powder) – Great stain remover, powerful clean.
• Seventh Generation Free & Clear – No fragrances/dyes, suitable for sensitive skin (just make sure to use enough).
• Arm & Hammer Sensitive Skin Free & Clear – Budget-friendly and fragrance-free option.
• All Free Clear Powder – Works well when used with adequate water and agitation.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve made it this far—congrats! You now know more about cloth diaper care than 95% of the internet. And guess what? It’s not rocket science. It’ is a little bit of chemistry but the good news is, someone else has already done all the heavy lifting when they designed detergents and washing machines to get even our dirtiest clothing clean. The takeaway: use enough detergent, wash on hot, rinse well, and keep it simple.

You do NOT need to weigh dirty diapers or decode water hardness charts to be successful. Trust your nose, trust your wash routine, and trust the process. Cloth diapering is doable, rewarding, and—dare I say—kinda fun.

Happy Washing! 🧼👶