• Place everything except Covers in a plastic garbage can or bucket or diaper pail. We keep ours in the laundry room because it is separate from the rest of the house. You may find it easier if your baby is small or this is your first time cloth diapering to keep a smaller bucket in the bathroom or baby's changing room and then later dump that bucket's contents into a larger pail nearer the washer. If the soiled diapers will be indoors, we recommend a lid and Citrus Circles to keep odors at bay. We do not use a "wet pail" method as it is unnecessary, dangerous to little ones and a nasty mess to have to deal with dumping and carrying.
• When you have about 4 dozen or so soiled and wet cloth diapering items--this means diapers plus your wipes, doublers and any machine washable (on hot) covers you may have--dump them in the washer and set it on a cold water rinse cycle. This prevents staining and loosens any particulates. Next, add detergent (not too much! Use half what it calls for and use real detergent, not Bronner's or other glycerin based or mild "baby" detergent products--they are NOT going to get your diapers clean enough) and set it to the heavy duty long cycle on hot. At this point if you are having a smelly diaper problem you would add any baking soda or washing soda. Not bleaches! No OxyClean--this stuff works great but really wears out your diapers. When that cycle is done, rinse in cold water one more time to cut any soapy residue.
• Finally, dry your diapers on high for one long cycle. If most of your diapers are thick with sewn-in soakers and you need them quickly you may need to dry them again for an additional 30 minutes. You can also simply set damp diapers aside, draped over towel racks or kitchen chairs, etc., to finish air drying. Alternatively of course if you have a clothesline and it's sunny you can line dry your diapers. To prevent stiffness bring them in just before they are completely dry and put them in the dryer for 10 minutes or so.

To re-cap:

1. Dump solid stool in toilet

2. Toss diaper, etc., in diaper pail (a washable pail liner is a plus!)

3. Rinse on cold

4. Wash on hot

5. Rinse on cold

6. Dry

Plastic snaps are designed to withstand normal washing and drying, even on hot or high setting temperatures. Boiling, however, may compromise the integrity of the snaps, causing them to fall off.

TIPS:

Covers last longer when air dried.

Fabric softeners can interfere with absorbency of diapers, water repellency of fleece, and the life of cloth diaper fabrics.

Bleach is bad for diapers.

Boiling is too hot for plastic/nylon snaps.

"Breastmilk stool" washes out in the washer just fine, no need for dunking, scraping or rinsing. Remember: All water exiting your house on a water system goes to the same place for processing and re-entry. All water exiting your house to a septic field takes a looong time to get back to the water table and re-enter.

You can wash out your washing machine with a hot water cycle and a few drops of tea tree oil or a dash of disinfectant if washing dirty diapers in it is a problem for any household members.

Most people use too much detergent in their laundry. You only need about half the recommended amount for most loads, even less for soft water areas.

And last but not least, if you have hook and loop fastening diapers and/or covers, consider washing them separately from serged diapers.