Cloth Diaper Laundry Update

About a year ago, I wrote a post about cloth diaper laundry. I talked about what I'd learned after using CDs for a year and training with the Real Diaper Association. Another year later, I thought I would do a little update. I feel like a veteran now. Two kids. Two years of washing diapers. Three states with different water. I've been around the block and think I can add some value to this subject.

Here's my laundry routine. I have an HE front-loader.

1. Dry pail storage with solid waste going in the toilet. Breastfed baby poop just goes right in the pail.
2. Rinse cycle. No detergent. No spin.
3. Longest hottest cycle my machine allows. I use 1-2 scoops of Charlie's Soap for large/full pails and 1 scoop for smaller loads. I also use Charlie's hard water treatment powder. Soap goes right on top of clothes, not in the detergent cup. I sometimes add a scoop of oxygen bleach–maybe once/month to keep things interesting.
4. Extra rinse. If there are any bubbles left in the final rinse, I run another rinse until the water runs clear.
5. I line dry anything with PUL and machine dry the rest on medium. For my hemp/cotton AIOs that are super absorbent and take a long time to dry (like BG Elementals or Grovias), I usually put them in the dryer for 20 mins and then hang to finish drying. I use wool dryer balls in my dryer to speed drying and increase softness of diapers.

 I've been doing this routine for about a year without any problems. Here are some additional tips.

1. Pick one detergent and stick with it. Don't have one detergent for clothes and one for diapers. Your machine will get detergent buildup, and it will affect your diapers. I know not all diaper detergents specify this, but I think it's important. And I'm an expert, remember? ;)
2. I love Charlie's Soap. It is economical, lasts a long time, works great, and is environmentally-friendly. I also love their hard water treatment powder. I used it in Omaha and use it in Chicago as well. It makes the wash cycle extra soapy and bubbly, which is the whole difficulty with hard water. Most places have hard water, and you can assume you have hard water unless you have a water softener. It is especially important to use Charlie's soap on all of your laundry, and you have to strip your machine (directions on package) before you use it on your diapers.
3. If you get stink issues, there are generally two problems it could be.
1. Too much detergent. If your diapers smell clean coming out of the wash but smell awful when baby pees, you might be using too much detergent. If there are ever bubbles left or cloudy water in the final rinse cycle, you used too much detergent. Do additional rinse cycles until the water is clear. It may take several.
2. Not enough detergent. If your diapers smell funky after being washed, you probably didn't use enough detergent and they aren't clean. Err on the side of too much detergent because you can see bubbles when you've used too much. If you haven't used enough, you won't necessarily know. This is the number one diaper laundry problem. My advice is to start with 2 times the recommended amount of detergent, and then adjust from there based on the above information. Diapers are your dirtiest laundry, so needing extra detergent is expected.
4. If you're at your wits end with diaper laundry problems, I have a few suggestions.
1. Professional diaper stripping. This diaper store will strip your diapers and mail them back to you. I have used them personally and think they are awesome. It costs $1/diaper, which includes inserts, or $1 for 3 inserts. I am an affiliate of their store but have never actually earned any commissions from them. Will you be the first?! Haha. You can also check with your local diaper stores and diaper services. Some places offer this, but it may be hard to find locally.
2. Contact the manufacturer. It doesn't matter where you bought the diapers or how long ago. The manufacturer should still be able to troubleshoot diaper laundry problems with you. They know what the diapers are made of and how to treat them.
3. Try bleach. Chlorine bleach, the hard stuff. Don't do it often or use too much, but sometimes you might need a little bleach to kill off whatever the problem is and start fresh. Rinse like crazy afterwards. I've never actually done this. I was always able to find another way, but using bleach once in a blue moon should not ruin your diapers.
4. Look for a Diaper Circle or other diaper support network. Check facebook, your local CD store, or ask other CDing moms if they know of a support network. Diaper Circle leaders have special training to be able to help you with diaper laundry questions and troubleshooting.
5. If you tend to have diaper laundry issues often, consider using natural fiber diapers like cotton and hemp. Prefolds or flats would be the easiest to wash and lowest-maintenance. Synthetic fibers like microfiber are notoriously more difficult.
6. If I am traveling with diapers and will be washing them in someone else's machine, I always pack flats. They are the easiest to wash and dry and will be more forgiving when out of your normal routine. They will probably do okay with any old detergent, but I usually pack a small jar with a couple scoops of powder detergent. In this case, I use rock n green, eco sprouts, or Bum Genius travel pack detergent. Basically, whatever I have leftover from my CD detergent experimentation days or freebies from diaper orders. I don't like to pack Charlie's because it is so sensitive to non-stripped washers. 
7. When using diaper cream, choose a CD-safe cream and use a liner (flushable or fleece). I like to use a liner even with CD-safe cream just to be prudent. Creams containing zinc oxide should never be used without a liner on CDs. Some people will say not even to use them with liners, but I think some rashes just really need zinc oxide to protect and act as a barrier. Here are some of my favorite diaper creams: Episencial with zinc oxide; Burt's Bees with zinc oxide; Indigo Wild (CD safe). They are all made with natural ingredients and fit my criteria for body products. A lot of moms also really love CJ's Butter, which is CD safe, but I have not tried it myself.

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and will earn me a referral fee if you make a purchase through them. I only recommend products that I personally use and love.