Washing procedures for cloth nappies

This is a guide and information for you who are curious about or have started with Cloth Diapers and are wondering how to establish a functioning washing routine! Washing cloth nappies quickly becomes part of your everyday routine.

In essence, it's simple. Everything with cloth diapers goes into the washing machine. All products from Green Poppy can be washed at 60 degrees Celsius and then air-dried for the best results.

Let's start from the beginning. The diaper is wet and soiled. What do you do? As long as you exclusively breastfeed or provide formula, the poop is water-soluble and can be put directly into the washing machine. If your child eats solid food, you may want to check our guide on "But what about the poop?!"But the poo?!”.

At the bottom of the inlägg page, you’ll also find a video from our YouTube channel about washing routines.

Quick guide to washing routines:

  • Store your cloth nappies dry and airy before washing, e.g. in a PUL bag or an open laundry basket.
  • Wash in your usual washing machine, at 60 degrees with an extra rinse.
  • Use laundry detergent without bleach or perfume. Avoid fabric softener for your cloth nappies.
  • Air-dry all products using the ‘pul’ setting. Even the insert is best air-dried, but Green Poppy’s insert for cloth nappies can also be tumble-dried on a low heat setting.

During Diaper Change

Start by removing any insert from the nappy or separating the insert/flat diaper from the cover. If you’re using a wool cover, you can reuse it as long as there’s no poo on it. If the nappy has a pulp outer layer, it can go in the washing machine.

Washing powder to use when washing cloth nappies

For best results, wash cloth nappies using a fragrance-free powder detergent for coloured clothes – not a detergent for whites. The washing powder should contain less than 5% soap, otherwise there is a greater risk of detergent residues remaining in the nappies. The detergent should also not contain bleach. When washing cloth nappies, you can use around two-thirds of the recommended amount of detergent; this is also to avoid leaving detergent residue in the nappies. If any detergent residue remains, there is a risk that your child’s skin may become irritated and that an unpleasant odour may develop. In that case, a deep clean may be necessary (read more about this here on our site and here on Blöjupprorets site).

Into the Washing Machine

We recommend starting with a cold prewash without detergent to rinse the laundry. After that, run a long cycle at 60 degrees Celsius, preferably with an extra rinse. Depending on your washing machine's efficiency, you may need to run an additional rinse after the program finishes. This is primarily to ensure that all detergent residues are thoroughly rinsed out of the laundry. We recommend a minimum of 1200 revolutions on the spin cycle.

Time to Dry

Once the wash is complete, all items are best left to air-dry. However, all Green Poppy products that do not contain polystyrene can be tumble-dried, such as insert, flat diapers and washing cloths. Tumble-dry on a low heat setting. This helps the insert retain its softness for a little longer. When tumble-dried, some inserts may become slightly curled at the edges; this can easily be remedied by running the insert along the edge of a worktop, for example, once they have dried.

All done! And then you're ready for the next wash. Not too complicated, right?

Stains

If cloth diapers get stains from feces, there's no need to worry; they won't function any worse because of it. However, stains can also be treated. The gentlest and most convenient way is to lay out the diapers with the stain facing upward, in the sun, and let them sunbathe. You can also treat the diapers with, for example, stain remover soap. 

infografik över de olika stegen när man ska tvätta sina tygblöjor

YouTube episodes for washing cloth nappies

Below is a section from our cloth nappy school on how to wash cloth nappies. Please feel free to take part in our YouTube series where we go into depth about how cloth nappies work! You can also find short tips and clips on our Social media.

Best-selling products

Pocketblöja i One Size 3,5-20 kg
+
 This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page

Pocket diaper One Size 3,5 - 20 kgs

209 kr inc. VAT
ett vitt inlägg med blåa kanter i bambufrotte för tygblöjor.
+

Bamboo Terry insert with snap

69 kr inc. VAT
Hampabooster
+
Out of stock

Hemp booster

69 kr inc. VAT
Tvättlappar i bambufrotté
+
Out of stock

Round bamboo terry wipes

29 kr inc. VAT

Follow us on Instagram!

Sluta var så grå - köp en wet bag 👸🏼 ditt liv behöver lite mer färg och en praktiskt påse för alla diverse ting. Släng sedan in den i tvättmaskinen på 60 grader när behovet uppstår 🙋‍♀️Slut på meddelande 📣
Stop being so grey – buy a wet bag 👸🏼 your life needs a bit more colour and a practical bag for all sorts of things. Then just pop it in the washing machine at 60 degrees when the need arises 🙋‍♀️End of message 📣
Del 2 - hur jag gör rent min tvättmaskin 🧺🫧Efter de första stegen (att tömma vattenfiltret och göra rent gummilisten) fortsätter jag med att göra rent min tvättmaskin. Även om din tvättmaskin är självrengörande så kommer den aldrig göra rent sig själv helt och hållet. Att göra rent din tvättmaskin förlänger dess liv och ger dig fräschare kläder. Har du besvärats av dålig lukt från din rena tvätt? Dags för en rengöring av maskinen! ✅Ett göra rent maskinen en gång varje/varannan månad är en bra riktlinje. Jag använder bara vatten och en mikrofibertrasa, inga kemikalier. - Fortsätt med insidan av listen.- Tvätta sedan rent luckan på maskinen. Den här kan din maskin göra rent med ett eget program men ofta kan lite manuell skrubbning behövas.- Ta sedan ut tvättmedelsfacket och tvätta av i diskhon.- Tvätta även inne i hålet där tvättmedelsfacket har varit Som ett sista steg brukar jag hälla lite ättika i huvudtvättmedelsfacket och sedan köra en tom maskin på 95 grader, utan centrifugering 😍Extra tips för fräsch tvättmaskin - skippa sköljmedlet! 🧺Se del 1 i min profil 🎉
Part 2 - How to clean my washing machine 🧺🫧After the first steps (emptying the water filter and cleaning the rubber seal), I'll continue with cleaning my washing machine.Even if your washing machine is self-cleaning, it will never completely clean itself. Cleaning your washing machine prolongs its life and gives you fresher clothes. Have you been bothered by a bad smell from your clean laundry? Time for a machine clean! ✅Cleaning the machine once every/every other month is a good guideline. I only use water and a microfibre cloth, no chemicals.- Continue with the inside of the seal. - Then wash the door of the machine clean. Your machine can clean this with its own programme, but often a little manual scrubbing is needed. - Then take out the detergent drawer and wash it in the sink. - Also wash inside the hole where the detergent drawer has been.As a final step, I usually pour some vinegar into the main detergent compartment and then run an empty cycle on 95 degrees, without spinning 😍Extra tip for a fresh washing machine - skip the fabric conditioner! 🧺See part 1 on my profile 🎉
DEL 1 - hur jag gör rent min tvättmaskin 🧺🫧Handen på hjärtat, hur ofta gör du det? Min ambition är att göra det varje månad men det blir kanske varannan. Men det blir ändå av, vilket är det viktigaste. För en tvättmaskin bör ju vara bland det renaste vi har, den ska ju ge oss rena och fräscha kläder. Finns det något äckligare än att ta ut kläder från tvättmaskinen som luktar surt eller unket? 😱Oavsett om du använder tygblöjor eller inte bör du göra rent din maskin. Den jobbar hårt för dig och behöver lite hjälp på vägen för att hålla sig fräsch, oavsett om det finns ett självrengöringsprogram eller inte.Jag använder nästan inga produkter när jag gör rent maskinen, en skvätt ättika på slutet för att fräscha upp trumman brukar jag kunna ha. Utöver det så är det vatten och en trasa som gäller ✅Börja med att tömma och göra rent vattenfilter. Vi gjorde det nyligen för att maskinen strulade, det visade sig att en putsduk till glasögonen hade legat i ett par byxor och fastnat i filtret.Torka sedan rent inne i utrymmet vid vartenfiltret. Sen kör vi gummilisten vid trumman. Mycket viktigt! Här finns gojs och bös och annat som vi inte vill ha och göra med 🤢 torka, torka och torka 🧽Stay tuned för del 2 🎉
PART 1 – how to clean my washing machine 🧺🫧Hand on heart, how often do you do it? My ambition is to do it every month, but it probably ends up being every other month. But it still gets done, which is the most important thing.After all, a washing machine should be among the cleanest things we have; it's supposed to give us clean and fresh clothes. Is there anything more disgusting than taking clothes out of the washing machine that smell sour or musty? 😱Regardless of whether you use cloth diapers or not, you should clean your machine. It works hard for you and needs a little help along the way to stay fresh, whether it has a self-cleaning program or not.I hardly use any products when I clean the machine; a splash of vinegar at the end to freshen up the drum is usually all I need. Other than that, it's water and a cloth that do the job ✅Start by emptying and cleaning the water filter. We did it recently because the machine was playing up; it turned out that a glasses cleaning cloth had been in a pair of trousers and got stuck in the filter.Then, wipe clean the space inside where the water filter is. Next, we tackle the rubber seal around the drum. Very important! There's gunk and dirt and other things we don't want to deal with in here 🤢 wipe, wipe and wipe 🧽Stay tuned for part 2 🎉
Är det så enkelt med tygblöjor? Att man bara liksom köper en blöja, laddar på med inlägg och sen kör? Krävs det inte massor av förberedelser, ombyggnation av tvättstugan och kurser till miljoner? Nej, det är verkligen så enkelt! Du köper en, två eller 14 blöjor. Och sen kör du. Kanske all in, kanske lite idag men inget imorgon. Det bestämmer du ❤️Tygblöjor är inte svart eller vitt (de är faktiskt ganska färgglada 🤭) och du kan alltid ha en back up hemma med engångs 😍Våga prova idag 💚👏
Are cloth nappies really that simple? Do you just buy a nappy, stock up on insert and then get on with it? Doesn’t it require loads of preparation, a complete overhaul of the laundry room and courses costing a fortune?No, it really is that simple! You buy one, two or 14 nappies. And then you’re good to go. Maybe go all in, maybe just a few today but none tomorrow. It’s up to you ❤️Cloth nappies aren’t black and white (they’re actually quite colourful 🤭) and you can always keep a backup of disposables at home 😍Give it a go today 💚👏
7 myter om tygblöjor! Är det svårt, krångligt och kräver massor av stora inköp? Såklart inte! 👏Många som börjar med tygblöjor berättar att det är mycket enklare än dom trodde 😍Vad var din största farhåga innan du började med tygblöjor?
7 myths about cloth nappies!Is it difficult, complicated and requires a lot of big purchases? Of course not! 👏Many people who start with cloth nappies say it's much easier than they thought 😍What was your biggest fear before you started using cloth nappies?

Behind Green Poppy

Green Poppy is run by entrepreneur and midwife Emma Kajmo, entirely from home in Eskilstuna.

Founded in 2023 during parental leave, born from a love of reusable and sustainable alternatives, Green Poppy came to life. After a few evening courses and a million Google searches (“how to start your own business”), we were up and running.

Read more about Green Poppy here