Tips on how to wash your Ecopipo® and your Ecobebé® cloth nappies for optimum performance and to prolong their useful life
Always:
• Ensure you are 100% happy with the nappies before washing them, as once washed we cannot accept returns, unless faulty. See return policy
• Wash all your nappies, Ecopipo or Ecobebé, before you use them for the first time to ensure all manufacturing/handling residues are removed, and to improve absorbency.
• Please note that it will take up to 5 washes or more for the bamboo inserts in your Ecopipo nappy to become highly absorbent! This applies for pocket nappies and night nappies
• Fold back (fasten) the aplix tabs onto the laundry protection tab, to stop the nappies from sticking to each other, as this will damage the aplix.
• Wash your nappy covers at 40˚C, unless the nappy is heavily soiled or in times of illness. This will prolong the life of your nappies.
• Washing at 60˚C constantly will significantly reduce the life of your nappies.
• Take inserts out of pockets before you wash them.
The same above temperature’s rule applies for your Ecobebé® cloth nappies.
Note that the following will shorten the lifespan of your nappies, and may void our unique extended guarantees See full terms of our policy here
- Using bleach, vinegar, Napisan, any stain remover or oxy-action as they will damage the PUL layer and the elastic of the covers.
- Using fabric conditioner will reduce the absorbency of your nappies.
- Ironing any part of your nappy will damage the fabric.
- Washing the covers and night nappies without fastening their aplix will damage them!
- Tumble drying nappy covers will damage the fabric and the velcro (aplix) permanently.
- Drying covers and inserts on top of a hot radiator will damage the fabric and the velcro (aplix) permanently.
- Washing covers and nappies at 60˚C as a routine will reduce their lifespan greatly.
- Washing covers at higher than 60˚C will damage the fabric and the velcro (aplix) permanently.
- Not rinsing to remove excess urine from your adjustable night nappies every morning after using them the night before, as ammonia from urine will damage the natural fibres of the fabric.
Type and amount of washing powder:
• For both brands use any washing powder that meets your baby’s skin needs, bio or non-bio are fine. Preferably choose one that does not contain whitening agents (brighteners) or phosphates.
• Start with half the amount of powder recommended on the box for a full load of soiled cloth and adjust accordingly, depending on if you are in a hard water area (slightly increase the amount of powder) or soft water area (slightly reduce the amount of powder).
• As a tip, aim to have at least 2 cm of bubbles during your main wash (20-30 minutes into the washing cycle) and no bubbles at the last rinse.
• Another tip you may want to follow is to try using the amount of powder you would use when washing clothes, where possible keep an eye on the last rinse cycle if you notice lots of soap suds then add an extra rinse at the end of the cycle, until there are none and reduce washing powder amount in the next wash.
• If you notice after washing that there is a strong ammonia smell, add more powder to your routine, until you find the amount that is right for you.
• As a rule of thumb, the harder your water the more detergent you are likely to need.
• Ecopipo® cloth nappies absorb better if they do not have a build-up of washing powder. For this reason, it is very important to ensure that no bubbles are seen in the last rinse.
Use the map below to check the hardness of the water in the area where you live. You can also find out the hardness of your water from the website of your local water company.
Washing tips for everyday care:
• Wash wet nappies that are not stained (inserts and covers) preferably at 40˚C.
• If nappies are stained, pre-wash in a cold cycle -30 to 40˚C- then wash them in a 60˚C cycle. Stains will be removed easier if nappies are given a quick cold wash.
• All nappies -soiled and stained- will wash better if you run a cold wash/rinse before you fully wash them.
• Although the amount of nappies you wash is your own preference, a 6 to 7 kg front loading washing machine is good enough to wash a full load of 10 to 15 nappies, saving you money in electricity.
• Use an intensive cycle (i.e. colourfast cotton) not eco settings or quick washes, as nappies need to be moved around a lot to ensure they are cleaned and properly rinsed.
• If you are not doing a full load (10-15 nappies and their inserts) you will need to reduce the amount of washing powder accordingly. If in doubt please contact us at info@ecopipo.co.uk and we will be glad to guide you on the amount of powder you need to use.
How to store your nappies in between washes:
- You may use a wet bag or a plastic bucket to store your nappies.
- Avoid keeping nappies in your wet bag or in your bucket for longer than 48 hours, as this may cause an excess ammonia odour or development of mould on your nappies.
- To reduce the excess build-up of ammonia and odour, rinse any overnight nappy every morning before putting it into the wet bag or the bucket; you may use a shower head to do this.
- Never storage your adjustable night nappies without rinsing them before as ammonia from urine will damage the natural fibres of these nappies.
- The rest of the nappies can be put into the wet bag or the bucket (dry pail) without being rinsed, as long as they don’t have poo on them. This must be removed as much as possible before storing the nappy.
- If you store your nappies in a warm room or during summer months, leave your wet bag or you bucket slightly open, as this will reduce the chance for mould to develop.
Strip washing:
Following the everyday guidelines should be enough to wash your nappies well for excellent performance; however, from time to time any washable nappy can develop a strong ammonia odour or can reduce their absorbency due to washing powder or ammonia build-up. Following these tips will help to sort this problem out.
Plan A: If your inserts have been mainly washed at 40˚C, wash them at 60˚C with the normal amount of washing powder you use, and rinse them several times until you do not see any soapsuds or bubbles in the rinse.
Plan B: If plan A has not completely removed the ammonia odour or you are still experiencing absorbency problems with your inserts, carry out the following steps:
- Immerse only your Ecopipo® inserts in very hot water for 20 minutes before washing them.
- Rinse them several times with lukewarm water, before putting them in the washing machine.
- Wash them as normal.
- NEVER immerse the covers in the hot water! Just add them into the normal wash once the inserts have been boiled and rinsed.
- Immersing the covers in very hot water will cause problems to the covers’ fabric and their extended warranty will be voided.
- In the unlike case you are still experiencing problems with your insert regarding absorbency or ammonia odour, or in case you have used nappy rash cream while using your Ecopipo® nappy, do not hesitate to contact us for further advice.
Please note this tip (using very hot water), relates exclusively to our brand and has been tried and tested by a large number of mums, on Ecopipo® nappies, however, we do not recommend doing this on any other brand of nappies!
Please note that due to the material they are made of, your Ecobebé® pads/inserts DO NOT NEED to be strip washed
Drying your Ecopipo® pocket nappy covers or wraps and your Ecobebé® covers:
• All our covers dry very easily as they come out of the machine almost dry. Place them on a clothes horse/airer in a warm room during the winter months, NEVER place them on a radiator, otherwise, the fabric and the velcro (aplix) will get damaged.
• During the summer months line dry them. This will help to remove any stains and to extend their useful life.
• Preferably don’t tumble dry any Ecopipo® cover or wrap, as you might damage the fabric and the velcro (aplix) and your guarantee will not be valid. If you must do it, they can ONLY be tumble dry in the low heat setting and for a very short period of time!
It is better to dry your wraps and your Ecobebé® covers in the shade.
Drying the inserts:
• Inserts take longer than the covers to dry.
• For full-time nappy users, we recommend having extra inserts, for a full explanation of how many nappies and inserts you need please see our section for frequent questions and answers or request this information by email from info@ecopipo.co.uk
• Bamboo inserts take the longest to dry, simply because they are so absorbent.
• In general, during the summertime, you can hang them on the line and they should be ready for use the following day.
• During wintertime, you can air-dry your inserts in a hot room near a radiator. Avoid putting them on top of the radiator as some radiator can be really hot and they might burn them. They should be ready for the following day too. Alternatively, if you have an airing cupboard, put them in there.
• Avoid tumble drying them as much as possible, but if a tumble dryer is your choice, it is better if you only dry them for short periods on low heat.
• Preferably air dry them first and finish them off with your tumble dryer, especially during the winter months.
• NEVER tumble dry them on high heat.
- Ecobebé® inserts dry mainly overnight, even in the winter months, but if for some reason you need to put them in the tumble dryer, do so only in low heat and for a short period of time.
Drying your Ecopipo® adjustable night nappies:
• Your Ecopipo® adjustable night nappies may be finished off in a tumble dryer on a low setting for a short period of time.
• NEVER tumble dry them on high heat or for long periods of time.
• NEVER stretch the elastics of your adjustable night nappies at the end of the drying, as this will harm them and you will lose your extended guarantee.
• However, for longer life, we do recommend drying them on a clothes horse/airer and not in the tumble dryer.
Special care for your Velcros
Some washing machines are a little bit rough on your Velcro. That is why it is important to use the laundry tabs at all times during washing time. In addition, every Ecopipo nappy with Velcro fastening is provided with an extra piece of Velcro. This piece aims to protect the long part of the Velcro on your nappies from getting fluff or from any other type of damage during laundry. Simply attach it to the long part of the Velcro, before putting it in the washing machine. They are optional for you to use, but we can reassure you that the Velcro in your nappies will be kept in mint condition.
An important note on your extended guarantee for Velcro:
On nappies purchased from June 2016, your Velcro guarantee will not be valid if the problem is due to excess of fluff on it.
Special care to preserve the life of your wrap
Your wrap will last much longer and will perform at its best if you take care of it during laundry.
Your wrap can be wiped clean between uses.
If you think that it is necessary to wash it:
- Hand wash in soapy water, rinse and air dry.
- If soiled you can either hand wash it in hotter water (do not boil it), rinse it and air dry it.
- If soiled you can put it in the washing machine (for best maintenance use the Velcro strip)
- Constant laundry in a hot washing machine cycle or overexposure to excess sunshine will affect the PUL and the performance of your wrap.
Heat damage is not covered in your guarantee
Washing your Cloth Sanitary Pads (CSP), your wipes and your breast pads.
All these three products can be washed at the same time than your withes at 60 degrees Celsius and with either bio or non-bio detergent. For CSP the use of a bio detergent is recommended, the lining fabric washes well and stains shouldn’t be a problem, in a sunny day any fading stain should be removed completely by exposing your CSP to direct sun rays. For these three products do not use fabric conditioner.
Wipes can be made softer if they are put at the end of drying for a few minutes in the tumble dryer (low heat setting)
For any further question please contact us on info@ecopipo.co.uk