Brand new items
Due to the nature of the fabric in our flexible wings, we recommend hand washing your nappy shells with like colours (i.e. reds together, darks together) until the water runs clear. This helps prevent colour run which can occur occasionally due to excess dye in the manufacturing process.
Washing Guidelines
Kekoa recommends following the Clean Cloth Nappies guidelines for washing. This helps prevent ammonia and mould build up in your nappies by warm and hot washing with appropriate detergent.
Below are the basics to get you started.
There is no need to soak your nappies, just remove wet inserts and dry pail (container with lots of holes to allow air flow i.e a basket)
If you’re washing your nappies with other hook and loop/velcro nappies we recommend adding Kekoa nappies to a laundry bag. This helps prevent the lightweight internal fabric and stretch tabs from early damage.
Rinsing once nappy removed
Breastmilk/formula only
- Once nappy is removed, there is no need to wash poos off the nappy – just remove inserts from their shell and place all in a well vented “dirty” dry pail
Once started Solids
- Flick as much solid poo into the toilet as possible, this is often hard when starting on solids and poos are still soft
- Remove inserts from their shell and place into your well vented “dirty” dry pail. Removing these before rinsing (if possible) helps keep things cleaner by not having water sodden inserts sitting in your basket.
- Rinse your shell using toilet water when flushing, a sprayer attached to your toilet or your laundry tap to remove any extra (it doesn’t have to be perfect). Avoid harsh scrubbing brushes, silicone is fine. We have found old school rubbing the fabric together under running water works great!
- Place shell in your “dirty” dry pail
Washing Routine
Hand washing one or two
- Follow the dry pail method mentioned previously (rinsing once nappy removed)
- Hand wash your one or two nappies each day in whitener free detergent and the hottest water you can handle (rinse poop off first if needed, then hand wash)
- Rinse clean and squeeze out excess water. Drape to let air out
- Add hand washed nappies to your regular wash daily or every 2-3 days as you do a load
- Hang shells to dry; inserts can be hung or put in the dryer
Note: This method can seem more time consuming but it's not forever! It usually won't take long before you're loving cloth nappies and that's where the dedicated short and long washes below become easier and more of a "routine".
Daily short wash (often called prewash)
- Once a day wash all your dirty nappies on a short cycle (30-60min) at 40-60 degrees C (104-140F) using ½ cap or scoop of approved laundry liquid or powder (whitener/bleach free)
- Remove nappies and place damp in a second well vented “prewashed” dry pail
- Add each day’s prewash to the same dry pail until you have enough for a full wash (2-4 days usually)
Note: This prewash is not the prewash function on your machine. You want a separate wash cycle that completely removes all water before doing a full wash. Confusing I know!
Full wash (every 2-4 Days)
When you have enough nappies to completely fill your washing machine give your nappies a long wash (equates to roughly 3/4 full when wet). This is usually 3 or 4 days worth of prewashed nappies.
On the last main day wash you'll do two loads, a prewash on the previous days nappies followed by a main wash with all the other prewashed nappies.
If you don’t have enough, but you're at 3 or 4 days worth of prewashed nappies, you can bulk up your load with small items like baby clothes, wash cloth, spittle cloths or hand towels. Just be sure they’re not dark/new items as the colour can run and stain your natural bamboo fabrics.
- Use 1 cap or scoop of approved liquid or powder (whitener/bleach free)
- Use a long cycle (2.5hrs+) at 40-60 degrees C (104-140F)
- When complete, hang all items out to dry or you may choose to put your inserts in the drier. We do not recommend adding your shells to the drier as they have a PUL coating inside which doesn’t enjoy heat.
Things to note with our Kekoa nappies
40°C (104F) wash recommended (60°C max, 140F)
No bleach, whiteners, vinegar, fabric softeners, or caustic products
Avoid sharp objects such as velcro/hook&loop - consider using a wash bag
Line dry in shade
Questions?
If none of this makes sense, feel free to contact us - we promise it's simpler than it seems!
