washing cloth diapers with a high efficiency washer

“look at my cute fluffy butt!”

We’ve been using cloth diapers since Ryan was about 8 months old. It’s a part of our daily routine and we’ll be using them for another year or two because they’re important to us. Now that we have TWO children in cloth, the laundry is outta control. I don’t mind doing it at all (because I love fluffy butts!), but we really really really need a dependable washing machine. We wash cloth diapers almost every day or every other.

Recently we received the top-loading high efficiency Bravos XL washer and dryer from Maytag. We’ve had crap washers and driers previously, never high efficiency, and the whole process was new to us.

I love all the different settings we can get on our new fancy set…

…but we initially ran into trouble with our cloth diaper routine. One of the many wonderful things about the Maytag Bravox XL set is the low water usage–good for the environment and saves money. NOT so good for cloth diaper washing.

This washer is so nice, there are so many setting options, and I KNOW I can’t be the only one using a high efficiency washer to clean cloth diapers! There must be a solution! I spent some time on google and I asked on my facebook page for help–the replies poured in! (Thanks!)

The problem is that everyone has a different routine. Even people with this exact same set all do it differently! So it was a process of trial and error… but we got our system down. Ready?

The washer fills with water based on weight. The heavier your load, the more water it throws in there. Some people put in a soaking wet towel with their cloth diapers to make it heavier = more water = better cleaning. We don’t go that far, but it’s not a bad idea.

1. Rinse/drain cycle. It takes 14 minutes–we put on an extra rinse so that we can select the option for “no spin.” That ensures the diapers are as wet (and as heavy) as possible.

2. Bulky wash cycle with soap. This cycle uses the most water (I’ve been told). We wash on hot with an extra heavy soil level.

3. Bulky wash cycle with a little less soap, cold water and extra rinse. We do this second wash just to make sure it’s all clean and rinsed really well. Maximum spin so they need less time in the drier, too.

I am thankful we found a system that works for us. Like I said, using cloth diapers is really important to us and we have to wash them frequently. If we didn’t have a washer and dryer that got the job done, it’d be a huge problem. We can definitely depend on the Maytag Bravos XL set.

The size of this washer is also extremely helpful–especially with two kids in cloth. It’s Maytag’s largest capacity washer (4.6 cu ft) and can fit 21 towels in one load… it can fit all our diapers in one load without a problem. We’d be doing laundry much more often without this baby!

A lot of cloth diaper families also have issues with drying them–they’re bulky and they fill a dryer fast. It may take a couple cycles to get them dry. Not with this dryer! LOVE IT! I never have to worry it my diapers are sitting in there damp after a cycle. It’s 7.3 cu ft and the best part is the moisture sensor–it makes sure our diapers are dry and won’t run longer than we need it to.

Do you wash cloth diapers with a high efficiency washer and dryer? What’s your routine? Make sure you find Maytag on facebook and twitter!

~I wrote this post participating in an Maytag Moms Dependable Laundry Ambassador program by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Maytag. I was provided with the Maytag washer and dryer set to facilitate my post.