With the increased awareness of the environment and sustainability practices, there comes the question as to whether 
cold water may be used to wash cloth diaper laundry. The environmentalist in me would like to say yes, don’t waste energy on hot water. After all, many detergents are now geared toward cold water washing. I use cold water on my dark laundry, and on anything that does not need a deep cleaning. I did try to use cold water on my towels, but they had an odor afterward. Maybe it was the detergent I was using, maybe it is the amount, maybe it just needs a longer cycle with more water. But if I have to wash my laundry longer and/or use more water, would that take out the sustainable benefit achieved from not using hot water?
Cloth diapers are certainly in a different category that most other laundry. They have soil and germs that must be cleaned and rinsed away, stains that need to be lifted, and layers of fabric to clean through. An adequate amount of detergent and water must be used to achieve clean diapers. But what about hot/warm water vs cold?
My answer would be yes, but not as well. According to my findings, warm rinses and hot washes win in the diaper arena. Thirsties previously recommended a cold pre-wash, hot wash, and two cold rinses. We have adapted our care instructions to a warm prewash, hot wash, and two warm rinses. We believe that this routine will clean and rinse your diapers most effectively. Our washing instructions conform to the RDA recommendations – a trusted source by consumers and businesses alike. Take a look at why it is recommended to use warmer water temperatures for washing cloth diapers:
- Warm Pre-wash – soil is more easily removed at the temperature it is put in at (body temperature is warm)
- Hot Wash – many detergents are activated and/or work better at hot temperatures, powder detergents are dissolved at hotter temperatures, yeast is killed at temps over 122 Fahrenheit
- Two Warm Rinses – residues are released more effectively, more water will release from the fabric shortening drying time
Now keep in mind, this is not to say that you cannot achieve clean diapers with cold water. If you do want or need to use cold water for your laundry, then it is recommended to add additional liquid detergent, more water, and/or additional wash time. The RDA has a great article titled Laundry Science that is very helpful in understanding the factors in washing, and how to adjust the wash routine if needed.
What is the routine that works best for you?
~Sonya
I’ve been running three full cycles on my top loader. First cold, second hot, third warm. I think I’m going to start using a warm first wash now. I wasn’t using a lot of detergent before, but the last time I washed, I used more detergent, and it seems to me that my diapers were less stained. Then I toss the diapers in the dryer and hang covers and pockets to dry. I do wash everything together. Why is it I can keep up with diaper laundry and don’t mind it at all, but when it comes to regular laundry, I just ignore it until I have a large pile? lol
My washing machine only does cold rinses. There is no option for anything else.
Thank you for this post! I’m expecting baby #1 in March and can’t wait to start with cloth diapers, but can use all the guidance and feedback I can get my hands on!
Same as Crystal said, my HE machine won’t do rinses in anything but cold.
I do a cold rinse, warm wash if no poops, hot wash if poops, two cold rinses. But my machine doesn’t do warm rinse. I do have staining, haven’t tried sunning recently, as it is cold and snowy.
My washer also only does cold rinse. I did switch from a cold pre-wash to a warm pre-wash with a half-serving of detergent once we started solids though. Even after spraying, that poop sometimes needs the help.
I’ve been doing a cold prewash/soak, hot wash, then 2 warm rinses. Happy to hear that I can do a warm prewash, I didn’t feel like the cold water was getting the job done! Haven’t had a chance to try sunning yet, waiting on hubby to put up a line in the backyard
I used to wash my diapers in cold water with my first two babies but it didn’t work. I ended up with ammonia stink issues. In doing research this time around before baby was born I kept reading suggestions to use more detergent rather than half a dose and to use an initial warm rinse. (Maybe I read it here? I can’t remember.) Anyway, baby girl is four months old and not even my microfiber diapers stink. Thankfully the weather isn’t too cold or stormy here so we get a decent amount of sun even in the winter. As long as it’s not rainy, even on cloudy days I hang my diapers on the outdoor clothes line whenever I can. Otherwise I machine dry my cotton and bamboo diapers/inserts and hang my pockets, covers and microfiber inserts. I do sun natural fiber diapers whenever they come out of the wash still stained but it doesn’t happen often. I know this is excessive but I have an HE front loading machine so right now my wash routine is a quick warm wash cycle as a first rinse, a heavy hot wash with twice the detergent required for a normal load in my HE machine, and two quick warm washes to rinse it all out. I’ve tried tweaking it a few times to cut down on washes but so far this routine is the only thing that works well in my machine. It’s old so I should probably start saving up for a new top loader just in cast.
Oh, and @Melissa- Yeah, I’m the same way. I only like doing diaper and baby laundry. Everything else is a chore.lol.
I am worried about washing my diapers appropriately, as I have a really old washer that doesn’t do a warm rinse. My LO will be here in April and I’ve been trying to experiment with “tricking” my washer into doing what I want it to do. Any suggestions from others that have older washers?
It’s good to know that I have been washing my Thirsties diaper correctly. I also do warm rinses and a hot wash. I just wish the warm rinses were a little warmer. My washer is set so that warm means 80% cold water and 20% hot. As a result the water is just one step up from really cold. Still it is better than freezing cold!
We rent, and our washer gets only cold water. We’ve been washing diapers for 6 months on cold with no problems.
I feel better about washing the diapers in hot water. I do the same with my sheets and towels.
Hello Breanne,
Do you have an HE machine? If so, we recommend adding a large, wet bath towel to each load. You will add it in the prewash, and leave it in for the wash and the rinse cycles. I would see how the washer works first, and then adjust the routine if you need to. It may be fine!
~Sonya
For HE machines you can also pause the washer after it’s done adding water and then add your own water until you feel there’s enough for the diapers to slosh around in. I don’t do this for the pre-rinse, but I do for my long wash with detergent cycle.
I do a cold rinse, then a hot wash, followed by 2 cold rinses
This is the first I’ve heard of using warm! I always did cold, hot and 2 cold rinses (of course our washer will only do cold rinses so warm rinses are out of the question for now!)
@ Breanne: If you have some kind of basic wash cycle setting on your washing machine that will do warm water, just use that for two rinses. It’s probably about the same. Personally all I do is a warm prewash to get any leftover poop off and then a wash cycle, and I’ve never had any problems. I almost always leave my washing machine on the warm setting and don’t even think about it.
hmmm. That’s a lot of washing.
Great post, as I’ve been curious about this. Expecting my first baby next month and will be CDing her using a Euro-style washer. It has a “sanitize” setting, which gets great reviews for CD. I’ll try it out, and hopefully I can override the auto-settings (as it doesn’t make it easy to select my own temps/cycles outside of the preset cycles). Thanks for posting!
I think the heat is probably one of the most important parts in washing cloth diapers. Gotta kill the bacteria. That is more likely to be a problem with diapers than regular clothes. I do a cold prewash, hot wash/cold rinse, plus additional cold rinse.
I wash cold rinse, hot wash, cold rinse…
New to cd but that seems to be the way most recommend…
I wish I could adjust the rinse temp on my washer! It only does cold rinses.
Hello Sarah, Thank you, we are glad that it has some useful information for you. We actually do not recommend the sanitize cycle, especially for items with components such as Velcro, elastic, and lamination. We recommend washing temperatures of 130-140, and sanitize cycles can be 160 Degrees Fahrenheit or higher. This can also damage fabric over time. For prefolds and inserts, it can be useful for disinfecting, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a normal routine. Let me know if you have any questions!
~Sonya
I also recently switched to a warm prerinse. Hot water is key for a FL and diapers. I wash most of my other clothes on cold though.
Thank you, Sonya, great to know!
I am so excited to try a warm prewash. (I only have cold for the double rinse after hot washing). I add my voice to the others CD laundry is the only kind of laundry I like doing!
good to know! i wasnt sure if the way i washed was totally right so this was great to read. i was only doing the one rinse after the wash so i def want to do an extra one now
I do a cold rinse, hot wash, and warm rinse(s) after wash
I’ve discovered that the key to getting my diapers clean is extra soap and lots of rinses! Hard water is a pain in the neck!
I like cold rinse to get out stains but I’ve gotta wash on hot
I wouldn’t want to wash diapers on cold, at least not on a regular basis, but it is nice to know I have a modern top loader that I can turn Off the water saver on to help get things cleaner if I did need to do a load in cold water.
Good to know! I’m new to cloth diapering and will have twins in a month or so, need all the advice I can get!
Since I have coin-op laundry at my apartment building, there’s no such thing as “pre-wash” or “extra rinse.” Our routine:
-whites cycle (hot) with Tide powder between 2 and 3, with a splash of bleach from time to time
-whites cycle (hot) with nothing added to function as an extra rinse
-tumble dry medium for ~70 minutes
Hi Melissa,
I have to warn you about the high heat cycles. We don’t recommend the Whites Cycle, or sanitize cycles, and using those can void the warranty on your products. The temps are to hot and can break down diaper fibers and components. We recommend just plain hot at about 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Sanitize/whites cycles and chlorine bleach will void your warranty. We also recommend low heat in the dryer for diapers with elastic, laminate, or hook and loop.
~Sonya
Thanks for the information. I’ve been testing out different options. I am happy with hot prewash, warm wash, and cold rinse. My washer is great at spinning out the water, that I am comfortable line drying my diapers, and just putting them in the dryer for 10 mins to fluff/soften after they line dry.
I always do a cold rinse then wash on hot it seems to work well for me
I do a 30 minute soak followed by a long hot wash with Nellie’s detergent, and then 2 cold rinses. Works well for us!
I use to do a cold rinse, hot wash, cold rinse and have since replaced the cold rinses with warm and my diapers seem sooo much cleaner. They were clean before but I can personally tell a difference in mine.
@Sonya I don’t know if you’re familiar with coin-op washers but usually what they call the “whites” cycle is just the longest wash with plain old hot water. Most of the coin op washers I’ve used had 3 cycles: “whites” or hot water, “coloreds” or warm water and “delicates” or cold water. I’ll bet that’s what she’s dealing with.
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