HE machine wash routines

Chelsea - posted on 07/14/2011

i use 2 tbsp on rock n green 3 if i have a lot of poopy dipes, i only use rock n green cause i won a free bag, it seems to work well but im going to try arm and hammer free and clear next time because i can find it localy. i only put 4 drops on tea tree oil in my bleach dispenser....they say it has antibacterial properties and i like the soft sent it gives. i put about 2 tablespoon of baking soda helps with the staining and helps absorb smell, neither of these are requirements to your wash routine i think i may over do it a little, but so far have had minimal staining and no problems with smelly dipes. When i do have light yellow staining from the bf poo, i place them still wet in the sun for a few hours and bam not stains :)

Julia - posted on 07/14/2011

@ Chelsea - how much baking soda/tea tree oil/etc do you use? I've got a feeling I haven't been washing the diaps correctly. I have an LG HE too.

Chelsea - posted on 07/10/2011

i have an LG He front loader, i have a 2 year old and a 1 month old and this is how i wash...i wash every other day.

-i do a speed cycle with no detergent and no spin(i add baking soda to the prewash tray) then run with highest soil level takes about 20 minutes i use cold/cold water. the no spin gets them really wet and heavy and will trick your machine into thinking you need a longer cycle with more water for your actual wash.

-then i use the normal cycle with a prewash, water plus and extra rinse and spin cycle. i add rock n green to the wash tray and oxyclean to my prewash (i add tea tree oil to my bleach dispenser) this almost 2 hours .i use warm/ warm.

- once a week i bleach my inserts and wipes in cold water then follow it with a hot/hot rinse. i like them to look as clean as they are and Bfing poo seems to stain alot....hope this helps

Serinitee - posted on 07/07/2011

I throw a couple of soaking wet towels in the wash to get a really good rinse!

Terri - posted on 07/06/2011

I do a cold rinse. Then wash on Hot/Cold cycle. Then do 2 warm/cold rinses after. It is harder since there isn't as much water, but I throw in a towel that I have soaked in water so it is nice and heavy and tricks the machine into thinking there is more to wash.

Teresa - posted on 07/04/2011

I did not like my HE washer for anything but prefolds. The AIO's and pockets just dont' get clean in the HE. You need lots of water for them to get seriously clean.

Bethany - posted on 04/19/2011

I really don't have much poop in my nappy loads. I use polyfleece liners, I chuck the poop in the toilet, flush the toilet on the liner, squeeze it out, rinse it under the tap in the bathroom (conveniently between our loo and nursery) and put it in the nappy bin. (you'll understand my glee when I catch her poo in the toilet now and then!)

I do a nappy load every 2 days. So not sure what the problem would be. To me there's no difference between dirty sweaty clothes and nappies.



Vinegar in the softener dispenser for the rince cycle strips the soap out well. I only use hot water if she's showing signs of viral infection or any of her little playmates is.

Beth - posted on 04/19/2011

yikes! I have an HE front load machine and didn't realize that it might not do as well for diapers! (Is it even true that most people have a diaper service??) I use the "heavy" setting with hot water and an extra rinse. Every two months (ish?) I strip them with dawn dish detergent and just run it until there are no more bubbles. It seems to work fine, but I don't know!

Tammy - posted on 04/18/2011

I have a HE Front Loader, with soft water. All I do is a pre-rinse, wash on 30 degrees and then rinse x 2. This works well for us. I use liners in my nappies so dont really have to deal with very poopy diapers but if they do get messed I'll give them a hose before popping them in the nappy bucket.

Kimberly - posted on 04/18/2011

I think it depends on the type of water you have also, do you have hard water? I have a front loader plus hard water so I need to do a couple extra rinses. Hard water or not one helpful thing is to change the soil level option to heavy this will give you more water. The routine I use on my front loader is I soak them, then rinse, then wash on hot with "heavy" soil option with a max rinse. Since I have severe hard well water I actually do a full wash cycle twice once with soap and once without. Hope this helps.