The cloth diaper world has a lingo all its own. One "vocabulary word" you'll come across is "prepping" - the practice of washing a new diaper over and over to make it absorbent and ready for its first use. This practice is tedious and can take a long time- sometimes up to 10 washes! Is it really necessary?
Depends. 'Prepping' isn't just voodoo magic or unnecessary busy work- the practice of washing new diapers over and over DOES actually make them absorbent. Here's why.
Cloth made of natural fibers like cotton, bamboo and hemp has natural oils in the fabric (Using a synthetic fabric like microfiber, minky, zorb? This article is not for you. Skip to the last question and see why.) Some of these oils are removed during processing, including in the bleaching process. Oil repels water- so, a fabric full of naturally-occurring oils won't be absorbent. Soap repels oils- that's what it does on our dishes, in our shower, and in our clothes washer. To get the oils out of your natural-fiber diapers, they need to be washed with a little bit of soap!
In each wash, some oils are removed the from the fabric, the fabric is agitated, and the dryer helps fluff it and shrink it. All of these actions help the diaper become more absorbent. Depending on how processed the diaper was before it was packaged and sold, you may or may not notice the changes. In a new prefold, for example, the prepping will be more obvious- the diaper will visibly shrink and fluff up from its very-flat initial state. A hemp diaper won't get as fluffy, but will shrink some. Don't worry- the inserts are designed to change shape after prepping! They will fit in your diapers better once fully shrunk.
Do I really need to wash this brand new diaper TEN TIMES?
Maybe, but probably not. Manufacturers usually word their recommendations "will reach FULL absorbency after X washes". Usually, the diaper will be functional- but not fully absorbent- after washing and drying 3-5 times. If you have a new baby, this will probably be fine. If you have a heavy wetter or an older baby, you may want to put it through the process an extra couple times. Unbleached fabrics, organic fabric, hemp and bamboo tend to take more washes to become usable than bleached cotton.
Well, can I at least wash it with my other diapers/clothes?
Depends. When you wash the diaper, you want to make sure you're using a cloth-diaper-safe soap, as always. If you use a cloth-diaper-safe soap on your clothes in an appropriate amount, yes, you can throw your new diapers in with your loads of clothes to save on time, energy and water.
There is some debate as to whether new diapers should be washed with the rest of your stash. The theory is, if all those oils are coming off of your new natural-fiber diapers, you wouldn't want them sticking to the rest of your diapers, making them repel, too. I'm in the camp of, it's not a big deal, but if you're concerned, do your first couple prepping washes with your clothes or on their own.
Isn't there a shortcut, like boiling everything or something?
While the hot-hot water will shrink and remove oils from your diapers more quickly, I'm not a fan. It's somewhat dangerous to be dealing with boiling-hot water and boiling-hot diaper inserts. It's also messy. You can't boil natural fiber fitted diapers or all-in-ones, or inserts with snaps, as the elastic or snaps will be damaged by the hot-hot water and pan.
** What if I'm NOT using a natural fabric? Do I still need to 'prep'?
NO. Synthetic fibers like microfiber, microfleece, minky and zorb don't have any natural plant oil sin them, so don't need to be washed to remove the oils. They also won't shrink. They can be washed just like you would any new baby clothes to get off any dust or chemicals from manufacturing or shipping, but that's it. You're good to go!
