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Your nappies and wraps have been produced using high quality fabrics and should see you through more than one child with no discernible loss of quality and very little change in appearance.
The key to maintaining this quality is appropriate care, and that needn't be anything complicated. Gone are the days of boiling nappies in huge vats on the stove, modern terry cotton knits and fleeces all give excellent results when machine washed at relatively low temperatures.
Dry pailing versus wet pailing
Initially you need to store the soiled nappies ready for washing. A large bucket with a tight fitting (preferably lockable for safety) lid is ideal for this. In addition a nylon mesh bag sitting inside the bucket will make it much easier to transfer the nappies to the washing machine, simply dump the whole bag into the machine with the drawstring open and the nappies will work their way out of the bag during the wash. Whether you 'dry pail' or soak the nappies in the bucket is a personal choice.
Dry-pailing simply means dumping the nappies in the bucket and leaving them to it. You can either rinse breastfed 'liquid' poo off washable liners first by holding them in the toilet flush (not always wholly successful), or with older babies plop the poo off the nappy into the loo before you put the nappy in the bucket. If you're using disposable, flushable liners once you've got rid of this the nappy should in theory be relatively unscathed!
You can keep the dry bucket smelling fresh by adding a few drops of lavender essential oil each time you empty it - a few drops on a piece of muslin or fleece on top of the nappies will do the job. You could also use tea tree oil as both lavender and tea tree have antibacterial qualities that will help to keep your nappies sanitised, however, proceed with caution as small babies may be sensitive to tea tree oil in particular. As with all essential oils make sure the ones you choose to use on things that will come into contact with your baby are safe - lavender and chamomile roman are generally recommended for very small babies while for babies over 6 months or so you may like to try mandarin or geranium.
If you prefer, you can half fill the bucket with cold water and add a nappy soak product - there are some eco-friendly ones on the market now although any soak product may slightly reduce the lifespan of your nappies, especially if it contains bleaching agents. Bear in mind that although your nappies will reach the washing machine with less soaked in, dried poo on them, the bucket will undoubtedly smell when the lid is off due to the combination of wet nappies and the soaking product. You've also then got to deal with a bucket of smelly water and a dripping mesh which can be tricky if your bucket is a long way from your machine!
Washing nappies
It's quite normal to wash your nappies at 60 degrees as a general rule - some people even get away with washing mainly at 40 degrees with an occasional hot wash to get rid of lingering stains. You may find that running a cycle with a pre-wash every few washes helps maintain the whiteness. We use half the recommended amount of a very gentle non-bio powder (so 1 tablet instead of 2, half a scoop instead of a whole scoop etc.) The two gentlest that are readily available at the supermarket are Surcare and Filetti (in a pink bag). Many people also use Ecover as it's a fairly environmentally friendly brand.
Don't use fabric conditioner as this will reduce the absorbency of your nappies by coating the fibres (fabric conditioner contains a wax-like substance that's really no good for your clothes let alone your nappies!). A good tip - especially if you live in a hard water area - is to add a generous slosh (the harder your water the more you will need)of distilled white vinegar (available at the supermarket) to the conditioner drawer as this will remove some of the limescale and other impurities that make your nappies feel hard.
If your nappies don't smell fresh when they come out of the machine or very quickly smell of ammonia once back on your baby you may be experiencing poor rinsing or powder build up. Modern washing machines use so little water and terry type fabrics lather so vigorously that this can be a problem. Try to remember to have a quick look at the machine when it's nearing the end of the rinse cycle. If you can still see soap suds your nappies aren't getting rinsed properly. You may need to run an extra rinse cycle at the end to get rid of the soap properly. Also try a one-off wash with no powder to get rid of residue/build up.
Smells are best dealt with using cold water. If your machine will allow you to do a cold rinse cycle BEFORE the main wash this will get rid of a lot of the urine and lingering smells before the hot water gets to the nappies. Hot water can have the effect of setting in the smells and stains.
If you can't so this and your machine has a hot pre-wash option try using this with a table spoon of washing soda (soda crystals) in the pre-wash drawer as these also act as a sanitising agent and help break down residues in the fabric.
Washing wraps
PUL wraps can be washed at 60 degrees, in with the nappies. Fleece wraps, like the red rap, are better washed at 40 degrees to prevent the fleece bobbling, although some bobbling or 'pilling' of fleece is inevitable.
Wool wraps should be cared for separately, wash by hand using wool shampoo or olive soap. You should also treat your wool wraps with a lanolin based wool cure product periodically to retain the water-resistance.
Drying your nappies and wraps
Drying your nappies in a tumble drier will give them a lovely soft fluffy finish but may ultimately shorten their lifespan slightly. The best and most economical way to dry them is in the sun on the washing line but let's face it, we don't have the weather for this a lot of the time! The sun will naturally bleach any slight discolouration or staining and line-dried nappies have that lovely summer-fresh smell.
Drying on a ceiling airer is probably the next best option - especially if you have one in the kitchen or bathroom where lots of warm air circulates. Drying on clothes airers near radiators or in fact over radiators can leave the terry fabric feeling hard but giving the nappies a good shake while they are still a bit damp can help them soften up.
PUL wraps will dry in a couple of hours on the line or on an airer - give them a good shake to get the drips off first. Sometimes PUL can benefit from a whiz in the tumble dryer to rejuvenate it's waterproof qualities but a lot of tumble drying will shorten it's life span.
Washable wipes.
Don't forget that if you're washing nappies you may just as well use washable baby wipes as well - small squares of fleece, flannelette or terry will do. If you want something more exotic than tap water to add to them try brewing a cup of chamomile tea and adding a teaspoon of suitable carrier oil (apricot kernel is a good one) and a couple of drops of lavender essential oil. Chamomile is particularly soothing for sore red bottoms. Not that we're expecting your baby to suffer from a sore bottom very often in lovely soft cloth nappies!
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caring for wool wraps
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