Care Instructions

Care and Washing Instructions for your Cheeky Butts and Cheeky Bits Products

The very FIRST thing to remember is to PRE-WASH your nappies / diapers several times on a hot or warm wash cycle before using, making sure to dry them in between cycles. This is needed for them to reach their initial absorbency. Items made with PUL only need to be washed once.
Hemp and Bamboo are untreated fabrics and needs to be washed a few times before use to remove the natural oils off the fabric. Most fabrics are coated for protection in transit and during the manufacturing process of the fabrics. Hence all clothing items and towels especially, feel stiff and are not very absorbent until washed.

Wash only about a dozen or so at a time for the initial pre-washes. The fabric will lint on items made with Sherpa, Hemp and Bamboo a bit in these early washes.

Wash and dry bright or dark fabrics on hot / high several times before mixing with lighter coloured nappies.

Depending on your water source and temperature, you may need fewer or additional washings, so always test colour fastness before mixing wet nappies / diapers of varying colours.

Washing your All In One Pocket, Onesize, Wraps and Fitted Nappies

We could not make it any more simple for you to wash your nappies / diapers. Cheeky Butts range of nappies were invented by a busy mum with lots of children. As we all know busy mums hate washing!!  So these are made to be simple, quick and easy to care for.

Cheeky Butts nappies are a single use nappy - this means you use it once, and then wash it.

You can not take the insert out and put another one in and keep using the pocket nappies. Not only does the ammonia from the urine stay in the nappy but it will cause nappy rash.

When wet, simply separate the two pieces or shake the insert out into a bucket, wet bag or other container for easy washing.

If soiled ( pooped), solid poop will “plop” right off of the nappy into the toilet. If it is a sticky one the best method is to use a “Little Squirt” to hose it into the toilet. Any residue will come out in the wash.

Put the nappies through a quick rinse cycle first if you have not had the time to rinse them as this will help dissolve any poo and get a lot of the urine out of the nappies.

After the rinse cycle, run a COLD / WARM  wash with the detergent of your choice. Do not over use your detergent as the full recommended amount by the manufacturer is a bit too much (unless the nappies are very smelly then a HOT wash with full detergent is recommended) - however, you do need enough to clean the dirty nappies. 1/2 the recommended amount is sufficient and if you find you have a cleaning problem then add more detergent. We recommend laundry wash balls as there is no chemicals used, they never cause a build up.

Your wash cycle will have a cold rinse that follows. No need to run a second rinse unless you are having a really dirty nappy problem, then a few drops of tea tree oil makes a big difference.

You can either tumble dry your nappies on low heat or hang to dry, either way they will dry quickly and be ready to put back on your baby. Most Bamboo and Hemp Boosters depending on their usage are expected to last at least 6 months. Bamboo is a softer fibre than cotton, and like any clothing item when used daily will wear over time.

A few things to remember

Do wash your nappies after each use.

Do make sure that there is a snug fit, use the cross over tabs where needed.

Do make sure that you have the correct size for your baby

Do contact the manufacturer if you have any problems

Do use detergents that are free from dyes, enzymes, perfumes, whiteners and brightners. Failure to do so will cause damage to your nappies / diapers, and void your warranty

Do not use fabric softener or use pure soap products on your nappies. (this will coat the fabrics and stop them absorbing)

No bleach, borax, Napisan or whitener’s. Oxygen bleaches can leave a film on suedecloth or fleece causing them to repel moisture.They will also destroy the waterproofing on your nappies / diapers. It is ok to use them on your inserts occasionally ( once a month)

NO exposure to high heat for prolonged periods of time. (this means a heater or dryer) as it can damage the elastic in your nappies / diapers even though the PUL will love it as it will revitalise it.

Why NOT to use pure soaps or fabric softeners

Pure Soap - Natural soap products such as pure glycerine soap (including Cheeky Butts soaps) or cleaning agents made with citrus or other oils do not work for this reason:

They may clean the fibres, but a slight oily film or “soap scum” is left on the fabric. When this happens it makes it very difficult for urine to get through the layer of fabric to the absorbent core in the middle.

When this happens the nappy either leaks, or the nappy will be wet against the bottom of the child.

Fixing the Problem

This is what we recommend to do, and have had lots of success with:

Are any of the following problems happening with your nappies:

1. Persistent smells ( yucky)
2. Repelling suedecloth
3. Leaking nappies / diapers

How to solve the problem

1. Run all of your nappies through a plain water hot wash.

2. Run all of your nappies through a hot wash with the full recommended amount of detergent. If the problem is bad, repeat step One.

3. Run a cold rinse. If you have hard water you may want to add a water softener such as Bicarbonate of Soda to soften your water and help release any left over detergent. If you still see bubbles in your rinse, run another cold rinse.

4. You can either hang your nappies in the sun, or tumble dry on low.

Care of your Cloth Menstrual Pads

1. After using your menstrual pads it is best to either rinse them or put them into a container (I use a large glass sealed jar).

2. Let them soak for at least an hour or so. If you are wanting to leave them for more than 5 hours, it is best to change the water regularly.

3. Wash them on a cold cycle (hot will set any blood stains - remember they are stains and not dirty) using 1/2 the recommended detergent.

4. Run them through a rinse cycle in plain cold water. You can use a few drops of tea tree oil in this rinse.

5. Hang on the clothes line or pop into the clothes dryer on warm to dry.

Smelly Menstrual Pads

If you have a problem with pads leaking, smelling from sitting for too long, use the following guide to get them working beautifully again.

1. Wash with a 3/4 regular amount of washing powder on a hot wash cycle.
2. Re-wash on a cold wash cycle with 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup bi-carb soda
3. Run through a final quick rinse cycle in plain cold water, or use a few drops of tea tree oil (to get the vinegar smell out)
5. Hang on the clothes line or pop in the clothes dryer on warm. (only do this if there is no sunshine)

ODACON is a fantastic product for spraying on to smelly items as it breaks down the proteins causing the smells enabling them to be rinsed out. It has been used in hospital and care facilities for years and is a biodegradable safe product for the skin.