Cloth 101: Drying Cloth Diapers

Drying cloth diapers isn't a difficult task, though different people definitely have different preferences for how it should be done.

Dryer: You can use your dryer to dry all your diapers and covers *EXCEPT WOOL*. While prefolds and flats can take a beating, and you could dry these on higher temperatures (, anything with PUL you'll want to dry on low or no heat.

Hanging to dry (Outside): Line drying is a great way to dry diapers, but you need to be careful with that, too. Try to avoid having your PUL in direct sunlight for prolonged periods of time. Also try to avoid the hottest part of the day. No, your diapers won't suddenly burst into flame, you just want to be sure that they don't get hot enough that it damages the PUL (same reason you don't want to be drying in high in the dryer) or ruins your elastics (they can become brittle).

Hanging to dry (Inside): Rainy days, freezing/snowy days, or you just don't have a clothes line? No biggie! A drying rack can be super handy. If you don't have a drying rack, you can get octopus hangers to dry your diapers. If you run out of clips on that, you can drape extras across the top like this:

Other places you could dry diapers (inside): Curtain rods, over the edges of baskets and chairs, shower curtain rod... get creative!

My diapers tend to see a combination of both hanging and line drying. Sometimes the PUL/TPU diapers will go in the dryer, but normally they are hanging to dry. I'll usually throw my inserts in the dryer to expedite the process. If I hang those to dry, I will throw them in for a few minutes to soften them up (wool dryer balls).

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff is responsible for the content of this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own.

Starfish Cove Baby Boutique

Are you looking for a natural parenting store to shop at? Though brick and mortar stores are sometimes hard to find locally, there are lots to choose from online. Still, it's not always easy to find the best online natural parenting store for you. I've recently discovered a lovely new store, and wanted to introduce you to it as well.

Starfish Cove Baby Boutique!

Starfish Cove Baby Boutique just opened this past summer. The store is a natural parenting store that focuses on babywearing. They have an online store and hope to open a brick and mortar store in Wilmington, NC soon.

They have all sorts of stuff for baby like squooshi reusable food pouches, baltic amber necklaces, Piggy Paint, Jellystone Teethers, a variety of brands of lotions, balms, shampoos, and more! Check out these awesome toys!

They have a modest collection of cloth diapers and accessories, and a bit of stuff for mom, too. (Such as teething necklaces, menstrual cups, lip balm, etc.)

Last, but not least, baby carriers! They have a very nice selection of wraps, a few soft structured carriers, ring slings, Mei Tai carriers (pronounced "may-tie"), and a nice collection of gorgeous woven wraps (though they have stretchy wraps, too)! You can also purchase accessories like sling rings.

All orders of $45 or more ship free in the USA, and they will ship internationally, too! (click here for store policies, including more information on international shipping.)

Starfish Cove has also been generous enough to offer a Sweet Pea Pocket Cloth Diaper to giveaway to one of my readers. Winner gets to pick the colour or print from in stock selection!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff is responsible for the content of this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Thoughts of Fluff is not responsible for prize fulfillment.

LooHoo Wool Dryer Balls Review

When I first started cloth diapering, I knew I wasn't supposed to use dryer sheets. In fact, I stopped using those well before even getting pregnant since I found out some of the nasty things they had in them. When I found out, however, that fabric softener wasn't safe for the cloth diapers, I was at a loss. What would I do?

I decided to test some things out with our regular laundry. I wasn't about to use something in our washer that couldn't be used with my fluff, too. Residue, etc etc. If it wasn't good for the diapers, it probably wasn't good for us, right? I ran a load without softener and dried it in the dryer. Not too pleasant feeling, and lots of static. I then ran a load of wash sans fabric softener and hung it out on the line. No static, but boy if I dropped something from the line I swear it was going to shatter like glass. Stiff as can be!

After this, my husband said there was no way we would NOT use fabric softener... but then I heard about LooHoo wool dryer balls (then known as Wooly Rounds). I decided to purchase 8 of them and try them out. I got 8 since all the reading and researching I did said the more you have, the better.

Our next load of laundry tested (after receiving the wool balls) was impressive. The laundry wasn't full of static, and it was soft as can be. My husband grabbed something out of the dryer and said something about how we just have to have fabric softener because of the huge difference in softness.... he thought I had used fabric softener on that load! Well, that was a win in my book!

I've used my dryer balls every time since they arrived. Sure, sometimes there are less than 8 because one sneaks into the laundry basket (and then into Bobble's hands!), but they are always being used.

LooHoo Wool Dryer Balls are HANDMADE in Maine with 100% domestic wool. Each one is approximately the size of a baseball, ~9 inches in circumference and weighs ~ 2oz. They are sold individually or in packs, so you can get as many or as few as you like! Being all-natural, there are no harmful chemicals or toxins, so you don't have to worry about what you are drying them with. They are safe for everything! Another perk? They cut down on the drying time! The more you have in the dryer the better!

Worried about how noisy they would be in the dryer? Don't be! They aren't noisy at all! Yes, you can hear something is in the dryer with your laundry, but it is nowhere near as loud as, say, shoes. I was worried about how loud they would be at first, but my washer makes more noise when it is running than my dryer with the wool dryer balls in it!



Have a wool sensitivity? I don't, but I have read that even people with wool sensitivities are fine using wool dryer balls. How fantastic is that?!

LooHoo Dryer Balls have a life span of approximately 1-2 years. That's a LOT of laundry! We have had our Wooly Rounds Dryer Balls (that's how long ago I got them!) for about 2 years now, and they show signs of wear, but still work great.

You can purchase LooHoo Wool Dryer Balls from various retailers both in store and online. Some natural parenting stores carry them (which is how I first learned about them!), or you can get them directly from LooHoo on their website store!

Disclosure: The product mentioned above was purchased by me. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own.