Storing Dirty Nappies: 3 Easy Ways to Store Soiled Cloth Nappies

Storing dirty nappies and having a stinky home is something that most parents who are considering cloth nappying are worried about. 

However, those worries are about to vanish really quickly. 

STINK-FREE WAYS TO STORE DIRTY NAPPIES

1. WET BAGS

We’re big fans of the wet bags around these parts. Really, I don’t think anyone can have too many wet bags!

From having them handy around the house to always keeping several in the car, we’ve made sure that whenever we’ve got something soiled or wet to tote home, we’ve got a wet bag for it to travel in. 

Wet bags are portable, easy to carry, leak resistant and made of special waterproof fabric called polyurethane laminate (PUL) and as such, are useful for a variety of purposes that require keeping something wet away from something dry (or vice versa!).

Larger sized options, like our Beach Bag, are great for storing your nappies in the laundry or on the change table, until you’ve got enough for a load. 

2. WET NAPPY PAILS (KIND OF!)

In general, wet pailing isn’t recommended, however we’ve found it can be good option to help lift tough stains.

Historically, wet pailing was a lidded bucket with a handle for easy carrying and filled with water. As you do with a wet bag, you simply toss the nappies in there until you’re ready to wash them. 

However, there are a number of disadvantages to this method, including that it’s not very portable, you have to transfer sopping nappies to the machine (messy and gross!) and it can be a hazard for curious toddlers, so instead of using a bucket, use a Strucket and keep it in the laundry tub, well out of reach of little ones.

While it isn’t recommended to soak your cloth nappies in anything fancy, just leaving them overnight (or for a few hours) to soak in water can really help to lift stains and smells, before popping them through a rinse then a wash.

3. DRY NAPPY PAILS

A dry nappy pail is a pail (preferably uncovered to allow for airflow), like the historical wet nappy pail, minus the water.

We recommend giving your nappies a quick rinse under the laundry tap before storing them in a dry bucket, as this helps to minimise staining and and cut down on smell. In our experience with 6 babes in cloth, we’ve found it to be a really important step towards preventing fabric deterioration.

A few drops of essential oil on the lid of the bucket can really help with the smell as well.

In all cases –wet bag, wet pail, dry pail, make sure you shake/scrape any solid waste into the toilet and then toss the nappy into your preferred storage system and for best results, wash your nappies daily.