Every Monday (if I receive submissions, that is!) I will answer reader submitted questions in my Mailbox Mondays post. Questions don’t have to be cloth diaper related, just email maria at change-diapers.com with “Mailbox Mondays” in the subject!
Tamara says:
I have a question! I meant to get it in in time for submission today, but alas, life got in the way. So…..Which side of the pail liner do you put toward the diapers? I have a planet wise pail liner, one side is the shiny PUL and the other side is the fabric. I’ve always put it in the pail so that the diapers are touching the shiny side. But, I had a friend of mine ask if that was right and it made me wonder….. I investigated and noticed that the tag is on the fabric side and I know that sometimes manufacturers recommend putting a drop of essential oil on the tag so then I was confused. Does that make sense? What do you do? Does it matter? Have I been doing it wrong this whole time?
Diapers do go on the shiny PUL side, so you are doing it correctly!
Whamies Pail Liners have a patch of fabric at the seam for essential oils, but as far as I know, Planet Wise’s tags are just for brand identification and laundering instructions. If you’re having trouble with smell, you might try keeping the pail open a crack. It seems counterintuitive, but I find that air circulating actually helps with the smell. Washing every 2-3 days at most helps of course too!
Hope this helps!
Stephanie says:
Hi Maria!
I was wondering if there was any rule of thumb about washing microfiber inserts with natural fibers. If so, do you have any recommendations?
Thanks! 🙂
—
Stephanie
When you get a new diaper or insert that is made from natural fibers, wash it separately to prep per the manufacturer’s instructions. For example: a hemp product may say to wash and dry it 2-3 times before use. This will remove the natural oils and get it ready to use. It will continue to gain absorbency up to 10 washes.
Once you have prepped it, there’s no issue washing them with your microfiber products!
Maria wants to live in a world where cloth diapers are the norm and moms can make parenting choices without judgement. When she’s not chasing her 18, 14 and 11-year old kids around, you might find her checking out the latest gadgets, organizing something (again) or exercising in the fresh air. 
>Oh good, glad to know I am doing it right. Thanks for answering my question.
>In my experience, nothing stays quite as soft as it is when it's new! If you usually air dry your inserts, a quick tumble in the dryer will soften up natural fibers!
>(the natural fiber inserts were prepped separately before being washed with the microfiber…forgot to mention)
>I was just wondering about washing natural fiber and microfiber items together as well. I noticed that some of my new cotton/bamboo inserts were not quite as soft and wondered if the microfiber had grabbed them in the wash or dryer and roughed them up a bit. Of course, I was also wondering if a dryer sheet made it in there on accident as well.thanks for the info!