How long do prefolds last?

[lynn97]

My suspicion is that this is one of the differences between cheaper PFs (which are generally a little thinner anyway) and quality PFs.

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[lynn97]

Oh, and I only have one kiddo but all of our PFs look good after varied use (8-9 mos at most). Ours are mostly Diaper Rites with a few GMDs.

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[anne-girl]

Hmm, the ones I'm using (Bummis) aren't cheap and are supposed to be good quality--unbleached, organic Indian pfs. They're what most shops stock in Canada. I did notice that my hand-me-downs fell apart very quickly once wear spots developed, but they were bleached pfs and very welll used.

My wash routine: in an HE front-loader, 2x/week (because I have a seldom-wetting toddler, and sky-high energy costs), warm rinse, soak, extra hot wash with Country Save (hard water), at least an hour of rinses, dryer with two dry towels to speed drying time. Also washing with a few fitteds and AMP hemp inserts for nights/naps; covers get washed separately because they were shrinking.

I don't really care much if they fall apart, but I do want to know how much life I can expect to get out of them.

[FernHollow]

From Green Mountain Diapers: "...in my experience cotton items usually need replacing after about a year. Just like socks get holes, so do diapers over time and with use. But, since baby grows fast and the multi-adjusting size grows with baby, "one-size" diapers can still make a lot of sense. And they are handy when 2 babies of different sizes can both fit into the diaper. They last well and you get good use from them, but they will eventually wear out. We make no promises about handing things down to the next baby."

That is on the AIO page, but I think it holds true for cotton in general. If you are using sized prefolds and use all the sizes then yes you might be able to pass them down. If you use one size for a year + in heavy rotation then they may wear out before you are done with them. I think the softer the cotton the quicker it seems to wear out.

[Kelbel81906]

My medium and large Imagine Smart Fits are on baby #3 now. I've loaned out my XS and S and they have now been through 2 babies and will be on their 3rd this fall. I have to wonder if perhaps your hard water is a factor? Any reason why you're doing an hour worth of rinses? It could also be that your water is too hot. Do you know what your water heater is set at?

[Boheme]

The ones I bought new lasted through two kids through PL'ing (both boys who were almost 3 by the time they were out of dipes). Those pf's are pretty worn out now but still functional as diapers, no huge holes or anything. We just use them as rags, though.

We always use one of a few natural detergents and no bleach. I also rarely machine dried them, just line dried.

[anne-girl]

Any reason why you're doing an hour worth of rinses? It could also be that your water is too hot. Do you know what your water heater is set at?

It could be my pregnancy nose, but I'm rinsing until I don't smell detergent; I figured that was the best way to be sure there was no soap left. I use Country Save, which is supposedly designed for hard water, but I still smell it after two rinses so I do three (20 mins each). No idea what my water heater is set at, but I don't even always use the extra hot setting bc it takes longer. I'd never heard that your water could be too hot--I always thought the hotter, the better (although maybe not when wear is concerned?)

[whiteyacht]

My LL premiums have been in near-constant use for 4 years and are just starting to show wear spots on a few. I bleach every load, too!

[Kelbel81906]

Originally Posted by anne-girl It could be my pregnancy nose, but I'm rinsing until I don't smell detergent; I figured that was the best way to be sure there was no soap left. I use Country Save, which is supposedly designed for hard water, but I still smell it after two rinses so I do three (20 mins each). No idea what my water heater is set at, but I don't even always use the extra hot setting bc it takes longer. I'd never heard that your water could be too hot--I always thought the hotter, the better (although maybe not when wear is concerned?)

Unless you are having build-up from detergent (which means you're be having leaking/repelling), I would just do one extra rinse and not worry about smelling the detergent. I use Tide Original, can always smell the detergent and have never had build-up from it.

Hotter water will wear down on them more quickly so I would look at your heater and see what it's set at. I always suggest any family with small children have it set no higher than 120 degrees.

[Ky-Momma]

I have hard water, a small stash so I wash every night to every other night and my GMD prefolds I bought six years ago and have used on 3 kids (continuously, at times like now overlapping so two kids use them at the same time) look new. I have some cheap bleached no name prefolds I got off. Ebay 3 yrs ago that are falling apart.

I have some Bummis I bought 1 yr ago that are so bad I just threw them out. Personally, I don't think Bummis hold up well at all. They work GREAT for a short while but they don't seem to be made to last.