Wool diaper covers are an excellent choice for your baby due to its ability to wick moisture away from the skin and absorb up to a third of its weight in moisture. Wool has natural antibacterial and dirt repelling properties. Wool diaper cover can be just air dried between uses and stay in rotation for few weeks before needing to be washed (unless cover gets soiled).
All these amazing properties are possible due to lanolin, which is natural fat secreted by wool-bearing animals. To preserve the durability and water resistance of the wool cover, you should lanolize wool covers on a regular basis.
Wool Diaper Cover Washing and Lanolizing Instructions
Before lanolizing wool, you need to gently clean the cover with soapy water. For best results, always wash your wool by hand. Fill the sink with lukewarm water and add 1/2 tsp of baby shampoo or lanolin enriched Eucalan. Swish the wool diaper cover thoroughly and then rinse and set cleaned wool cover aside. Do not rub to avoid felting!
Place 1/4 tsp of lanolin into 1/2 cup water and microwave or boil on the stove until lanolin is melted. Fill the sink with clean lukewarm water and pour lanolin mixture to the sink. Place wool cover to lanolin water and let it soak from 15 minutes up to few hours, allowing it to absorb lanolin.
To dry the wool diaper cover, avoid wringing or twisting the fibers. It’s best to lay clean dry towel on the flat surface and place wool cover on top of it. Roll the towel with wool item inside. Gently squeeze rolled towel to help absorb the excess water.
Lay another clean towel on the flat surface and lay the wool diaper cover on top to air dry. Glide the wool garment with your palms to smooth out any wrinkles and gently stretch back to shape.
It normally takes 12 to 48 hours for wool garment to dry. To speed up drying process, you can place a fan or dehumidifier in front of the drying wool items.