Sanitary Cycle or not?

To Sanitize or Not to Sanitize?

This has been the subject of much debate lately. The Sanitary Cycle on new front-loading washing machines can get pretty hot, even up to 175 degrees in some cases. The polyurethane laminate material that many pocket and all-in-one cloth diapers and diaper covers are made of is not really meant to hold up to such high temperatures on a regular basis. Having said that, it is probably ok to use the sanitary cycle on your machine once in a while, especially if you're having some bad stains or some stinky diapers. Your regular hot water is warm enough to wash away everyday dirt and germs.

When are some good times to make use of the Sanitary Cycle? When baby has been sick or had a tummyache, or if you know you're dealing with a yeast problem or bacterial diaper rash. Also, if you're using only prefold diapers, you can use the sanitary cycle every time!

Rule of Thumb: PUL - wash on "hot", everything else, "Sanitary" is ok.