washing new pre-folds

Hi there,

It's me again.

I bought some cotton pre-folds. They actually seemed soft when I took them out of the box. I've now pre-washed them about 3 or 4 times in a front loader at about 40C with a tiny bit of eco friendly washing powder. I'm finding that they are stiffer than when I took them out of the box. They are however puffier.

I haven't used fabric softener or vinegar as I might normally do to help my machine make my clothes softer.

Is this normal, or does anyone have any solutions for making pre-folds nice and soft?

Thanks for your help again!!!

Hi Lisa

This happened to my prefolds as well - it is because they sort of felt themselves a bit with the first few washes (it is what makes them absorbent) - that is the puffiness that you describe.

Two methods that have both worked for me is - either putting them in the dryer (if you have one) for a few minutes to fluff them - I do the same with my towels. Or I did once sit on the couch in front of the TV and literally scrunch them all about a bit and that seemed to help as well.

They will soften up again with wear but I understand how it feels going from beautifully soft ones to harder once they are washed a few times.

Thanks Muppity. I don't have a dryer but I did try scrunching them and it helped a bit. I hope they sort of take care of themselves in term softness in the future!! I was thinking of trying a bit of vinegar or epsom salts in the wash on my next pre-wash, which should be the last pre-wash.