Cloth 101: Why do I have to wash brights 6 times?

If you purchased a new bumGenius cloth diaper or Flip cover in Clementine, Moonbeam, Ribbit, Zinnia or the new Dazzle and Sassy colors, you may have noticed a small sticker on your diaper that states:

"IMPORTANT: Prewash dark color diapers 6 times separately before washing with any other products."

This means is that for these brighter, bolder colors, we recommend washing them with like colors for the first 6 washes to avoid any transfer of dye to other lighter colors. These do not have to be 6 consecutive washes before your first use.

We like to use the analogy of a brand new, brightly colored bath towel or pair of dark wash jeans. Much like these products, we suggest washing them separately or with like colors to avoid any possible color transfer.

If you have bumGenius 4.0 cloth diapers or Flip diaper covers, your diapers are fully prepped and ready to use after the first wash. We recommend washing them with like colors until they have been washed at least 6 times.

For bumGenius Elemental cloth diapers, you will need to wash your new diapers 5-7 times before they are fully prepped. Items with natural fibers contain natural oils that need to be removed before they will be fully absorbent. More details on how to prep your natural fiber diapers can be found in our Cloth 101: How to Prep Your Cloth Diapers post.