Diapers Q&A

What is the difference between unbleached cloth diapers and regular diapers?

I am trying to figure out what would be best to put on my little Leilani. So I have these regular ones from Target they are the Gerber prefolds and they totally suck! I was looking online and saw unbleached, white premium, and unbleached premium... so can anyone tell me what the difference is? Thanks!

Public Comments

1. The gerber ones that you can buy at places like Target and WalMart SUCK! They are really only good for maybe 1 full pee. However, on many of the cloth diapering sites they sell DSQ(diaper service quality) prefolds. I have 6 unbleached chinese prefolds and I adore them! http://www.kellyscloset.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=14
2. Throw them in the landfill like the rest of us and buy disposable...
3. Yeah, the Gerber ones SUCK! They actually have polyester in the middle, which is non absorbant. I like unbleached chinese or indian prefolds. They are many layer of cotton and after you wash them a few times, are super absorbant. Unbleached are off-white. I see no reason to bleach diapers, it breaks down the fibers too fast. I think people just expect white diapers for some reason.
4. The unbleached are supposed to be softer and not contain chemicals leftover from the bleaching process. I have both bleached and unbleached, and the unbleached do seem a little softer. They are also not white, obviously - they kind of look like they are stained with tea, a very light brown. They also take longer to get to their peak absorbency - you have to wash them a lot before you use them because the unbleached cotton has kind of a waxiness to it that has to be washed out. As far as premium vs regular, that probably refers to the number of layers in the diaper. You'll see it written as 4x6x4 or 6x8x6 - this means the number of layers on the side panels, and the number of layers in the middle panel. It's sidexmiddlexside. The 6x8x6 is going to be more absorbent.