FAQ's

How to Care for the Cover
We recommend washing your cover by hand after several times of wearing unless it gets soiled.
Allow the cover to air dry in between uses. Wool will not develop a smell because of its resistance to
odor & rash causing bacteria. If you notice the cover is not as leak proof as before, it may be time to
lanolize (instructions below). Never wash your cover in a machine or tumble dry, they shrink!

How to Wash Your Cover
Fill your sink with enough lukewarm water to sufficiently cover your wool. Add a bit of woolwash (do
not use Woolite, only use a lanolin rich wash specifically designed for diaper covers) to your running
sink water. Wool wash bars can be used to help remove tough stains as well. Most wool washes
are formulated so there is no need to rinse. A bit of baby shampoo can be used if wool wash is not
readily available. With liquid wool wash, let your wool sit for about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain water
and gently squeeze wool. Lay in between 2 bath towels and roll to remove excess water. Or if you
are doing several covers, put them in your washing machine and run the spin cycled (no water) to
quickly and efficiently spin out the excess water. Reshape, and lay flat to dry away from direct heat or
sun. Liquid wool wash is good if your cover needs a gentle cleaning. If your child is like mine
though, they like to abuse their wool with food, dirt, and grime. A good wool wash bar is good for
these times. Fill up a sink full of warm water, wet your wool, and then lather the bar right into the
wool to get out those tough stains. Always check in a hidden spot to ensure colorfastness. Then
rinse immediately and remove right away and dry as listed above. For interlock wool, we
recommend soak times of a maximum of 15 minutes. Interlock can also be safely washed in the
washing machine for a really deep clean. Add your liquid wool wash and wash on a warm gentle
cycle and warm rinse. Machine drying is not recommended.

How to Lanolize
Prepare your sink just like you are about to wash your cover. I have found the creamy style lanolin to
work the best in getting an effective coat of lanolin on my wool. It contains all the original fats that are
removed from the liquid forms. Take a pea sized amount and place in a baby food jar along with a
drop of baby shampoo. Fill jar with super hot water and shake to dissolve the lanolin (or an
alternative to completely melt your lanolin is place the jar & lanolin without the lid in the microwave
for 10-15 seconds. Then add the hot water & shampoo. This will ensure the lanolin is completely
dispersed). I prefer to microwave to really make sure that the lanolin is liquifed and will not form
pool and form spots on my covers. Fill your sink as I stated just above with warm water and wool
wash. Add your lanolin mixture and swish. I prefer to turn my covers inside out so the majority of the
lanolin is on the inside right where you need it. Add the wool cover and let sit anywhere from 15-30
minutes. Make sure water remains relatively warm to keep the lanolin suspended properly and from
forming lanolin spots. Drain and dry like normal.

Where do I find Wool Care Products?
We now carry all natural lanolin in our in-stock store. We are a retialer for Eucalan Wool Wash which
you can find in our in-stock store as well. In 2007, we teamed up with Jennifer of Lautzy soap to
formulate a wool wash bar specifically for Woollybottoms.

My Cover Seems Wet & Leaks
Wool is not 100% waterproof like plastic. Wool is a natural fiber and absorbs 30% of moisture that
comes in contact with it and it slowly evaporates. If your cover leaks, it is possible that you are not
using an absorbent enough diaper. Try using doublers for heavy wetters. Also, change your baby
more often. It is also possible that this indicates it is time to relanolize.

I Lanolized, but My Cover Seems Sticky Feeling.
While it is possible to use too much lanolin, this will not harm your cover. It will feel normal again
after some wear. If it bothers you, you can rewash the cover using warn water and tad bit of
dishwashing liquid like Dawn to help strip it back out, but you will need to lanolize again, using a
smaller amount. This method will also work if you happen to get lanolin spots from uneven
dispersement of lanolin in the wash.

Why Does My Cover Smell Like Wet Sheep After Washing?
Yes, this does happen quite often especially with organic, untreated, or virgin wools. These wools
are minimally treated and still contain much of the natural lanolin. Don’t worry, the smell is only
there when it is wet and will not have any smell at all once dry.

Help! I Shrunk My Cover!!!
If you shrink you cover, as a last effort to save it, soak the cover again in lukewarm water. Work lots
of hair conditioner into the cover. This will make your wool softer and will help make the wool easier
to work with. Rinse the cover really well and remove the excess water with towels. Pull the cover
back into shape. I would “stuff” the cover with hand towels too to help hold the shape while it is
drying. That should work! You can also stuff your wool to hold a desired shape. I like to take
tupperware lids to help keep the legs on our longies a nice straight leg look. Sometimes though
wool can be shrunk beyond hope. If the wool is hard and no longer stretchy at all, it is best to just
accept it and let it go :)

Help, My Dark Colored Covers are Bleeding Onto My Diapers!
Occasionally some dark colors can bleed onto a really wet diaper or bleed into the wash water. I
panicked when I put a deep red pair of longies on my son, and when I changed his crisp white
diaper, it had turned pink. Reseach shows this is a more common problem with boys for some
reason. Don’t panic, the dye that is used to color yarns will normally only adhere to wool and silk
fabrics and is non-toxic. I put the pink diaper immediately in the diaper pail and washed it the next
day normally and it came out just like new. To minimize this problem, you can give your cover a
white vinegar bath. Allow it to soak in the pure vinegar for about an hour. Rinse well in lukewarm
water and then wash & relanolize normally. Avoid washing your dark covers with the lighter ones
too. Occasionally, it may take several washes for the dye to completely fade from the diaper, but it
will come out.

I Have a Super Duper Heavy Night Wetter! What do I do?
I feel your pain on this. I have a son that gives me the 2 ton wet diaper in the morning and
sometimes with an early morning stinky surprise on top of it. It is important that you use one of your
most absorbent diapers and add extra layers. I put the wool cover right on and then he sleeps for
12 hours. The sheets are perfectly dry in the morning. One little trick I learned from trial & error is to
not put anything on top of the wool cover like cotton pants at nighttime. This tends to hold wetness in
and it will sometimes wick through the wool making the pants wet. The wool cover should be
allowed to “breathe” so it can allow moisture to evaporate. It is normal for the wool cover to feel
slightly damp in the morning, but you should not have any wet sheets. If you are still having
problems with leaks, let me know and we can together work on finding a solution to fit you and your
baby. If you feel you need to use disposables at night, please try these hints and I think you will be
pleasantly surprised.

My Wool is All Pilly, What do I do?
Some wools tend to look shabby after some wear. I have tried all sorts of things and here is what I
have found.... the cheaper, the better. I invested in an expensive battery operated shaver. It was
loud, and didn't pick up a thing. It went to the yard sale pile. Picking by hand is excellent. It goes
surprisingly quick and your wool will look like new. Another tool (and my personal favorite) is a
pumice stone. Just rub vigorously downward and the pill balls will come right off.