All LittlePants wool nappy covers arrive ready lanolised, but when they are new they will probably need a lanolin re-treatment within a couple of weeks. After that you wil probably need to re-treat after a month, but after that, treating every couple of months is usually enough.
Wool Nappy covers do not need washing very often. Lanolin is both anti-bacterial, and anti fungal, and just hanging your nappy to air will be enough to clean it and keep it smell free, providing the lanolin does not need topping up. You will only need to wash your wool nappy cover if it gets grubby looking, but if it starts to smell after airing, or is not as waterproof as it was, then it's going to need a lanolin re-treat.
To Wash
Wash by hand only in hand warm water - wool which is treated for machine washing is not suitable for nappy covers, as it will not accept lanolin. Always use either a wool wash, or a delicate wash liquid to wash your wool - normal washing powders will remove all the residual lanolin from the wool. For best results, make a washing solution, and leave your nappy cover to soak for an hour or so. then gently squeeze the water through the cover - DO NOT RUB! If you are not going to follow your wash with a lanolin re-treatment, if you add a drop of Instant Soluble Lanolin to the water, this will top up the lanolin content, and make the necessity for a full retreatment further off. Once you have squeezed the dirt out, remove, squeeze as much wet out of the cover as you can, and rinse well.
To Dry
Roll your nappy cover in a microfibre towel if you have one, and leave it for 10 minutes. If you only have a cotton towel available, roll it in that and tread all over the roll. This will remove a lot of the wet. Then lay the cover flat - on top of a boiler is ideal.
To Lanolise or Re-Lanolise using Instant Soluble Lanolin
Wash your soaker, as above. The simplest way to re-lanolize is to use my Ready emulsified soluble Lanolin. Use 1lt warm water per 50gm wool (approximately)Put the right amount of water into a small receptacle - a 5 lt ice cream tub is ideal. Add 1ml of instant soluble lanolin per 1lt water. Mix the solution well. Put your nappy cover in, pressing it down gently to remove any air bubbles. Leave to soak for at least 2 hours, and preferably overnight. Remove and squeeze out as much solution as you can. Don't rinse. Just dry using the method above. Freshly lanolised covers will take a while to dry - up to 24 hours on a boiler, and longer in a cooler place.
NB.When wool is new, it may take up to 3 lanolising treatments to reach full efficiency, but it is best to do these with at least one wear between treatments wit the exception of Disana ones, which will need 3 treatments initially - one inside out, one right side out and then again inside out, so the wool moves between each treatment.
To lanolise or Re-lanolise using solid lanolin
Add a pea sized amount of solid lanolin to a small amount of boiling water, and shake it until it has all melted. If you prefer you can add the lanolin to cold water, and melt it in the microwave. Add a squirt of wool wash or baby shampoo, and shake well until the mixture turns white. Add to enough warm water to cover your nappy cover, and soak for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight. Them remove and dry as above.