Bits of Knowledge from the Land of Cloth

It can be kind of amazing the sort of things you can learn from people that use cloth diapers. Stuff that is relevant to the use and care of diapers but also handy knowledge for everyday life. I think the reason for the wide range of tips, tricks and wisdom from cloth diaperers comes from the fact that we are a really diverse group. We cover almost the entire spectrum of Mommydom. I've met moms that cloth diaper because they have children with skin allergies. There are moms that have children with disabilities that may always have to wear a diaper and need to put money into health care not disposables. There are moms (like me) that are on tight budgets and cloth was a great way to reduce the amount of money going out. There are moms that were raised with cloth and cloth was the norm so there was never a thought to use disposables. There are moms that...fill in the blank, there's a mom somewhere that has seen or done it. Because we come from all walks of life and have our own reasons for choosing cloth we have a wealth of knowledge available to us if we just reach out for it.
I joined a Facebook group for cloth diaperers a little while after I started using cloth and the ladies in that group have been so helpful I don't know how I would have learned the things they've taught me on my own. The ladies in this group range from noobs like I was to seasoned vets that have been diapering for years and have diapered multiple children. Let me tell you they cover everything! Even when I haven't been able to get an actual solution to a problem I was having I at least learned that I wasn't alone. Someone, somewhere had or was having the same trouble I was. Some of the stuff I learned through the group has been so helpful that I feel the need to list them here (one so that I can find it later and two, hopefully it will help someone else along the way).

Bits of Knowledge from the Land of Cloth:

• There is no stain/smell/funk remover like the sun. Sunning your diapers is perhaps the simplest of the tips and tricks I've learned but it has been so helpful getting rid of stains! Those moms that are lucky enough to have a place to hang their diapers on a clothesline to dry practically worship the sun. The happiest posts I see on the group page are those of moms who either just got fluff mail (new diaper stuff) or got to sun their diapers!
• What you wash your diapers in can make or break your cloth diaper experience. Not all detergents or soaps work for everyone. Hard water, soft water, normal water all cause your detergent or soap to either be awesome or fail miserably. Just because someone loves X soap doesn't mean you will. The best way to find the best detergent for your situation is trial and error.
• A super soft paper towel can make a great diaper liner in a pinch.
• When ammonia funk happens, vinegar can help a lot with your inserts but keep it away from your AIO's it can damage the PUL lining. For AIO's check out the ammonia tablets in the aquarium section of a pet store.
• Bleach and PUL...I don't really have anything on this except to say it's controversial. A lot of diaper manufacturers say it will void the warranty on the diapers, some say it's ok. I'm not brave enough, or desperate enough yet, to try it. 
• Experiment until you get it right. Whether it's your wash routine, your pail system, your night time diaper configuration, whatever it is just tweak little things here and there until you get a system that works for you. I can tell you from experience that's how we arrived at our current overnight diaper system. There were plenty of giant diaper butts and epic fails between the start of using cloth at night and getting to a dry, happy baby in the morning!