Our diapers feature hemp & organic cotton fabric. We do not use chemicals to strip the natural oils from our fabric. In fact, only boiling water is used to finish our 100% organic fabric. We believe it is much safer to wash your diapers a few extra times than for us to strip the fabric with harsh chemicals. We are pretty sure most of you would agree with us! It typically takes 6-8 washes to prep your Smart One 3.1 and only one wash to prep your Dream Diaper 2.0 and your Born Smart 2.0; however, this may vary depending on the detergent used, type of washer, and hardness of water. A detergent that has a strong surfactant will decrease the number of washes necessary to fully prep your diapers. Most traditional detergents will have the strongest surfactants. Natural detergents that utilize plant-based surfactants will work but may take a few extra washes. Make sure you are washing a full load when you prep. While prepping, you may wash your diapers with your clothing and towels. The other natural fiber items in the wash will help absorb some of the oils from the diapers. There will not be enough transference to affect the performance of your towels. We do not recommend you wash brand new Smart Bottoms with your other diapers the first couple of times. After they have been washed 2-3 times you can start washing them with your other diapers to continue the prepping process. You should not wash more than 5-6 brand new Smart Bottoms in the same load. The more diapers you are prepping together, the more difficult it is to get all of the oils out because the diapers reabsorb the oil. You do not need to dry your diapers after every wash while prepping. Drying them on med-high heat at least once or twice before first use will help shrink the cotton fibers and make your diapers more absorbent. We know you are super excited to get your new Smart Bottoms on your baby, but proper prepping is critical to prevent leaks. Before you use your diapers for the first time check to make sure they are ready by pouring a small amount of water on a dry diaper. If the diaper absorbs the water instantly, it is ready to use. If it takes even a couple of seconds to absorb, it needs a couple more washes.