Wool is a protein. Sheep's hair looks very much like yours under a microscope. When abraded or teased, the scales can peel back and weaken the fiber. Just a little care can extend the life of your wool diaper cover.

After using wool covers, hang them to dry. If they have not been soiled, they can be used several times before they need to be washed.

Wool diaper covers are naturally absorbent, but they are not a moisture barrier. They will breathe moisture out. You can treat wool covers with lanolin, the naturally occurring skin oils of sheep, to increase their moisture resistence. How much to treat them depends on the balance you want to strike between breathability inside and dryness outside. Though you can wash your covers in the machine on gentle, they will last longer and better with just occasional soaking in wool wash. To renew their moisture resistance, machine or hand wash periodically with Eucalan®. Eucalan® is a nice, mild wool wash with lanolin as well as eucalyptus, a natural antibiotic. After washing, don't rinse. Just gently squeeze water out then line dry. If you wash one cover per week, using about 1 tablespoon per wash, one 500ml bottle of Eucalan® should last nearly a year.