hi,
we use prefolds with covers.
washing: has been much less of a big deal that we thought it would be. we wash them in charlies powdered soap. 1 wash in hot then 2 rinses in cold. we tried just 2 wash with rinse but she was getting diaper rash. adding another rinse cleared that up. we wash every other day. we keep the dpaiers in a pail with liner and wash the liner with the diapers.
wash covers separately, this savors the Velcro (keep tabs closed) and the waterproofing. then air dry, no dryer for them. i think the urine from the diapers and the heat from the dryer breaks down the protective lining if you wash them together. i have some pro wrap hand me downs that are still keeping urine in.
covers: currently we use only the prowrap covers as that is the only cover that doest give us blowouts. right now she seems to be inbetween sizes (not newborn nor small) of the bummis super brites and the swaddlebees. so we are going to try various types of covers to see what is going to fit her until she grows into small sized bummis covers. i have heard lots of good things about 'thirstie' and 'nikki' diaper covers. i think that what covers work great for one baby may or may not fit the next so it occasionally takes trying different brands of diapers to get over an in between period. either buy one of each brand at a time so if one cover doesn't work, your not stuck with a bunch you cant use. or stock up if you feel good about a brand then return the unused ones. babyworks.com has an EXCELLENT return policy. you can return/exchange ANYTHING up to 30 days even if its used and anything not used up to 90 days. its worth getting a paper catalog from them as their is great detail about the different diaper covers, quantity recommendations and even price comparisons between the different styles (all in ones, pocket, prefold, disposable, gdiapers etc...). check em out, their a great resource!
prefolds: we currently use the indian prefolds and like em lots. the small size we got is the usa made but haven't used them yet. ive herd from different folks that the Chinese prefolds are the thinnest.
we change her every 1 - 1.5 hours. we use liners during the day and a doubler at night which keeps the wetness off her and it wicks on to the diaper. i love using them.
because cloth diapering isn't as simple as disposable are sometimes, theres lots of support out there. business owners and online forums and of coarse mammasource. check out mothering.com they have a great forum section for more questions and diaper reviews. know that just cause this is happening doesn't mean that cloth diapering isn't for you, it just means its gonna be a little messy till you find what works. its so worth it in the end!
best of luck and feel free to email me if you have any q's about this or in the future. good luck with your move!
L.