Stripping Cloth Baby Diapers

Have your diapers become water repellent?  Are your diapers stinky?  Sometime after a few uses diapers will develop a build-up and will need to be "stripped".

What causes diaper repelling & smelly problems?

1.  HE (high efficiency) washing machines that use small amounts of water.
2.  Using warm water instead of  hot water, hot water is required to properly sanitze diapers.
3.  Adding diapers to the wash that havent been rinsed of the poo.
4.  Residual diaper creams & lotions are left on the diapers.
5.  Scented oils used in diaper pails and wetbags will stick to the diapers.
6.  Using not enough detergent to properly clean the diapers.
7.  Using too much detergent will leave a water repellent coating on the diapers.
8.  Using soap to clean diapers will eventually build up on the diapers, detergent is recommended.

How to Strip your cloth baby diapers

1.  Run a regular wash with detergent and then follow with a rinse cycle.  It is important to begin the stripping process with clean diapers.

2.  Next wash your cloth diapers through a hot wash cycle.  A couple drops of liquid dish detergent can be used to get through the oils, but this is not required.  Baking soda can also be added to help reduce odors in the diapers.  You can turn up your water heater for the diaper stripping to ensure the water is hot enough and can then turn it back down to normal after you are finished.  Its a good idea to find out what the washing instructions are for your specific type of diaper as some diapers with PUL and waterproof linings can be damaged if washed with extremely hot water.

3.  After the hot wash cycle follow with an extra rinse.  By adding white vinegar to this final rinse you will remove all remaining detergent residues from your cloth diapers. The vinegar smell will disappear after your diapers dry.

4.  Time to rinse!  Send the diapers through three to four rinse cycles or until you are sure there are no more suds.  If there is still some detergent residue on the diapers you can do even more rinse cycles.

5.  Dry in the sunshine.  Air drying out in the sun will help kill germs naturally and will also help fade stains naturally.  This step is not necessary but is helpful if you can do it.

How often to strip your diapers 

The frequency of stripping your cloth diapers will depend on many factors like how often you wash the diapers, how much detergent you use, what type of water you have (hard water or soft water).  Some people choose to strip them once a week while others will strip them once a month, this is entirely up to you. You will know they need stripping if they are repelling water, are no longer absorbent and if they dont seem as clean and fresh as they could be.

Other diaper washing tips

-do not use bleach on your cloth diapers

-do not use fabric softeners as they contain silicone, preservatives, dyes, and fragrance that will leave a water-repellent residue on the diapers, not to mention it is not good for your baby's skin.

-to avoid stains rinse the poo immediately after the diaper change. 

How to know if you have detergent buildup?

If after you wash them they smell ok, but after your baby wets in them they smell very badly it is probably a detergent buildup problem.

How to know if your diapers are not getting clean enough?

If after you wash the diapers they still smell badly you probably need to strip your diapers.  Also when you run your regular diapers washes use more detergent with lots more effective rinsing out.  Using a different laundry detergent will also help.

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