Stripping Cloth Diapers, Easy As 123

I recently became a cloth diaper user, but the thought of stripping my cloth diapers terrified me.  I pictured myself hanging over my bathtub scrubbing my diapers clean, as sweat beads trickled off my brow.  This past week I hit my seventh month mark in use with some of my cloth diapers and five months with the rest of my stash.  My diapers smelled clean, but my daughter Ayla’s diapers leaked more than normal.

When I researched cloth diapers several diaper sites recommended all diaper stashes be stripped every six months to remove any build up.  With the leaking I had, I figured it was time to give my stash their first stripping.  I can proudly say stripping is easy and I do not know why I was so foolishly terrified of it.  Stripping cloth diapers is as easy as 123!

*I have a front loader and cannot strip my diapers in my washer because I will void my warranty if I use dish soap in my machine.  Also if you have a newer top loading machine that require HE detergent a reader said it will mess with water sensor and you will have water going everywhere!*

• To start the process make sure all your diapers are clean and free of pee and poo.
• Turn your water heater up as high as it will go for thirty minutes before you start.
• Fill a bathtub full of the hottest water you can run or boil big pots of water on the stove to do the same process.
• Add in 2 to 3 tablespoons of liquid green Dawn dish soap into the bathtub or boiling pots and mix it around with a spoon.
• Once the tub is full throw ONLY your inserts into the water as your pockets PUL could get damaged ruining your diapers.  Use the spoon or other object to stir your inserts around.
• When the water is safe enough to barely touch throw in the pockets as well and mix those around submerging them in the hot soapy water.  I let my stash soak in the bathtub for around three to four hours.
• When the time is up I drain the bathtub and add in cold water to rinse the soap out as I did not want to ruin my front loader washing machine.  Once the soap is rinsed out I took the wet diapers and threw them all in my washer.
• Do not forget to turn your water heater back down to normal right after you finish filling your bathtub!
• I washed my diapers three times on a heavy duty hot wash cycle with no soap to make sure all the Dawn got out of my diapers.
• Next I ran my diapers through a cold rinse only one time.
• Once the diapers were thoroughly washed and rinsed I hung them to dry on the line.  I never dry my diapers in my dryer because I believe it extends the life of the fabric and PUL

Your diaper stash is now ready for use once they are dry.  If you still have leaks I suggest trying a product called RLR which eliminates build up of minerals from your water.

If you have a top loader you can do all stripping of your diapers in your machine.  Fill your washer with hot water, add in the dish soap, throw in your diapers, soak them, wash hot two times, rinse cold one time and hang to dry!  Stripping your diapers is easier than I thought it only takes time.

Happy Stripping and may there be no smelly or leaky diapers in your immediate future!

 

XOXO,

Amee

 

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