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Getting the Stink Out of Your Diapers
Over time you may notice that your cloth diapers no longer smell April fresh, even right after laundering. You may also notice an extremely strong (stronger than normal) urine smell in baby’s diaper after peeing in them. Both are signs that your diapers have build-up on them and need to be ‘stripped’. Stripping is the process of removing detergent build up from diapers in order to eliminate odors and improve absorbency.
Build-up occurs when residue left by detergents, oils or other substances remain in the fibers. This is more common in areas where the water is hard. Also, diapers with man-made materials like microfleece tend to gather stink more easily than diapers with all-natural fibers like cotton, bamboo or hemp. Build up can also decrease the absorbency of your diapers and cause leaking. Don't worry though - removing build-up from your cloth diapers is really easy. Read on!
You need to strip your diapers if...
- Your diapers are leaking
- Baby’s urine sits and beads on the diaper
- Baby has a rash.
- Your diapers are turning yellow or gray
- Your diapers have an ammonia or urine smell AFTER they’ve been washed
- Your diapers have a really strong ammonia smell after baby wets
Steps for Stripping Your Diapers
1. RINSE COLD with no detergent
2. WASH HOT with 2 tbsps of detergent OR 1 tbsp of blue Dawn liquid soap
*NOTE: Consider also adding 2 tbsps of RLR Laundry Treatment or Calgon Water Softener if you have hard water.
3. RINSE four (4) times with no detergent or soap.
4. Run one final RINSE with one of the additives listed below:
- 1/2 cup of Baking Soda (kills odors)
- 1 cup of White Distilled Vinegar (kills germs and odors)
- 1/4 cup of Hydrogen Peroxide (kills germs and whitens)
- 20 to 40 drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract (kills germs and odors)
- 1 to 2 tsps of 100% Australian Tea Tree Oil (kills germs and odors)
5. DRY (line dry or air dry)
IMPORTANT NOTES:
- Don't confuse soap bubbles with agitation bubbles. To tell the difference, open the washer door during the rinse cycle and count to 5. If the bubbles have disappeared, they were agitation bubbles. If not, they are soap bubbles and you will need to run another rinse cycle.
- Be careful not to overuse vinegar. While it is a great when used occasionally, overuse can cause the PUL in your diaper covers, All In One, All In Two and Pocket diapers to breakdown and leak.
- Using the right detergent can cut down on how often you need to strip your diapers. See our list of Recommended Detergents for your cloth diapers.