Tips: Washing Tips

 1.  Never use fabric softener or laundry soaps w/ softeners or oils.  This causes fleece diapers to have build up which creates leaky diapers.

 2.  Sun diapers outside for several hours to get rid of stains and unpleasant odors.

 3.  Use a Downy ball with vinegar in the regular wash cycle to help with stains, build up, and odors.

 4.  If using a sprayer to remove poop from diaper, wet the diaper a little before putting into pail.  This will reduce staining and make it easier to come clean in the wash.

 5.  Use a washcloth or diaper liner when baby has a rash.  This will protect the fleece on the diapers and allow you to use any diaper creams or ointments whether or not they contain oils.

Diaper Stripping:  For those of you with toddlers in diapers, this title may take on a completely different meaning, but for many of us diaper stripping is something we all encounter at one time or another during our diapering days.  Often times we wonder when to strip our diapers and how to do it.  Here are some answers and suggestions to help out.

What is diaper stripping?   It's a process used to remove build up or odor from your cloth diapers. Build up may occur from using a detergent that contains enzymes and therefore does not rinse out completely from diapers.  Other culprits are fabric softeners, free and clear detergents, and diaper creams.

How do I know I need to strip my diapers?The two main indicators that your diapers might need to be stripped are leaking throughout the diaper and strong odors (most commonly an "ammonia" smell) when freshly washed or just after baby wets in the diaper.  Sometimes a bit of leaking, also called wicking, at the legs (especially when wearing a onesie) is common for cloth diaper users.  The type of leaking that leads to stripping occurs when baby wets and very little gets absorbed by the diaper.  All the wetness goes out of the diaper and onto baby's clothes.  This is most likely happening because the inner lining of the diaper is repelling due to build up on the diaper.

How do I strip my diapers? There's more than one way to strip a diaper, but here is the manufacturers' most commonly suggested method:

• Add 1 Tbsp. Dawn dishsoap to 1 qt. water and mix in a good sized bowl.
• Put diaper in solution to wet thoroughly
• Using a soft bristled brush (like a toothbrush or baby brush), scrub the fleece or inner lining of the diaper.  You will need scrub rather aggressively and all over the inside of the diaper.
• Hand rinse with warm water until all soap is out
• Wash in washer on hot w/a regular cycle (adding detergent is optional)
• Dry in dryer
• Test dry diaper by adding a small amount of water to the inside of the diaper and applying a gentle pressure.  You must apply pressure especially with fleece lined diaper b/c all fleece is designed to wick away moisture.  Just running water over the diaper will not tell you if the problem is solved.
• If water goes through the fleece, congratulations, problem solved!  If water beads up and rolls off (even with gentle pressure), repeat the process
  

Tips:  Cost Saving - A few ways to save even more $$

1.  Use a bag of cheap baby washcloths in place of cloth wipes.

2.  Make your own wipes solution. 

3.  Use a sport bottle to squirt messy diapers as opposed to a unit that attaches to the toilet.

4.  Use store bought (such as Gerber) heavy-duty pre-folds as inserts for diapers.

5.  Buy fewer diapers and wash more often.