When your cloth diapers get less absorbent and super stinky, it’s time to strip them. In this post and video, we’ll show you how.
When your cloth diapers are less absorbent and they stink like rotten radishes right out of the wash, it’s time to strip them. And in this video Mike will show you how to do it.
Do YOU need to strip your cloth diapers?
Find out in our video, 8 Signs It’s Time to Strip Your Cloth Diapers.
What You’ll Need to Strip Your Cloth Diapers
OK, here is the old school, not so “natural” option.
All you need is some original liquid Dawn dish detergent (blue formula), as well as some bleach.
The process is pretty simple. Wash your diapers once in super hot water with some Dawn dish detergent.
- one teaspoon of detergent for high efficiency machines
- one tablespoon of detergent for regular washing machines
Also, add up to a 1/2 cup of bleach in the wash cycle. This is key.
Do a couple more hot water rinses with no detergent to completely rinse diapers clean. If you see suds at the end of the rinse cycle, keep rinsing!
Dry your diapers as normal, and enjoy the absence of stank!
Isn’t Bleach Harsh on the Diapers and on the Baby?
Our preferred cloth diaper manufacturer, bumGenius, recommends using the bleach, so we’re okay with it on the diapers we use.
Their stripping instructions are:
Wash once in hot water with one teaspoon (for high efficiency machines) to one tablespoon (for regular washing machines) with original liquid Dawn (blue formula) and up to 1/2 cup bleach in the wash cycle.
Do two additional hot water washes with no detergent to completely rinse the diapers clean. If you still see suds, keep rinsing until the diapers are rinsed clean.
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A Natural Bleach Alternative
Luckily, for those that don’t want to use bleach (rightfully so), there’s another option. You can make your own natural version.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups of 3% hydrogen peroxide
- 1/2 cup of lemon juice
- 12 cups of distilled water
- 1 gallon jug
Directions: Pour your hydrogen peroxide and lemon juice into a gallon jug. Fill the remainder of your jug with distilled water.
How to use: You may want to use 1 cup of this natural bleach when you strip your diapers (versus 1/2 cup of regular bleach). You would combine this natural bleach with your regular non-toxic or “green” laundry soap in the same quantity as you normally use for washing clothes. You can also add 10-15 drops of lemon or thieves essential oils to your liquid washing soap for an added cleaning boost and a nice, clean scent.
How Often Do You Strip Cloth Diapers?
It’s recommended to strip cloth diapers every 3 to 4 months. But you may want to add a teaspoon of bleach to a diaper load once a month to stay on top of stink.
What’s Your Cloth Diaper IQ?
Do you know your prefolds from your AIOs? Your hybrids from your cloth wipes? Check out our post, Cloth Diapering 101: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started, for the full scoop on CD-ing.
How About You?
What method do you use to beat the cloth diaper funk?