Stripping Diapers - No Pole Necessary

Stripping Diapers..... *ack* what does that mean??? How much work is that going to entail?! YIKES!

Well, thankfully, it is a lot simpler then most people think *phew*.

Most of us have to strip our diapers once in a while. Whether we use bounce sheets with our clothes in the dryer and it slowly cakes on our diapers so they aren’t as absorbent OR if your little one had a diaper rash and you used a barrier cream of some sort – it can easily be fixed by using these simple steps.....

1. Divide your stash in half (if you have 24-36 diapers) – I usually start with my dirty diapers. You want to strip ALL of your diapers on the same day so you don’t have one leaky culprit left.

2. You need dish soap that does NOT have hand sanitizers in it. There is a myth out there in the cloth world that it needs to be ‘blue dawn’ but that is not true. All dish detergent is a grease fighter which is what we are stripping our diapers of.

3. Rub a small amount of dish soap into the center of each diaper and insert. IF you have a serious leaking problem, you may need to scrub the area with a toothbrush – usually this is if you have made a huge error like using Vaseline or a ton of cream directly on your baby’s bottom without a liner. Otherwise, you should be fine.

4. Put your diapers, liners and cloths into your washer and do a full cold wash – no laundry detergent. I also add a little dish detergent into the water for extra kicks!

5. I then do a second full cold wash – no laundry detergent. This time I don’t add any extra dish detergent either.

6. Time for your regular Hot wash with your ¼ scoop of cloth diaper approved laundry detergent!!

7. I do one last cold wash, adding a ¼ cup of vinegar instead of detergent and let it run through.
**** Some diaper companies will void their warranty if you use vinegar and others recommend it, please use your own discretion ****

8. Throw them in the dryer or line dry them and voila! Super, duper FRESH, ultra clean cloth diapers!!

9. Place cheek on diaper and rub the soft cloth on your face – OK, you don’t have to do this, I have to admit that I do – they are soooo fresh afterwards!

10. Repeat with the other half of your diapers!!

That’s it – how easy is that. When you’re done, you’ll wonder what all the fuss is about. I do this every 3-4 months – why – for step number 9!! hehe

~ Kristen
Eaton Family EcoBabies
www.ecobabies.ca