Coth Diapers Part 5: Stripping Cloth Diapers

No matter how awesome your wash routine is, eventually you will have to strip your cloth diapers. So you think you need to strip your cloth diapers, now what? Here's all the info you need to know about stripping your diapers.

 

 

 

 How will I know when I need to strip my diapers?

 There are a few tell-tale signs that it is time to strip your cloth diapers:

1. Your cloth diapers smell bad even after being washed. Usually smells of ammonia or just generally "stinky".
2. Your diapers have a good fit for your diapers and they still seem to be leaking.
3. You have noticed your baby has a reoccurring rash for no apparent reason.
4. Your cloth diapers feel like they have some sort of film or powder on them. Some people describe them as being "extra soft".

These things indicates a build up of soap/detergent film on your diapers. Don't worry! There is simple way to rid your diapers of any residue/build up.

How do you strip cloth diapers?

There are countless ways to strip cloth diapers, but after some research and a lot of trial and error, I found the fastest, most efficient way to do it.  Here is what I figured out:

1. Wash your cloth diapers using your normal washing routine (with a cold rinse cycle at the end) OR  throw your already clean and dry diapers into your washing machine on a cold rinse.
2. Wash your diapers on the hottest, longest, largest setting that uses the most water. Add only one tablespoon of original blue Dawn dish washing soap (no laundry detergent). Make sure to put the soap right on top of the diapers and NOT in the laundry detergent drawer.
3. Wash diapers again on a long, hot cycle with out any laundry soap or Dawn. (I put vinegar in with this wash. It seems to help with stripping the diapers of any residue and eliminating smells)
4. Run diapers through a cold cycle until you do not see any suds. This will take between 2-4 times depending on your washer. Usually front loaders will need a few more rinses than top loaders.

And voila! You have like new, freshly stripped cloth diapers for your baby!

I have to admit, I did not come up with this procedure myself. During my research, I found a wonderful blog post by Mama's Laundry Talk about stripping cloth diapers. Check out her post!

Mama's Laundry Talk: How to Strip Cloth Diapers-- Part 2
She also mentions many other ways to strip cloth diapers. So if the Dawn did not do the trick or you are looking for something else, check out her post!

I have found that I need to strip my cloth diapers every 2-3 months. When I had a top loader, I only had to strip them every 6+ months. You will soon figure out how often you need to strip your diapers.

Here are a few ways to avoid having to strip your diapers more often:

1. Use only cloth diaper approved laundry detergent to avoid soap build-up (Check out my Washing Procedures and Detergents blog post to find out about what detergents are best to use).  
2. Use diaper liners on your cloth diapers. This not only helps minimize how soiled your diaper gets, it also protects the diaper from any diaper creams/lotion you put on your baby.
3. Which leads me to my next one: Avoid diaper creams/rash ointment when using cloth diapers. These are not made to be used with cloth diapers and will cause them to loose their absorbancy and leak. 
4. Do not let your diapers sit too long before washing them. I would make sure you wash your diapers within two days of using them (no more than 48 hours)
5. If you have a front loader, trick it into using more water during normal washes by adding a wet towel to your load of diapers. The more water used in washing normally, the less often you will need to strip.

This is the fifth post in my Cloth Diapers series. Here are the other Cloth Diaper posts in this series:

• Cloth Diapers Part 1: Why Cloth?
• Cloth Diapers Part 2: Types of Cloth Diapers
• Cloth Diapers Part 3: Washing Procedures and Detergents
• Cloth Diapers Part 4: Cloth Diaper Accessories

Cloth Diapers Part 4: Cloth Diaper Accessories

Now there are lots of different types of accessories to make cloth diapering your baby easier. Some are less than useful, but there are a few that I would recommend investing in.

Diaper Wet Bag- This is what would replace a diaper pail that are used to dispose of disposable diapers. 

These contain the soiled/wet diapers and any smell you might be worried about until it is time to wash them. Simply pull all of the parts of the diaper apart (take the insert out of the pocket diapers, etc.) and put all parts of the diaper in the wet bag and zip it closed. When it is time to wash, unzip the bag and dump it into the washer.

Here are links to a few different wet bags:
Itzy Ritzy *This is what I use
FuzziBunz Zipper Tote
FuzziBunz Hanging Diaper Pail

There are more brands of wet bags than I have listed. I got mine off EcoBabyBuys.

Diaper liners- These are thin, single sheet liners that you put on top of the open diaper. This liner goes between the diaper and your baby's bottom. There are two kinds of liners:

1. Reusable liners- These are usually fleece, and very thin. They are very soft against baby's bottom, wick away moisture and protect your diaper from messy diapers. These can be washed with your diapers, and line drying these liners will keep them looking good for longer.
Bummis Reusable Fleece Liners

2. Biodegradable liners- This is every cloth-diapering mom's golden gem! These are wonderful liners that usually come in a roll (like toilet paper) of 100. Simply put this between your baby's bottom and the diaper. When you change the diaper, simply remove the liner (and anything that might be in the liner...) and simply flush the soiled liner down the toilet! No messy poop to clean up in your cloth diapers!

Here are links to a few different biodegradable liners:
Kushies 
Bummis *These are the ones I use
GroVia

Diaper Sprayer- This is a sprayer with an attached hose that connects to the base of a toilet. This is to spray down those extra soiled diapers over the toilet before putting them into a wet bag (or in some cases, right into the washer)

These are wonderful and useful in washing cloth diapers, but I would not consider them a necessity for cloth diapers. Let's call it a cloth diaper luxury item (even though they aren't that expensive)

Here are links to a few different diaper sprayers:
Diaper Sprayer on Amazon
bumGenius Diaper Sprayer

Hope this gives you a good idea of what accessories are helpful in making cloth diapering your baby as easy as possible! There are lots of different cloth diaper accessories out there. Please feel free to leave a comment about your favorite accessory!

This is the fourth post in my Cloth Diapers series. Here are the other Cloth Diaper posts in this series:

• Cloth Diapers Part 1: Why Cloth?
• Cloth Diapers Part 2: Types of Cloth Diapers
• Cloth Diapers Part 3: Washing Procedures and Detergents
• Cloth Diapers Part 5: Stripping Cloth Diapers

Until the Whole World Hears,
Katie <><
grace.faith.dirt@gmail.com
Trained Labor Doula
Cloth Diaper Educator

Cloth Diapers Part 3: Washing Procedures and Detergents

Washing can be the scariest and most challenging part of cloth diapers, but it doesn't have to be. As most thing in regards to cloth diapering, once you get a routine down, its just as easy as disposables!

Most cloth diapers will come with basic care instructions. With those instructions, my helpful suggestions on this post and asking other cloth diapering moms, you can come up with an easy washing method that is good for your family

Here is my washing procedure. It's simple, easy and works with our laundry schedule.

1. Remove wet/soiled diaper and dispose of waste in the toilet (please flush, too!) spray with a diaper sprayer if necessary.
2. Pull out inserts and throw all parts of soiled diaper into a diaper wet bag
3. Replace wet diaper with fresh, clean diaper
4. Once you have a full bag of soiled diapers (or you are running low on diapers) simply empty the contents of your wet bag into the washer
5. Rinse diapers on a COLD rinse without any laundry soap
6. Wash the diapers on HOT with a cloth diaper approved laundry soap with the highest level of water possible.
7. Rinse again on COLD without any laundry soap. (Many washing machines have a cold rinse cycle that automatically happens after a wash) This is optional and is just in case there is any residue left on the diapers.
8. Remove diapers promptly after washing. Line dry in the sun or place in dryer on LOW.

Facts and myths about washing cloth diapers: 

 

1. It is ok to wash cloth diapers with any laundry soap.
MYTH!

Many laundry soaps contain chemicals or dyes that can be harmful to cloth diapers. It is important to avoid laundry soaps containing:

• Fabric softeners
• Natural/Essential Oils
• Perfumes
• UV brighteners
• Stain guard ingredients
• Enzymes

Using soaps with these types of products will cause a build-up of residue on the diapers and will cause them to leak and not work properly. If the wrong soap is used or you notice a residue build up on your diapers you can strip your diapers of residues or chemical build up. Find out more about stripping cloth diapers and how to do it:
Stripping Cloth Diapers

Here are some soaps that are great for cloth diapers. They are all natural and wonderful to use on ALL your clothes, not just diapers!

• Charlie's Soap - This is my personal favorite. The liquid 128oz is around $20 and I used it for all our laundry and it lasted almost a year! Can be found on Amazon and usually at Central Market.
• All Free and Clear- Probably the easiest to find as it is sold in most retail/grocery stores.
• Allen's Naturally- Much like Charlie's soap, but a little more expensive. Very good for those who have reactions to other soaps
• Soap Nuts/Eco Nuts- These are like actual nuts that are dropped into your laundry. The nuts go into a little bag and are dropped into the washing machine like laundry soap, but can be reused up to 10 times!
• Homemade Laundry Soap- I LOVE my homemade laundry soap. I have used both powder and liquid and found that the liquid seems to work better. Both are very easy to make and very economical!

 

2. Line drying cloth diapers is better than the dryer.
FACT!

Although most cloth diapers can be dried in the dryer it is best for the diapers (and for your baby's bum) to dry them in the sun. There are so many benefits to drying your diapers in the sun

• Bleaching from the sun helps remove pesky stains
• Line drying will prolong the life of your cloth diapers. (The dryer, even on the lowest setting is rough on diapers, especially the velcro, elastic and snaps)
• It's more Eco-friendly to line dry because it save electricity and money

** I dry my prefolds in the dryer because it helps them stay fluffy and more absorbent.

3. Soiled diapers will ruin my washing machine.
MYTH!

If you are breastfeeding, here is another wonderful benefit: breastfed baby poop is water soluble. This means that it will dissolve in water and will not get stuck anywhere, or clog anything up inside your washer.  I still try to put as much of it down the toilet as possible anyways.

Now, when your baby starts on solids, your baby's soiled diaper will need to be emptied into the toilet first before being washed in your washing machine. Just simply dump the poop from the diaper into the toilet and flush. For those especially messy diapers there are some wonderful cloth diaper accessories to help you. A diaper sprayer that attaches to your toilet and biodegradable liners are both great helps. Learn more about these on my Cloth Diaper Accessories blog post. 

Here are links to some cloth diaper washing instructions

• FuzziBunz
• Bummis
• gDiapers
• GroVia

Washing cloth diapers does not have to be labor-some or gag-worthy. With the right method and maybe a few accessories, it can be just like doing a load of regular laundry. Please feel free to ask any questions in the comments below or email me! Happy cloth diapering!

This is the third post in my Cloth Diapers series. Here are the other Cloth Diaper posts in the series:

• Cloth Diapers Part 1: Why Cloth?
• Cloth Diapers Part 2: Types of Cloth Diapers
• Cloth Diapers Part 4: Cloth Diaper Accessories
• Cloth Diapers Part 5: Stripping Cloth Diapers

Until The Whole World Hears,
Katie <><
Trained Labor Doula
Cloth Diaper Educator

Cloth Diapers Part 2: Types of Cloth Diapers

 

Now that you have decided to venture into the world of cloth diapering, where do you start? Getting started with cloth diapers can be VERY overwhelming. There are so many different brands, types, colors, patterns and parts.  If you don't know what you're doing, it can be just too much!

Here are is a guide of the different types of cloth diapers out there and examples of each:

 

1. ALL-IN-ONE- All in one-cloth diapers are a one piece diaper and are the cloth equivalent of disposables. Also called AIO for abbreviation purposes.

• They are exactly what they sound like: all-in-one. The diaper has no parts or inserts to stuff. Everything is sewn together in one.
• The outer layer is waterproof (no cover needed) while the inner layers are for maximum absorbancy and usually have a layer of fleece or other soft, absorbent material that goes up against baby's bottom to wick away moisture.
• They are single use, which means you use them once and wash the entire diaper after each use.
• Usually fasten together with snaps or Velcro and have elastic around the legs and waist for a better fit. 
• The recommendation is to have 15-18 of these diapers and do laundry every 2-3 days

Here are some examples of All-In-One cloth diapers:

1. BumGenius Elemental 
2. OsoCozy All-In-One 
3. GroVia AIO System

GroVia also has information on All-In-One diapers on their website HERE, including how they work, options and costs. 

 

2. ALL-IN-ONE POCKET- Pocket diapers are the same as all-in-one diapers, but has a pocket where absorbent inserts can be removed or added. 

• These are also single-use diapers and need to be washed after each use.
• Because of the pocket, you can add extra inserts if needed for a heavy wetter or extra night time protection. 
• The outer layer is also waterproof just like the AIO and also has an inside layer that is designed to wick away moisture.
• The insert is placed inside the pocket of the diaper between the fleece inside layer (that goes against baby's bottom) and the waterproof, outside layer.
• Just like the AIO, these usually fasten together with snaps or Velcro and have elastic around the legs and waist for better fit.
• The recommendation is to have 15-18 of these diapers and do laundry every 2-3 days
   

Here are some examples of pocket diapers:

1. FuzziBunz *
2. BumGenius
3. Bumkins Stuff-It 
4. SunBaby Diapers

 

 

3. Pre-Folds- These are probably what you think of when you think of cloth; a simple, flat, absorbent  cloth that your mother and grandmother probably used. Oldie but a goodie!

• To be used with pins (like the good ol' days) snappi's (safer pin replacement) or with a diaper cover.
• They are multilayer and are thicker in the middle and thinner on the outside. 
• Their thickness will be indicated by a number looking similar to 4x8x4 which indicates the number of layers on the outside (the 4's) and then thickness of the middle (the 8) The more layers the more absorbent it will be.
• Can be folded many different ways to fit baby's needs
• Comes in numerous sizes for babies newborn to toddler
• Comes in bleached, unbleached, and certified organic material (often cotton)
• The recommendation is to have between one and two dozen pre-folds

Here are some links to different prefolds

1. Green Mountain Cloth-eez Prefolds*
2. Cotton Babies Chinese Prefolds*
3. Diaper Rite Pre-folds

 HERE are step by step instructions on the different ways to use pre-fold diapers from Green Mountain Diapers.

 

4. Covers- Diaper covers go over a pre-fold diaper or inserts to prevent leaks

• Waterproof and can be reused after diaper changes until it is soiled
• Fastens together with either Velcro or snaps
• Comes in numerous colors and patterns (for maximum cuteness!)
• Cheaper, more cost efficient alternative to AIO diaper systems
• Can be washed with diapers and dried in dryer on low heat.

There are TONS of different varieties of diaper covers. Here are some of the most popular ones (and the ones I like):

1. Flips*
2. Bumkins*
3. Bummis*
4. Thirsties
5. Proraps 

 

 

5. Hybrids- Diapers that have a unique system that is a mix between a pocket diaper and a cover.

• Contain an outer cover that is soft, washable and fastens together with Velcro
• Attached to the inside of the cover by snaps is a plastic inner liner
• Inside the plastic liner is where the inserts, pre-folds or biodegradable inserts go
• The soft cover and plastic liner can be reused until soiled
• All parts of the diaper can be washed together, but the plastic liner should not be dried

gDiapers* is unique hybrid diaper that is the most common. You can find out more information on gDiapers and how they work on their website HERE.


*indicates a diaper I have used on my babies and recommend.

Here is a comparison chart of all the different types of diapers, cost, ease of use and more!
Cloth Diaper Comparison Chart 

From personal experience, I suggest picking a type of diaper that sounds appealing to you, buy one and try it out. If you don't like it, try a different brand of that type. If it still doesn't work out, move on to a different type of diaper.

I know there is A LOT of information here, but I want to lay out all the options and the facts about each. I hope this helps you on your cloth diapering journey! PLEASE feel free to email me or leave a comment if you have any questions or comments! I love to hear from you! As always, God bless you and your family!

This is the second post in my Cloth Diapering series. Here are the other cloth diapering posts in the series:

• Cloth Diapers Part 1: Why Cloth?
• Cloth Diapers Part 3: Washing Procedures and Detergents
• Cloth Diapers Part 4: Cloth Diaper Accessories
• Cloth Diapers Part 5: Stripping Cloth Diapers

Katie <><
Trained Labor Doula
Cloth Diaper Educator
grace.faith.dirt@gmail.com

Cloth Diapers Part 1: Why Cloth?

My first introduction to cloth diapers was from my grandmother. She once told me a story that her mother told her. My great-grandmother was changing her diaper and as she was pinning the diaper on, my grandmother started crying uncontrollably! My great-grandmother couldn't figure out why she was crying, but soon realized that she had poked her skin with the diaper pin! My thoughts after hearing that story were "Thank God for disposables".


Needless to say, THESE are not the cloth diapers my great-grandmother OR my grandmother used! Cloth diapers have come so far from just simply prefolds and pins! So why in the world would we throw those oh-so-convenient disposables out the window?! (Not literally, because that would be littering!)

Here are some reasons why cloth is so great:

1. ENVIRONMENTAL- It's better for the environment. Here are some facts about disposable diapers:

• It takes more than 400 years for a single diaper to biodegrade  (and that's in ideal conditions)
• Just one baby (from birth to potty-training) in disposable diapers will contribute around 1.5 tons of garbage
• Disposable diapers are the third most popular consumer product in landfills

 

2. ECONOMICAL- The fact is,  it's cheaper to use diapers that can be re-used rather than single-use disposable diapers. Here are the facts:

• On average, you will spend between $2,000-$3,000 just on diapers by the time your child is potty trained
• The estimated cost to use cloth can be as little as $300, including the extra laundry costs.

 

3. BABY'S HEALTH- Did you know that cloth is actually healthier for your baby's bum. Here are some facts:

• Babies with cloth diapers get significantly fewer diaper rashes and some such as FuzziBunz that actually help treat diaper rash.
• You will know when your baby is wet and therefore change her diaper more often. This is a good thing as your little one will not be sitting in wet/soiled diapers for very long
• Many disposable diapers have harsh chemicals such as Sodium polyacrylate (the crystalline substance) and dioxins that help with absorbancy. Here are a few articles that talk about these chemicals:
• Chemicals in Disposable Diapers by LIVESTRONG
• Diapers on Toxipedia

 

4. EASE AND CONVENIENCE- Yes, it's true! The modern cloth diaper is just as easy to use as a disposable one. You just have to find the right one for you and your baby. Once you have a routine, you will find cloth diapers are as easy or easier than using disposables! Seriously!

 

5. CUTENESS- Seriously, there is nothing cuter than a cloth diapered bum! Cloth diapers come in endless colors and patterns for both little boys and for little girls. Add some matching leggings and your heart might burst from too much cute!

There are tons of websites, articles, blogs and videos about cloth diapering. So I encourage you to do some research yourself and see if cloth is what you want to do. Here are the websites in which I obtained my information:

• Bummis-Why Cloth Diapers?
• CottonBabies-Cloth Diaper 101
• FuzziBunz-Cloth Diaper Information 

 This is the first post in my Cloth Diapering series. These are the other cloth diapering posts in this series:

• Cloth Diapers Part 2: Types of Cloth Diapers
• Cloth Diapers Part 3: Washing Procedures and Detergents
• Cloth Diapers Part 4: Cloth Diaper Accessories
• Cloth Diapers Part 5: Stripping Cloth Diapers

I hope you have as much fun picking out and using cloth diapers on your little ones as I do! Happy cloth diapering!

Until The Whole World Hears,
Katie <><
Trained Doula
Cloth Diaper Educator