How to Strip Cloth Diapers: 4 Methods for You to Try!

Do your baby’s Cloth diapers always smell terrible, even after you’ve washed them? Or have you observed that they are getting less absorbent, possibly repelling urine?

You may need to strip your little one’s cloth diapers if they stink, leak, or repel urine. It’s also a great idea to do it before storing them for the future baby. Stripping your baby’s cloth diapers helps remove any buildup and restore the scent of the cloth diapers.

Plus, you really need to strip cloth diapers, especially if your normal laundry regimen has stopped working.

So, to make things easier for you, we will tell you how to strip cloth diapers. In this article, you are going to find all the information you need on when and why you should strip-wash your cloth diapers. Moreover, for your ease, we have also added alternative techniques for doing so and strategies to avoid having to strip-wash your cloth diapers frequently in the future.

Continue reading to find out why and how you should strip your cloth diapers on a regular basis.

What Does It Mean to Strip Cloth Diapers?

The term cloth stripping sounds a lot worse than it is. It does not imply solely washing or laundering with water; while these methods can help with scents, they are rarely sufficient to eradicate residues. Stripping cloth is a simple procedure for removing mineral or bacterium accumulation from diaper clothes, allowing them to be cleaner and more absorbent.

Washing your baby’s diapers in untreated harsh water frequently causes buildup. It can also occur as a result of using too much detergent, fabric softener, or diaper cream. The washing strip removes ammonia odors from cloth diapers and increases absorbency.

How Frequently Do You Need to Strip Cloth Diapers?

It is not necessary to strip nappies or cloth diapers as part of your usual washing process. In fact, it can be damaging to materials, so avoid doing it too frequently. Stripping is only necessary in particular situations. With a good laundry routine, you might never have to strip cloth diapers at all.

If you find yourself having to strip cloth diapers on a regular basis, reconsider your normal washing routine. You may need to switch detergents or procedures, and you may need to evaluate the hardness of your water. If the problem is caused by hard water, consider adding a water softener to the laundry.

What Can Cause Build-up on Your Little One’s Cloth Diapers?

A coating of minerals on the fibers of your little one’s cloth diapers can be caused by a variety of factors, such as:

• When you use more detergent than can be rinsed away.
• Homemade laundry detergent, which is frequently insufficient to remove particles from diapers and instead lies on top of the fibers.
• Cloth softeners, which remain on the cloth and coat it in so-called softness.
• Minerals that are present in hard water, if not bound to softeners or detergents.
• Some diaper creams, particularly those containing petroleum or zinc, are designed to repel water entirely from the skin.
• Bacteria, if the diapers are not thoroughly cleansed.

As it is evident from the causes explained above, some of the things that produce build-up are goods that should not be used on cloth diapers in the first place. On the other hand, some are products you have to use on them; hence, build-up can occur even if you are diligent about what you put on your diapers.

How Can You Find Out if You Have Build-up on Your Cloth Diapers?

The majority of the time, you won’t even realize that you have build-up on your baby’s cloth diapers until one of the three major problems it creates manifests itself.

So, what are those problems? Let’s find out:

1. Odorous Diapers

Diaper odor is frequently the first indicator of buildup. If left untreated, the odor will only worsen.

2. Diaper Rash

All of the products, germs, and ammonia that accumulate on your baby’s diapers may eventually irritate the baby’s sensitive skin, resulting in unpleasant rashes. The sooner and more severe the rash, the more sensitive the newborn.

Related Read: Is Cornstarch good for Diaper Rash?

3. Leaking Diapers

To be effective, a cloth diaper must be extremely absorbent. Buildup on the diaper’s surface inhibits absorption, eventually bringing it to a standstill. If a diaper leaks before the insert is wet and there are no fit issues, the build-up is most likely to blame.

What Are the Most Common Cloth Diaper Smells That You Must Be Aware Of?

Let’s start with the most frequent cloth diaper odors. You may encounter two types of smells when dealing with cloth diapers and buildup: ammonia smell and barnyard smell.

1. Ammonia Smell

Do your cloth diapers have an ammonia odor? This is one of the most common problems with cloth diapers, so don’t feel bad if you run into this problem!

This pungent ammonia odor has a very severe stench. Ammonia is frequently detected only after diapers have grown moist. They may smell clean fresh out of the wash, but the scent arises as soon as the baby wets the diaper.

Ammonia, if not addressed, can cause skin issues and even chemical burns. Ammonia buildup normally indicates that you should remove cloth diapers, immerse them in bleach, and start again with a good wash regimen.

So, How Does Ammonia Make Its Nasty Appearance?

The smell of ammonia arises when the amount of waste material in urine exceeds the amount of fluid. Urea is produced by the breakdown of proteins in urine. This urea is what converts to ammonia. Because urea does not have much time to convert into ammonia, properly hydrated individuals who use the bathroom seldom experience ammonia problems. However, if your baby is dehydrated, ammonia will form and you will end up with stinking cloth diapers!

2. Barnyard Smell

The second most common cloth diaper odor is a distinct barnyard odor. Or even stale and fishy. This odor is especially noticeable when diapers are warm, such as after they have just come out of the dryer or a hot wash.

In severe circumstances, your kid’s cloth diapers may smell long after you have washed and stored them. The smell of cloth diapers is generated by bacteria or dirt left behind after diapers have been washed.

Bacteria and grime can cause recurrent rashes if left unchecked. Thorough cleaning and a bleach soak may assist to solve this problem. In extreme cases, diaper ripping may be needed.

When Do You Need to Strip Cloth Diapers?

You need to ask yourself some really important questions:

1. Has the diaper been cleaned repeatedly in unclean hard water?
2. Does the cloth diaper repel urine after use?
3. Did you purchase the cloth diaper secondhand from someone who may have washed it regularly in untreated hard water?
4. Have you been using an ineffective detergent or something that can cause the fabrics to become coated?

If you answered yes to any of the questions asked above, stripping MIGHT be your only answer!

When Do You Not Have to Strip Cloth Diapers?

You, again, need to ask yourself some super important questions to find out the answer:

1. Have you recently washed your baby’s cloth diapers a couple of times in untreated harsh water?
2. Are you switching from one popular detergent to another? (without any prior concerns)
3. Are buying used cloth diapers and you don’t want to waste time stripping. (That’s fine! The most crucial thing is that you bleach. If you have trouble after bleaching, you should try stripping again).
4. Have you been using non-absorbent cloth diapers, including covers and pocket shells? Because some diaper parts are often not required to be stripped because they contain no absorbent components.

How to Strip Cloth Diapers?

The procedure is incredibly simple and just requires a few laundry stripping materials. Before you start, make sure you have clean diapers on hand. Only the absorbent components of modern cloth nappies, such as fitted, pockets, or AI2 diapers, need to be stripped. You can also strip the entire cloth diaper if they are flats, pre-folds, or AIO diapers.

• Fill the bathtub or a top-loading washing machine halfway with hot water to cover the cloth diapers.

• To the water, add a clothing-stripping solution. When it comes to this, you have a few options. We’ve listed a few approaches that we know a lot of cloth diapering parents think about below.

• Place your baby’s diapers in the container for 4 to 6 hours. It is also acceptable to leave the diapers in the solution overnight.

• Wash the cloth diapers on the longest possible cycle. Use the warmest water temperature that your cloth diaper supplier allows. (Keep in mind that washing at temperatures over the manufacturer’s guidelines may harm the diapers’ waterproof outer layer.)

As normal, dry the diapers (the way you’d do usually).

Now, let’s look at some of the methods you can use to strip cloth diapers:

Method 1: RLR Cloth Diapers Strip

An RLR soak for your little one’s cloth diapers is another common option that you can try. Add a sachet of RLR detergent to hot water. One packet is more than enough for roughly 30 diapers, thus the number of packets may need to be adjusted based on the number of diapers you’re stripping.

Method 2: Use Vinegar to Strip the Cloth Diapers

Cloth diapers can also be stripped using vinegar. White vinegar is an excellent cloth diaper-stripping solution with numerous advantages. It eliminates detergent buildup and hard-water minerals from the cloth and neutralizes ammonia left behind from the urine.

To remove any detergent residue and soften your baby’s cloth diapers, add between half a cup and a cup of white vinegar to one of the rinse cycles. You can add this through the detergent drawer or straight on top of the cloth diapers.

Method 3: Use Dawn Dish Soap to Strip Your Kid’s Cloth Diapers

Many parents have discovered that removing residue and buildup from cloth diapers using Dawn dish soap is a cloth-friendly and efficient method. Simply add one tablespoon of the original Dawn dish soap to the bathtub or top-loader to do this.

Method 4: Use a DIY Method to Strip Cloth Diapers

Some parents also prefer to prepare their own diaper-stripping solution. To do this, you need to combine 3 teaspoons of borax, Calgon, and washing soda.

Stir the water after adding the cloth diapers. You may want to go the extra mile and carefully clean the absorbent areas of the diaper with a scrub brush to ensure that the stripping solution penetrates the cloth. Lastly, soak the diapers for a minimum of 6 hours (or overnight).

Following the strip, rinse the diapers completely by hand or by running 2 to 3 rinse cycles in your washing machine until no soap or detergent remains.

Allow the diapers to air dry under the sun. The ultraviolet rays from the sun act as a natural disinfectant, removing bacteria and providing a clean, fresh aroma to the diapers.

Can You Use Bleach to Strip Your Baby’s Cloth Diapers?

We advise using non-chlorine bleach when stripping cloth diapers as necessary. Chlorinated bleach may harm the colors and cause greater wear and tear on the diapers.

Bleaching cloth diapers for non-colored flats and pre-folds is sometimes advised. However, follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully because bleaching is not advised for most cloth diapers worn by babies.

Is It Okay for You to Use Only Vinegar to Strip Your Kid’s Cloth Diapers?

Vinegar is useful for many things and is safe to use on cloth diapers. However, it is not suitable for stripping. So, if you have been using vinegar (on its own) to strip your baby’s diapers, we advise you to abort the mission completely.

Can You Use Borax When Stripping Diapers?

We are sorry to burst your thought bubble, but borax is another no-go area. Borax, commonly referred to as sodium tetraborate, disodium tetraborate, or sodium borate, is a water softener rather than a stripping agent.

Using Borax in certain of the DIY stripping methods floating around the internet may frequently result in other problems, such as detergent buildup, while not addressing the initial problem.

How Can You Maintain Your Baby’s Cloth Diapers to Avoid Stripping in the Future?

Would you like to prevent having to strip your kid’s diapers in the future? 

The easiest approach to preserve cloth diapers in good condition is to clean them right away when they become dirty or to soak them in a water pail before washing them. The diapers should be washed as soon as possible.

Stay away from fabric softeners or detergents that contain fabric softeners since they might promote mineral buildup, reducing the absorbency of the diapers.

Wrapping This Up

It may take some time to develop an effective cloth diaper cleaning regimen. Using fabric softeners or unfiltered hard water to wash cloth diapers can reduce their absorbency. However, it is uncommon that it will entirely damage your baby’s diapers. Luckily, scrubbing cloth diapers removes all of the nasty buildups, restoring the diapers to brand-new condition.