Are you a cloth diapering family and need to know how to strip cloth diapers? It is a very simple process that requires only a few ingredients and a little bit of time! Your cloth diapers (or any linens you need to strip) will be good as new!
We are a cloth diapering family, going on 2 years, and have loved every aspect of switching to cloth–except that time our 8-month old son turned up with an awful ammonia rash!
Cue frantic mom google searching- “how to strip cloth diapers!”
I quickly was able to remedy this issue and clear up his rash by neutralizing our hard water (I added borax to the wash cycles.) as well as stripping our cloth diapers! I’m going to show you how to do just that!
Watch the video tutorial here
Why we needed to strip the diapers
Over time, our hard water was affecting the absorbency of our flat diapers, leaving all of the urine just sitting on top of the diaper. This is what was “burning” my son’s skin! Not a pleasant thing to suffer through! Stripping our diapers made them soft, fresh, and returned them to their normal absorbency!
The idea behind stripping cloth diapers/linens is to deep clean the fabric for a long period of time, in a very strong mix of ingredients, that “strip” away any stains, odors, body oils, dirt, or soaps. The process is actually very simple!
Here is what you need!
HOT water
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 cup laundry detergent (my favorites nontoxic brands here and here)
Kitchen Tongs or large kitchen utensil
~~Make sure your cloth diapers are CLEAN before starting this process!~~
Fill a basin or bath tub with HOT water and add all of your ingredients! With then kitchen tongs, agitate the diapers by swirling them around in the water/soap solution.
One hour later, repeat this process of agitating the diapers to ensure every fiber is cleaned and stripped. Repeat for the next 3-4 hours.
Once the water is cooled and diapers are thoroughly soaked, ring them out and wash/dry as usual.
TIP: Sunning your diapers outside will help to remove tough stains as well as extend their life since they won’t be heated in the dryer as often.
Happy cloth diapering!
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