Cloth Diapering 201: How To Strip Your Diapers

It doesn't take much time in cloth diapering circles before you encounter the term "stripping". What exactly is "stripping" your cloth diapers, how do you do it and how do you know when you need to perform this task? No worries, we're here to help.

Stripping in the cloth diapering community refers to the removal of detergent, diaper cream or other items that may leave residue in the fibers of your cloth diapers. One analogy is to think of kind of like stripping paint from a piece of wood furniture.

There are several reasons you may encounter along your cloth diapering journey where we would suggest stripping your cloth diapers. Here are a few of the most common:

• Using a detergent that has enzymes, scents or brighteners. These ingredients can cause build up in your diapers, which can lead to leaks. New to cloth diapering? You can read more about detergent choices in this article.
• A caregiver accidentally uses diaper cream without a fabric barrier. No, it's not the end of the world, but yes, it can be somewhat stubborn to remove.
• You're beginning to experience leaks and there is no change in your child's diet or input.
• Your child has been diagnosed with a yeast infection or other type of communicable rash.
• You're having trouble with stinky smells in your diapers, even after washing.
• You need to switch laundry detergents. Maybe you've discovered your child's skin is sensitive to a particular brand, in which case you want to remove all residue and start with a clean slate.

So now that you know the situations in which we recommend stripping your cloth diapers, how do you do it? For bumGenius, Flip and Econobum products, we recommend this method:

• Wash once in hot water with one teaspoon (for high efficiency machines) to one tablespoon (for regular washing machines) of original liquid Dawn (blue formula) and up to 1/2 cup regular, liquid chlorine 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.

If you are using other brands of cloth diapers, we recommend checking with that manufacturer for their recommendations.

The other frequently asked question is "How often do I need to strip?" There really is no rule or guideline for this. We have found that those who live in hard water situations tend to get detergent buildup faster than those with softer water. Also, if you use a detergent that has enzymes or brighteners, you may find you need to strip more frequently than if you use a detergent completely free of these ingredients. If either of these situations apply to you, you may need to strip your diapers once every 3 or 4 months. We do not recommend using bleach more than once a month, so please keep that in mind if you are stripping your diapers on a regular basis.

If you have more questions on this topic or need more personalized recommendations, e-mail us at contactus@cottonbabies.com or call us at 1-888-332-2243. We're always glad to help you.