Before anything else, figure out if you actually need this. Stripping is an intensive process, and it's worth avoiding unless you genuinely need it. If you have IRON hard water, do not use bleach
Stripping might be your solution if:
-Your diapers have been washed repeatedly (over a month) in untreated hard water
-Your diapers are repelling (water beads instead of soaking in even with added pressure)
-Your diapers are pre-loved and may not have had a great wash routine before you got them
-You've been using a weak detergent, or something that coats fabric fibers, homemade detergents, certain "gentle" detergent brands, or fabric softener
If none of these apply, a strip probably isn't necessary, try troubleshooting your regular wash routine first.
HOW TO STRIP MY INSERTS?:
The mixture:
Mix 3 tablespoons each of washing soda, Borax, and Calgon, plus ½ cup of a good, strong detergent (preferably with enzymes to improve effectiveness and reduce the risk of temporary absorbency issues).
In Canada, where Calgon can be hard to find: use ¼ cup Borax and ¼ cup washing soda with your detergent instead.
The process:
-Fill your bathtub, or sink halfway with hot tap water. No hotter than 140°F (60°C), and add your mixture along with all your inserts
-Slosh the inserts around in the mixture, then let them soak for 4-6 hours (slosh a few more times during the soak to help release more minerals)
-After soaking, wring inserts out by hand, wearing gloves so they're not sopping wet
-In your machine, run the first wash cycle on warm water, no hotter than 140°F (60°C), with no detergent
-Soak inserts for 30 minutes in a cold bleach soak in your machine (or back in the bathtub) Must be cold water and use the correct amount of bleach for the load size.
-Wash inserts 2–4 times as normal with detergent to remove bleach, no need to dry between washes, just dry after the final one
For bleaching in a bathtub, half full of water, use 1/2 cup of bleach.
For bleaching in a machine use:
-Small load: 1/3 cup
-Medium load: 1/2 cup
-Large/XL load: 3/4 cup
Important notes:
-Splash-less and scented bleaches do not work for disinfecting, stick with plain, standard disinfecting bleach
-Check your bleach's expiry date; expired bleach loses its disinfecting power even if it still smells like bleach
-If you have iron hard water, skip bleach entirely
-Can't use bleach for another reason? Bleach-alternative sanitizing methods are available if needed here: https://fluffloveuniversity.com/troubleshooting/solving-stinky-diaper-problems/how-to-sanitize-without-bleach/
WHAT DO I DO AFTER STRIPPING?
Answer: Go back to washing as normal, using your corrected wash routine if that's what led to the repelling or buildup in the first place.
WHAT'S THE MAXIMUM SAFE WASHING TEMPERATURE FOR MY DIAPER COVERS AND PUL-BACKED INSERTS?
Answer: 140°F (60°C) maximum, always — including during a strip. We recommend washing in warm water rather than hot whenever possible, specifically to protect the PUL waterproof layer. Washing anything with a PUL layer hotter than this can damage the waterproofing and will void your warranty.
Cloth Diaper Help: How to strip
KO
Katrina O'Donnell
Updated 3 days ago
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