DO I ACTUALLY NEED TO STRIP MY DIAPERS?

Answer: 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 as part of this process.

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.

Don't let soiled diapers sit for more than 3 days before washing in the first place, this is the single best way to avoid needing a strip at all.

HOW DO I STRIP MY INSERTS?

Answer: The method depends on whether your insert has a PUL (waterproof) backing.

For non-PUL inserts (Charcoal, Bamboo, standalone absorbent inserts):

The mixture:
Mix 3 tablespoons each of washing soda, Borax, and Calgon, plus ½ cup of a good, strong detergent — a regular strong detergent (like Tide Original) is fine here; this isn't referring to a concentrated enzymatic stain/odor treatment product.

In Canada, where Calgon can be hard to find: use ¼ cup Borax and ¼ cup washing soda with your detergent instead.

The process:

1. 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
2. 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
3. After soaking, wring inserts out by hand — wear gloves — so they're not sopping wet
4. In your machine, run the first wash cycle on warm water, no hotter than 140°F (60°C), with no detergent
5. Soak inserts for 30 minutes in a cold bleach soak, either in your machine or back in the bathtub. Water must be cold, and use the correct bleach amount for your load size (see below)
6. Wash inserts 2–4 times as normal, with detergent, to fully remove the bleach — no need to dry between washes, just dry after the final one

Why the bleach soak matters: the washing soda, Borax, and Calgon mixture is designed to strip out mineral buildup and detergent residue — but it doesn't disinfect. Diapers deal with bodily fluids daily, and a deep strip is exactly the kind of process where bacteria can multiply if the insert isn't also properly disinfected afterward. The bleach soak's job is to kill any lingering bacteria the mineral strip alone doesn't address, so you're not just cleaning residue out — you're also making sure what goes back on your baby is genuinely sanitized, not just visually clean. Skipping this step can leave your inserts smelling "off" again within days, even though they looked and felt clean right after stripping.

For PUL-backed inserts (like the Tank Insert Set's large insert):

Skip the washing soda, Borax, and Calgon entirely — these mineral-stripping agents are exactly what can damage the PUL laminate bond over repeated exposure. Instead:

1. Pre-wash on a short cycle in warm water (up to 140°F/60°C, never hotter) with a full amount of your regular strong detergent — no mineral additives
2. Follow immediately with a Heavy Duty wash, same water temperature, full detergent amount, bulking the load with other laundry for proper agitation
3. If repelling persists after this, repeat steps 1–2 one more time before assuming a deeper issue — most residue-related repelling clears within two thorough washes at this temperature using a strong detergent alone
4. For stubborn buildup that doesn't clear with washing, a small amount of non-chlorine, oxygen-based bleachadded to a regular wash cycle is the safest next step — confirm your detergent doesn't already contain sodium percarbonate before combining, and always follow with an extra rinse

Why bleach still matters here too: even without the mineral strip, a PUL-backed insert can build up bacteria over repeated use, especially if it's ever sat soiled for a while or dealt with illness in the household. The oxygen bleach step isn't optional if odor or buildup persists after washing — it's there specifically to disinfect, not just to lift stains, since a strong detergent alone cleans but doesn't fully sanitize the way a bleach treatment does.

This method takes a little longer and may need repeating once or twice, but it protects the waterproof layer, which the mineral-soak method isn't designed to do safely on PUL.

HOW MUCH BLEACH SHOULD I USE FOR THE BLEACH SOAK?

Answer: (This ratio applies to the non-PUL insert strip method above; for PUL-backed inserts, use the oxygen bleach approach described in that section instead of a chlorine soak.)

Bathtub method: half-full of cold water, use ½ cup of bleach.

Machine method:

• Small load: ⅓ cup
• Medium load: ½ cup
• Large/XL load: ¾ 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