Showing posts with label stripping diapers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stripping diapers. Show all posts

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Stripping? What's that mean?

I couldn't possibly count the number of times I get this question from cloth diapering families. I remember my first experience with hear this word associated with cloth diapers when my first set of cloth diapers were leaking. I remember standing in the kitchen calling the previous owner of Wee Willie Winks and saying I think my diapers are defective. I had just started using them and they were leaking. Kristy assured me they were not defective, but I need to strip them. I have had the same conversation with many families.

How does build-up happen? First of all it comes from using too much detergent. When you think about washing dirty, stinky diapers you would naturally think to use more detergent, but with cloth diapers using less detergent is more. Using half of the recommended detergent from the label is standard. Secondly, build up can just happen from having hard water. Hard water has more minerals in it than soft water. The minerals trap dirt in the fibers. Lastly, maybe your wash routine is not effective. A wash routine should consist of a cold rinse cycle, a long hot wash cycle, and a cold rinse cycle. That's three complete washing cycles.

What's an effective way to strip diapers? There are many ways to strip diapers. One of the first ways is to add extra rinse cycles at the end of your wash routine. If you are still seeing bubbles in the washer after rinsing the diapers on the last cycle then you need to rinse again. Bubbles indicates detergent still in the material of the diapers. If the material is full of detergent residue then they will leak. If rinsing is not working for you then you may want to first check and see what the manufacturer suggest you do to strip them especially if your diapers are still under warranty. Check on the manufacturer's name below for their recommendations:

bumGenius

Thirsties

Happy Heinys

Bummis

FuzziBunz

AppleCheeks

Knickernappies

All the cloth diaper companies vary slightly in what they recommend for stripping which can make it difficult when your diaper stash is a mixed lot.

My favorite method for getting out detergent build up is to use regular blue Dawn. With this method, wash your diapers first then add 1 Tablespoon (about half with a front loader) to a long wash cycle. You will need to do many rinses until all the bubbles are gone and the water runs clear. This can be a very long process because it's dish detergent and it bubbles up more than laundry detergent, but it's worth it.


If mineral build up is the issue with your diapers, then using RLR Laundry Treatment will help. RLR removes minerals from fabric. It's amazing what it will do for microfiber inserts. To use RLR, do a rinse cycle, then add RLR and a little detergent to a long hot wash, then follow with rinse cycles until bubbles are gone.

Another method is to soak in Rockin' Green Soap. I've soaked my diapers over night in the washing machine with Rockin' Green. Using Rockin' Green fill your washer with hot water and 3 Tbsp* of Rockin’ Green, along with your diapers. Let it soak for approximately 30-60 minutes. Then launder as usual, skipping the soap. If you have a lot of build up you may need to repeat this process a few times. Because Rockin' Green brings all the build up to the surface your diapers may get worse before they get better, but don't give up.


Leaking, stinky diapers are never fun! So if you are in this dilemma don't despair ask your local retailer for help or contact the manufacturer for suggestions.
Posted by Carissa at 12:01 AM 1 comments
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Sunday, June 20, 2010

Why are my cloth diapers leaking?

Hi! This is LeAnn from Giggle Britches. One reason I looked to cloth diapers was due to the number of blow-outs my oldest had in her disposables. I am a firm believer that cloth diapers leak less than disposable diapers. However, every once in awhile, you may find your cloth diapers are leaking. I have attempted to compile a list of common types/causes of cloth diaper leaks. So here it goes...

"Wick"ing - When something dry touches something wet, the moisture wicks from the wet to the dry. In the cloth diaper world, we call this wicking. One common cause for wicking is not having all of the prefold or fitted diaper tucked inside the diaper cover. Another cause is when the stay dry lining of a pocket or all-in-one diaper rolls out. A diaper's tag sticking out of the diaper can have the same effect. Make sure to have all parts of the diaper covered by the PUL to help prevent wicking. Also make sure baby's clothing does not get tucked inside the diaper. For example, t-shirts getting tucked inside the top or little girls' bloomers getting tucked inside the legs can both cause wicking.

Compression - When something wet is compressed, moisture leaks out. Compression leaks are often caused by a heavily saturated diaper being squeezed by a car seat buckle, baby carrier, or even a hug. Changing more often easily remedies the problem. I have also seen tight fitting onesies and blue jeans cause compression leaking.

Repelling - When moisture is unable to be absorbed into the diaper due to some type of build-up on the diaper itself, the diaper is repelling. I usually tell people to think of waxing a car. The wax on the car repels moisture the same as any build-up on the diapers. The best way to tell if your diaper is repelling is how wet it is once it leaks. For example, if the insert inside of the pocket diaper is barely wet and the diaper leaks, you have repelling. To prevent repelling, stay away from diaper creams, fabric softeners and certain detergents. See a previous blog post about diaper stripping to remedy repelling.

Fit - The fit of the diaper greatly effects its performance. Many parents are tempted to buy diapers a little big for growing room. However, if there is gaping at the legs or waist, leaks will occur. The same goes for diapers that are too small. Once the rise becomes too short, poo leaks will become more prevalent. Also, smaller diapers have less absorbency (less surface area!) than the next size up.

Absorbency - A diaper can only hold so much! Like I mentioned above, if baby is soaking through the smalls quickly, it may be time to size up to mediums. However, some baby's just need more absorption power! A general rule of thumb: natural fibers, like hemp and cotton, hold more with less bulk than synthetic fibers like microfiber. By adding a natural fiber insert or doubler to your diaper, you can easily add more absorbency with little bulk. Please remember that cloth diapers do need to be changed about every 2 hours.

LeAnn

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Posted by LeAnn at 12:01 AM 0 comments
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Friday, May 28, 2010

Dealing with the Stinkies

Some of you who cloth diaper may be lucky enough to never have to worry about stinky diapers, but if you have hard water, chances are, no matter how good your washing routine, you will periodically get stinky diapers.

When I diapered my first, I never knew stinky diapers. I used a wet pail system, and the diapers soaked in a solution similar to oxiclean until I was ready to wash them. And then her diapers were hung on a line to dry. A combination of soaking and sunlight, I believe meant I never had build up. Given I lived in several different places while she was diapered, and used anything from rain water to town water to city water, I know that it was the method, not the water that prevented stinky diapers. So if you can truely never beat the stinkies, try a wet pail.

Anyway, these days I can only use a dry pail system. Because of the way my laundry is set up, a wet pail system is out of the question. I would only use a wet pail if I had a safe place to store the pail, as it can be a drowning hazard.

So here are the stripping methods I have tried with success. As with most things in life, the most expensive method is the one that works the best for me, and uses the least water to do so.

RLR - Cost $1.85 (I was only ever able to find it online, but you might be lucky enough to find it at your local supermarket in the laundry isle).

Read my full blog review here.

Method:
  • Cold rinse the diapers to remove any solids etc.
  • Fill my machine on hot and add a FULL packet of RLR. I then let the diapers soak for several hours in it, preferably overnight. My machine is a top loader, and when I leave the lid up, the machine does not drain. If you have a front loader that will not allow you to soak, you might want to try to do this part of the method in a large bucket or the bath tub or large sink.
  • Drain and finish the machines cycle.
  • Run the machine on a full hot cycle without any detergent.
  • Dry diapers as normal. If the weather allows, I will do this outside. Sunlight really does help with stains and stink I have found.

Bac Out - Cost is approx $1.30 (You may be lucky enough to find this one in the laundry isle at your local supermarket. Keep an eye out for it going on sale if you do.)

Read my blog review here.

Method:
  • Rinse on cold.
  • Fill the washer with warm or cold water. Do not use hot, I have heard it can kill the enzymes in bac out.
  • I add around a quarter to half a cup of bac out to the load.
  • Soak several hours, overnight preferably. If your machine does not allow you to soak, then try a large bucket, sink or the tub.
  • Finish the cycle.
  • I generally run another full cycle with no detergents. It is important that you rinse this out totally as some babies skin can be sensitive to this product.
  • Dry diapers as normal. If the weather allows, I will do this outside. Sunlight really does help with stains and stink I have found.

Dawn - Cost is pennies. Get the blue classic dawn dishwashing detergent in the supermarket.

Read my blog review here.

  • Rinse on cold to remove solids etc.
  • Fill machine with hot and put in a very tiny squirt of dawn. I don't bother soaking with this method.
  • With this method, you keep rinsing with just water, preferably hot, until you no longer see suds.
  • If you use too much dawn, there will be a lot of rinses.
  • Dry diapers as normal. If the weather allows, I will do this outside. Sunlight really does help with stains and stink I have found.

Tips to avoid build up.

  • Use a diaper friendly detergent. Don't use detergents that have additives etc. There are some good detergents made for cloth diapers on the market. Just be aware, that not all detergents will work with YOUR water. So that friend who lives three states over who swears by said brand, may not work for you because your water composition is different.
  • If it is not a detergent made specifically for diapering, use less than recommended. When I used Ecos from the supermarket, I used about a quarter of a cup. Anymore than that and I would end up with stinky diapers.
  • Don't be stingy with the water when washing your diapers. You need the water to be able to flow freely through the fibers of your diaper in order to clean the fibers. If you use too little water, then particles will remain behind.
  • Do not use diaper creams directly on your diapers. If you need to use a diaper cream, use something to protect your diapers. You can use a flushable liner, or fabric liners that are cheap, or cut up an old t-shirt if need be. There are some creams out there that are safe to use on cloth diapers, but only in the recommended amounts.
Sharni - www.nappyshoppe.com
Posted by Sharni at 2:00 PM 3 comments
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