https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 11 Apr 2026 22:43:12 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers-1#post-985746 Fri, 02 Aug 2013 17:34:46 +0000 bushelandapeck 985746@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No I haven't tried that but I will. We also have a pretty strong ammonia smell sometimes so I may try it anyway. Thanks! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers-1#post-985740 Fri, 02 Aug 2013 17:30:58 +0000 Arden 985740@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Orvis18: No I don't really get leaks with my Freetimes, I stripped because of an ammonia smell from the build up. My LO is only four months though, so I'm guessing they aren't having to contain a ton of pee.<br /> Have you tried adding a doubler? I know BG sells doublers you can lay under the flaps to hold more in between changes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers-1#post-985689 Fri, 02 Aug 2013 17:08:10 +0000 lolabee 985689@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>There are a few ways to strip and as others said it depends on what you're specifically stripping for. A heap of HOT water washes, not rinses works well for me if its ammonia caused from build up or leaks. Run hot washes until your water is clear and free of any suds. A combination of a little bleach (I don't love using - only had to once) and GSE got rid of yeast when we had it. I find Mimi's Cloth Diaper Q&amp;A Help on FB a good source. Lots of helpful ladies. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers-1#post-985665 Fri, 02 Aug 2013 16:54:05 +0000 bushelandapeck 985665@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Arden: do you have problems with your Freetimes leaking in general? I don't think mine have build up, but DS is a super heavy wetter and leaks out of them a lot. I'm interested to hear if the stripping helps you. It is so frustrating! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers-1#post-985655 Fri, 02 Aug 2013 16:48:52 +0000 pelikila 985655@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For our pocket diapers and repelling issues we've run up against, I've found the most effective way is this: fill a bathtub about 1/3 to 1/2 way with hot (very hot) water. Add 1/4-1/2 cup of bleach (not everyone agrees with this as it can be hard on the elastic) or bac-out and 1 tbsp. of original blue dawn dishwashing liquid. Stir and dump in the pockets. I let them sit for about 30-45 minutes (mostly so the water cools down enough) and then take a fingernail brush or other medium bristled brush and scrub each individual fleece lining. Sometimes I put just a tiny drop of dawn on the fleece itself and scrub that in. I place each scrubbed diaper in a 5-gal bucket so I can keep the scrubbed diapers separate from the unscrubbed diapers. Once done scrubbing, I drain the tub and rinse it free of soap suds and then refill it and dump the diapers back in the hot water and swirl and swish so they all get a good rinsing. Then I take them all to the washing machine and rinse them again just for good measure (we had detergent build up bad until we switched to Tiny Bubbles). Sometimes you might want to do two quick rinses if you still see suds in the washer during the rinse. Then dry like normal.</p> <p>For the inserts I've boiled mine on the stove in a big soup pot full of water. Ssually it is just the fleece that I've had repelling issues on, not the microfiber or bamboo insert so just stripping the pocket covers works most of the time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers-1#post-985637 Fri, 02 Aug 2013 16:34:58 +0000 Weagle 985637@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Depends on what kind you have, but I the Abby's Lane blog has GREAT info on this. We use 1/3 c bleach instead of detergent in a normal wash cycle then rinse a lot. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers-1#post-985531 Fri, 02 Aug 2013 15:45:37 +0000 Ginger333 985531@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm interested too ... I have to strip mine this weekend too, we keep getting leaks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers-1#post-985530 Fri, 02 Aug 2013 15:45:00 +0000 Arden 985530@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just stripped my BG Freetimes yesterday. 1 T of Blue Dawn dish soap and 1/4 c of bleach in a hot wash cycle. Then rinse, rinse, rinse. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers-1#post-985512 Fri, 02 Aug 2013 15:36:15 +0000 joyjoy 985512@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I haven't had to strip personally, but from what I've seen, it depends on what your purpose for stripping is.</p> <p>If you have repelling or think you have buildup then the common stripping routines are (1) several hot washes with no detergent to get out excess soap, (2) use RLR (in a wash cycle or as a soak) on clean diapers and then rinse until there are no more suds, (3) soak or wash in blue Dawn (not recommended if you have a front loader) and then rinse until there are no more suds. </p> <p>If you're intention is to disinfect due to yeast or something like that, then it's recommended to add bleach to your wash cycle and/or grapefruit seed extract to the rinse. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers-1#post-985480 Fri, 02 Aug 2013 15:21:51 +0000 stargal 985480@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>what's your routine? think I may have to strip mine :( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/got-my-cloth-today-question#post-209035 Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:51:08 +0000 Downward Dog 209035@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I do a cold wash, then a hot wash with a few drops of Dawn detergent in it. Sometimes I add boiling water from the tea kettle in the middle of the cycle, but I am pretty sure this voids the warranty. I have bum genius and fuzzibuns pocket diapers.</p> <p>The inserts in the bum genius ones definitely are less fluffy than before, but they still seem absorbent. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/got-my-cloth-today-question#post-208992 Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:03:27 +0000 ohapostrophe 208992@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I like doing the deep soak with rockin green that is described on the back of the bag. I do that every 3-4 months and it seems to work well for our BGs, they're 15 months old now. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/got-my-cloth-today-question#post-208955 Mon, 02 Jul 2012 13:34:57 +0000 T.H.O.U. 208955@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've heard you can do several hot washes, but my favorite way to do my inserts is putting them in boiling water. Don't put anything with PUL in boiling water though.</p> <p>I have not been happy with how my BG inserts have held up. If they were used for 8 months, it may be worth it to just find some cheap inserts to buy new. After just 6 months I'm considering replacing my inserts because they just won't get fluffy again. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/got-my-cloth-today-question#post-208893 Mon, 02 Jul 2012 13:01:33 +0000 Mrsbells 208893@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I only just started using mine so i'll be following this thread too </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/got-my-cloth-today-question#post-208888 Mon, 02 Jul 2012 13:00:37 +0000 loveisstrange 208888@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So, I got my cloth today! My friend decided to stop using them and sold me her 12 BG 4.0s and 14 FB one-sizes for $130! </p> <p>She used them for 8 months and never stripped them. I wanted to do it before I started using them just so we can make a fresh start with them. What's your favorite way to strip your cloth? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers-in-a-front-loader#post-186472 Mon, 11 Jun 2012 20:12:28 +0000 WiLLoWtReE 186472@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sloaneandpuffy- I didn't even think about boiling them ill keep that in mind. </p> <p>@pelikila- I don't know how I missed your comment but I did! Thanks so much for going into such detail! I actually have GMD prefolds with thirsties or best bottom covers. We have medium inserts for the best bottom diapers but haven't started using them bc LO is big enough yet. Anyways the prefolds are my problem. I'll give your method a go :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers#post-186463 Mon, 11 Jun 2012 20:06:31 +0000 skibobrown 186463@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pelikila: Thanks! I'm not too worried about using the Dawn in the washer b/c we don't own the washer, and we're going to be moving out of our apartment really soon. I'll have to re-evaluate my stripping routine once I move b/c we'll purchase our own washer/dryer for our new house. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers#post-186365 Mon, 11 Jun 2012 19:20:06 +0000 heffalump 186365@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I haven't done it yet. But will be trying it tomorrow ... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers#post-186361 Mon, 11 Jun 2012 19:14:15 +0000 pelikila 186361@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've shared my method for stripping diapers on these two posts:<br /> <a href="http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-strip-you-cloth-diapers" rel="nofollow">http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-strip-you-cloth-diapers</a><br /> <a href="http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers-in-a-front-loader" rel="nofollow">http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers-in-a-front-loader</a><br /> Though we followed all the washing instructions it took us awhile to find the right detergent for our water/machine combination. It wasn't that we were doing anything wrong, it just wasn't the right combination. We figured it out and since have not had to strip our diapers again. Also, I caution you not to put dawn directly in your washer as it isn't the right kind of soap for a washing machine and some people have created issues by doing so. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers#post-186359 Mon, 11 Jun 2012 19:10:26 +0000 runsyellowlites 186359@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We had to strip pretty early, but I figured it's because I have a small nb stash &amp; they get worn &amp; washed daily.</p> <p>I did the same as you're doing. A smidge of Dawn &amp; wash/rinse till no more bubbles, I think it was 3 cycles :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers#post-186315 Mon, 11 Jun 2012 18:38:44 +0000 skibobrown 186315@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If you cloth diaper, how often do you strip your diapers, and what is your process for stripping them? </p> <p>We've had a few leaking issues lately with our diapers, and I'm pretty sure that at least a few of our diapers are actively repelling water, so I'm stripping them right now. I'm not exactly sure why our diapers are repelling, b/c I follow all of the washing and handling instructions very carefully. We've been using our diapers for 10 weeks now though, so I figure it's probably time to strip them anyways. </p> <p>I added a tablespoon of Dawn dish detergent to our wash, and now I'm running the diapers through a clear hot water wash 3x to wash out all of the built up detergent. What do you do? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers-in-a-front-loader#post-181485 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 07:46:52 +0000 pelikila 181485@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>What kind of diapers do you have? I'd caution you not to use your sanitize cycle if you are stripping pocket diapers because the water can be too hot and wear the PUL much faster (this was a mistake I made). </p> <p>The only truly effective stripping method I've found for detergent buildup is the following: fill your bathtub about 1/3 to 1/2 way with hot (very hot) water. Add 1/4-1/2 cup of bleach (not everyone agrees with this as it can be hard on the elastic) or bac-out and 1 tbsp. of original blue dawn dishwashing liquid. Stir and dump in the pockets and stir them all in so they get wet. I let them sit for about 30-45 minutes (mostly so the water cools down enough) and then take a fingernail brush or other medium bristled brush and scrub each individual fleece lining. Sometimes I put a tiny drop of dawn on the fleece itself and scrub that in. I place each scrubbed diaper in a 5-gal bucket so I can keep the scrubbed diapers separate from the unscrubbed diapers. Once done scrubbing, I drain the tub and rinse it free of soap suds and then refill it and dump the diapers back in the hot water and swirl and swish so they all get a good rinsing. Then I take them all to the washing machine and rinse them again just for good measure (we had detergent build up bad with RnG [classic and soft rock] until we switched to Tiny Bubbles). Sometimes you might want to do two quick rinses if you still see suds in the washer during the rinse. Then dry like normal.</p> <p>For the inserts I've boiled mine on the stove in a big soup pot full of water. Usually it is just the fleece that I've had repelling issues on, not the microfiber or bamboo insert so just stripping the pocket covers works most of the time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers-in-a-front-loader#post-181484 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 07:46:37 +0000 mamimami 181484@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I boiled them on the stovetop (after washing). It was a pretty nasty experience but I think it worked. I just don't trust my frontloader for that. Plus I had doubts it would really get hot enough to sanitize them which I was doing at the same time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers-in-a-front-loader#post-181397 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 04:10:31 +0000 looch 181397@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Some CD'ers recommend using the original blue dawn dish detergent for stripping. I think you can find some info by just doing an internet search. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers-in-a-front-loader#post-181376 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 00:24:38 +0000 Arden 181376@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I vote for what Mrs. Superhero said - Rockin' Green. Have heard nothing but great things! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers-in-a-front-loader#post-181366 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 00:03:15 +0000 Mrs. Superhero 181366@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I use Rockin' Green, and when they get stinky I use their Funk Rock booster, it works really well! I also turn up my hot water tank before I wash them after the Funk Rock soak and add vinegar.</p> <p>If my inserts are super gross (or to fight yeast) I boil them, but never the covers. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers-in-a-front-loader#post-181321 Wed, 06 Jun 2012 22:07:39 +0000 brownie 181321@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just rinse and rinse and rinse them. We have hard water ao I put water softener in each cycle. We use dropps baby. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/stripping-cloth-diapers-in-a-front-loader#post-181310 Wed, 06 Jun 2012 21:57:45 +0000 WiLLoWtReE 181310@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If you have a front loader how to you strip your diapers?</p> <p>I think I may have a detergent buildup problem. Our prefolds smell like Windex when LO pees. It's pretty overwhelming, so I think I need to strip them? Has anyone used the sanitize cycle on your front loader to successfully strip your diapers? </p> <p>My mental plan so far is to wash my diapers normally. Then fill my tub with vinegar and hot water and let the diapers soak. Then rinse the diapers and place them back into my front loader and wash again without detergent. Or should I do the sanitize cycle with no detergent? Can you tell I'm clueless Haha. Any help would be appreciated!</p> <p>Also if you CD what detergent do you use? We currently use All Free &amp; Clear and I knew starting out that I may have problems since its not exactly considered cloth diaper friendly. I've been looking into trying Country Save... what's your fav detergent? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-strip-you-cloth-diapers#post-111383 Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:12:54 +0000 pelikila 111383@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lovelife: As far as smell, typically it is due to ammonia buildup, suggesting you are rinsing enough but can be due to detergent build up, though not quite as often. Before stripping, get to the bottom of what the smell is originating from first. For stains, try sunning your diapers after washing as that will get rid of almost any stain. If you want to prevent a lot of stain issues, before throwing your diapers in your wet bag or pail liner until your next wash, spray them with bac-out and that will help a lot too. To me stripping is more of a last resort. If you don't need to, I wouldn't strip more often than once a year. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/how-do-you-strip-you-cloth-diapers#post-111378 Wed, 04 Apr 2012 17:07:07 +0000 heffalump 111378@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lovelife: Good to know! Right now I don't feel like there's an issue, but I'm glad I know to look out for it now! </p>