Diaper Stripping!

I stripped my diapers tonight! What's that, you ask? Basically, stripping your cloth diapers will "reboot" them. It strips all of the chemical buildup off of them and you get to start over again. Stripping isn't very hard, but it is time consuming. Fortunately, you don't have to do it very often.

How you know you need to strip:
*diapers are less waterproof/you notice more leaks suddenly
*diapers smell a little funky even after a good wash and rinse
*baby gets a diaper rash and you can't pin it on anything else
*thy just don't feel all that soft anymore

Personally, I noticed Baby "S" getting a diaper rash but nothing had changed for her, my diapers smelled pretty good, but not great after a wash, and suddenly we were having crazy leaks through nearly all our diapers. I stripped them and not only did my inserts come out soft and fluffy for the first time in months, but we are waterproof again!! Woo!

How to strip:
*start with clean diapers (or put them in and wash as usual but don't dry them...just leave them in the washer)
*run a Hot/Cold or a Warm/Warm load without soap. The idea is to get the water as hot as possible. Some people even add in steaming water. Mine gets hot enough so I didn't add anything in.
*run a second Warm/Warm cycle
*During the rinse cycle, check to see if you have any soapy bubbles (not aggitation bubbles, soapy ones...soapy ones won't go away easily and quickly like aggitation ones will)
*Continue to wash without soap until there are no more soapy bubbles during the rinse cycle.
*Dry as usual (hang dry covers and pockets is best, inserts may be put in the drier)

Stripping is something you will have to do at some point if you cloth diaper. However, there are things you can to do avoid stripping as long as possible. This is, of course, better for the life of the diaper as well as better for baby's bottom.
*Use an all natural detergent such as Rockin Green (review of this detergent coming soon)
*Don't use any stain lifters/removers
*Avoid diaper rash cremes if possible
*Wash diapers in a lot of water with not a lot of diapers in each load

My diapers and inserts are so much nicer now that I have stripped them! I also made it 6 months without stripping and hopefully I will make it longer next time!

Helpful links:

Stripping cloth diapers
How to strip cloth diapers


ready for a wash with Rockin Green!

Look! agitation bubbles but not soapy bubbles!