Removing Stains in Cloth Diapers
You have figured out how to wash your cloth diapers and found a wash routine that works for your family, but then you come across a few stains. Don’t Panic! It is important to know that there is nothing wrong with your wash routine when your diapers come out with a stain or two so long as your diapers smell clean. If your cloth diapers still smell soiled, it is best to throw them in for another wash. However, if they smell clean, it is likely that your cloth diapers are stained.
Stains are part of cloth diapering. Over time, stains can begin to lift and wash away. However, if you’re looking to get rid of your cloth diaper stains, here are a few tips!
It is important to know what type of stain you are dealing with. First, lets discuss types of cloth diaper stains you may come across and have to tackle with cloth diapers!
Poop Stains: The consistency of Poop can vary through every stage of growth, which in turn causes different stains. Newborn Poop and Exclusively Breastfed poop can leave bright yellow colored stains on your cloth diapers. While Toddler poop can leave more of a brown stain.
Food Stains: If your little one has started on solids, then expect to see some colorful stains. For example – Spinach can leave green stains, blueberries can leave purple stains, etc.
Mold: Mold can start growing when you let your soiled diapers sit unwashed for a long period of time. Ensuring your cloth diapers are sprayed clean of solids and stored where there is air ventilation and washed every 2-3 days can help prevent mold growth. To read more about tackling mold, visit our Blog Post.
Mineral Stains: Do you have Hard Water? Washing Cloth Diapers in Hard Water can cause Mineral Build up affecting the absorbency of your cloth diapers, and can even cause a rusty brown stain. To learn more about Cloth diapers and hard water, head to our blog post here.
Now that we have discussed a few stains one may come across while cloth diapering, let’s talk about our recommended Cloth Diaper Stain Removers.
If you find your cloth diapers are stained, you will discover that the Sun can be your best remedy.
- Wash your cloth diapers as you normally would
- While wet, find a sunny spot to lay your diapers, inside up
-
Allow them to sunbathe for 2-3 hours.
* If you live in an extremely hot climate, only allow your diapers to sunbathe for 1 hour at a time. Very high temperatures can melt the elastics in the diapers.
Oxygen Bleach:
Add a small scoop of Oxiclean or BioKleen oxygen bleach to your diaper load to help remove any staining.
Enzymes:
Laundry detergents with enzymes can help prevent staining. One brand we often recommend is Tide. The Enzymes in this detergent “eat away” at the stains by breaking down proteins with every wash.
Buncha Farmer’s Stain Stick or Grandma’s Spot Remover:
These are natural cloth stain removers. Buncha Farmers is a stick and Grandma’s is a liquid. Apply them as a pre-treater for removing stains.
Sun, Water and Oxygen Bleach Solution:
Use a spray bottle filled with water and oxiclean, spray newly washed, damp diapers and follow the same steps when laying your diapers in the sunshine.
Some Tips on preventing Cloth Diaper Stains:
Invest in a Diaper Sprayer. This will help remove any solids from the cloth diapers, especially if they will be sitting for a day or two before getting washed.
Use Bio-degradable liners: This not only helps prevent stains, but also allows an easier clean up!
Add an extra rinse to your cloth diaper laundry routine. Sometimes heavily soiled Cloth Diapers may just need an extra rinse, or two!
When it comes to stain removal, and a wash routine, it is important to find the best solution that works for you and your family.
Still have questions? Be sure to download our E-Book for everything you need to know about Cloth Diapering.