What Does It Mean To 'Strip' Cloth Diapers?
Basically 'stripping' just means removing any build up in your diapers which might be causing repelling, smell, leaking etc.
Long story short, there are a number of ways to do it, but this is what we like to do. You can also do this periodically as part of your regular diaper maintenance to prevent problems as well and prolong the life of your diapers (aprox. every few months or even montly if desired).
To strip your diapers, do the following…
1) Make sure you are using a cloth diaper friendly detergent for all your laundry (not just your diapers). Residue can build up from the other laundry in your washer and get deposited on your diapers if you are switching between detergents.
2) Put your diapers in the wash and run a soak or cold rinse cycle with NO detergent of any kind.
3) Then add 4-5 scoops of Oxiclean Regular Detergent (NOT the Oxiclean Free) and run a hot cycle. (Use the Oxiclean regular that comes in powder form).
4) Dry your diapers by hanging to dry or on the low setting of your dryer as usual.
*Note, you may have to do these steps 2 or three times depending on how bad your buildup problem is. Make sure you dry your diapers in-between treatments. If you are still having problems, add a capful of Calgon or another water softener and continue hot washing and cold rinsing until the rinse water is free of suds.
