A Quick Tutorial
Hello everyone,
This post is for the parents out there who use cloth diapers on their babies' behinds. Even with a pretty solid wash routine, there will occasionally be the time to "start fresh." There are lots of different ways to "strip" diapers, but I found that boiling them works best on most residues.
Start by gathering your supplies:
The biggest pot you have, filled with water.
Tongs to handle the diapers with.
A heat-proof bowl to put them in afterward.
Bring the water to a rolling boil (a lid helps) and drop your natural fiber (cotton, bamboo, etc.) diapers or diaper inserts into the pot. Most likely there will be a "boil-up," so stand back!
Put one or two diapers in the boiling water and wait at least 10 minutes. It helps to stir them to keep them submerged. Using the tongs, wring off what water you can, and put them in the bowl.
It's tempting to throw another diaper right in the hot pot, but DON'T! First, look at the water. Is it mucky? Cloudy with a yellowish-greenish tint? I call it muck.
Pour out the muck and use new water each time. And yes, wait for it to boil. "Wait for it to boil" is the most annoying part of this method, but hey- it works. And if you're not doing all that many diapers, it's no big deal.
TIPS:
*Only use this method for natural fiber diapers and inserts. This means cotton, bamboo, hemp, etc. I wouldn't do this with a stay-dry polyester or a waterproof knit like PUL. Natural fibers only.
*Use sturdy tongs, these babies get hot!
*Stirring and resubmerging the diapers will bring a faster boil (the hotter the water, the better the rinse). Stand back!
*If your diapers or diaper inserts have plastic snaps on them, try not to let them come in contact with the sides of the pot. They can crack!
*You can have multiple burners going on the stove for handling lots of batches of diapers, but take care. You will probably give your kitchen a steam bath.
*Try pouring the discarded hot water down the bathtub drain. It's a great way to keep the drain cleared out.
*Lots of water is the trick to this method. Even if you can't be bothered to boil diapers, hot water rinses in your washing machine will bring the suds out. Add boiling water to the machine if you have to! Rinse, rinse, rinse until all the suds are gone.
*Remember, if your diapers stink when they shouldn't, or they aren't as absorbent as they used to be, you have some sort of build-up and you need to rinse it out.
*After stripping your diapers, try tweaking your wash routine a bit to avoid build-up issues in the future.
***I hope this tutorial was helpful. Please note that I can not guarantee any kind of results with these tips, and am not responsible if your stripping endeavor goes astray. Take care not to damage your diapers or do anything that could void your warranty.
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