Stains on Cloth Diapers

Updated on September 08, 2009
B.T. asks from New Braunfels, TX
12 answers

Hello all you cloth diapering mamas!! I have a question. I've got some diapers that have a few stains. What can I use to get them clean again? I double wash each time...but my guy is a good pooper!! :) Any ideas? Thanks!!

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A.H.

answers from Austin on

The absolute best stain cleaner I have found is Mrs. Meyers baby stain remover. I have not heard of the bac-out. I am going to try that one. The Mrs Meyers works 100% better that oxiclean (for me) and it is organic

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S.T.

answers from Houston on

I agree- sun them! Never heard of Bac out, that's a great tip I'll have to try.

I always get "bleach them." Well, bleach destroys fabric and some diaper companies will not honor your warranty if you use bleach, so I don't. But really, the sun has helped wonderfully.

I soak in cold with borax, hot wash with borax and detergent, double rinse, adding 1/4 cup vinegar in the first rinse and a few drops of tea tree oil in the second. Vinegar helps strip the soap out (which holds in smells) and kills germs and tea tree oil kills germs and adds a nice natural fragrance to the diapers.

Yes, cloth diapering is a great way to save money and help our environment. I spent $5,000 on disposables!

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C.G.

answers from San Antonio on

Try Oxyclean in hot water. I love the stuff.

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L.W.

answers from Houston on

I used to soak my diapers all night in a mixture of water & borax stain remover, & then wash them, the next day. If that don;t work on the already stained ones, you can even try bleach & water soak & wash them later that day, with no bleach added to the washer. Double rinse them.
Oxy clean is the best spray on stain remover they make in my opinion! The diapers that are already stained might could be sprayed good with oxy clean & rubbed in good, let sit 30 min or so & wash them. Of course it wasn't around when I used cloth diapers. But I have a 22 month old & twin 5 yr olds, it gets 95% of the stains off their clothes.
The Borax always worked great for me when I did use cloth diapers. I kept a bucket of borax (dissolved in hot water, so there's no granules) I rinsed them asap & dropped them in my soaking bucket for 12-24 hrs.
Oxy Clean also makes a laundry stain additive you add to your regular detergent.
The sun is GREAT, but it makes clothes stiff. You might could add fabric softener to help them not be so stiff if you choose to try the sun.

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K.H.

answers from Austin on

Lemon Juice and Sunshine!

K., cd-ing mama of
Catherine, Samuel and Baby (due soon)

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S.C.

answers from College Station on

Hi B.,

we used a protien solution, made a paste with a meat tenderizer and baking soda. scrub on the area with warm water and let sit depending on the stain, rinse in cool water and sun dried. best of luck to you :)

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L.B.

answers from Corpus Christi on

Mine are grown now but I did use the cloth diapers, the best thing on the market now is oxyclean, that I have found for stains.Put them in warm water,for the tuff stains I use two scoops and let them soak for at least a few hours be sure and use your soap also,then you can do them a second time to get any remaining soap out.Have used this on the adult underware and soaks works great.

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T.S.

answers from Killeen on

I used to soak the diapers in the washer, stopping the washer during the aggitation cycle, with either Biz or Borax over night. In the am I would let it run the rest of the cycle, then rewash with a small amount of Biz or Borax again along with a few drips of Tea Tree Oil. I also add vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser. I was not able to hang my diapers outside to dry but have heard that the sun is great for natural drying/bleaching.
If they are not perfectly white but don't stink it's ok.
Congrats on cloth diapering!

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H.H.

answers from Houston on

Most importantly: the SUN! If you take the stained diapers fresh out of the wash (still wet) and put them in the sun, the UV rays help to naturally bleach out stains AND sanitize them. The sun is the best thing for your diapers. Even old stains that have gone through the dryer will benefit from time in the sun. Just make sure you put them out there wet.

Secondly, I like to use a product called Bac Out by Biokleen on my poo diapers. After spraying the poo into the potty with the diaper sprayer, I spray some Bac Out on them. It is a natural citrus enzyme that "eats" the organic matter. I try to leave it sitting overnight so it has time to work before putting them in the wash. It has really helped stains as well. Health food/natural food stores carry Bac Out and I've seen it at Kroger, too. I buy mine through luckyvitamin.com because they've got MUCH better prices (i buy a lot at a time to justify shipping costs). I use it for all kinds of cleaning around the house, too. It's great for carpet spot cleaning.

Good luck! I'm a cloth diaper lover, too. All three of my kids are or have been in cloth.

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D.M.

answers from Houston on

all these things probably work great, but they are probably not too great for your son's skin or health. my youngest son had eczema and still battles asthma so we had to be very careful about things that were around him. i really admire that you are going cloth! you are braver than me!! i found a great company while searching for safer products to have around my kids and i would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to share it with you. you can visit http://www.safer4myrugrats.com and request info and i'll be in touch soon if you are interested in a safer alternative!

have a great day!

D. :)
helping YOU work from home
http://www.formyrugrats.com

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S.B.

answers from Houston on

I've never tried it so I can testify for it but I've read that the sun is a natural bleach...hang them out to dry in the sun a couple of times and see if it works. I do a rinse first in cold and then I do a wash in hot heavy stain mode. I love the cloth diapering thing too!

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K.S.

answers from College Station on

set them out in the sun and let it bleach them out :)

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