Why Some Cloth Diaper Companies Recommend Bleach

Nope, I am not recommending bleach but I will explain why some companies do.  Some of these same companies say don't use vinegar or baking soda.  There is no good reason for this.  I will explain all three things in this post. 

Also this post isn't putting down these companies or their products. They provide a good CD option. but like all diapers they have their pros amf their cons. Understanding the cons allows you to better care for these diapers so you can enjoy all the pros they offer. Also I would say these are quality companies. The instructions they give are to simply make sure the products they make will work for you and they have conveyed that advice in as simple and basic a format as possible by creating their own basic care instructions.

Why some companies recommend bleach:  What is known as the modern cloth diaper are diapers with synthetic materials such as microfiber, suede cloth,  minky, binky (bamboo minky), fleece etc.  The construction and shape of the fiber is different then natural fibers.  In fact when microfiber was designed (by the cleaning industry)  it was designed this way on purpose to pick up and trap dirt, bacteria etc.  At the end of this post are some pics from a microfiber industry site - check it out. Since its designed to trap these things, they are harder to wash out.  The result is that these fabrics are more prone to ammonia (which some people refer to as stink), which makes your diapers smell bad and will cause a rash on babies bum, in bad cases it will cause ammonia burn.  If your using a "modern diaper" which also has thick layers then your increasing the difficulty in washing the diaper because there are more layers to wash through.   This is also why its important to remove inserts from pocket diapers.  Washing inserts that have been seperated from the diaper allows you to wash through less layers resulting in a cleaner diaper.  The solution is that some of these companies will suggest a monthly bleaching, to combat the problem.   Am I saying people shouldn't use thick "modern" diapers?  No.  These diapers have qualities Moms like.   And if for you their pros outweigh the cons then use them.  Just be mindful of the drawbacks.  Change the diaper even though the fabric leaves it feeling dry.  Remove all poop before placing in your diaper pail or wet bag (should be done with all diapers).  Rinse out overnight diapers (should be done with all overnight diapers). Wash often (again as with all diapers).  And make sure you have a very thorough wash and rinse routine.  It will need to be more intense then with flats, prefolds and basic fitted's made of natural materials.  Keep a sharp eye on the diaper for signs of ammonia or build up.  Extra detergent or water will not clean better. An extra washing, boosters (some if which are hard on fabrics), vinegar presoak or rinse should help.  In the end you might need to follow the company advice of monthly bleachings.  If this is the case absolutely do a vinegar rinse at the end of multiple post bleach rinses.  And do not expect all these diapers to last forever.   In the end the bleach and washings will cause wear, it just happens.  If the only way to keep ammonia at bay is a monthly bleaching then that's because they could not be completely rid of ammonia.  I would suggested not reselling or donating a diaper with this issue because it's just not right to be passing an ammonia problem on. In addition I recommend looking a cloth diaper blogs.  Find one by an experienced CD mom.  Experienced as in over a year, at least, multiple children is even better and doesn't have repeated ammonia or leak issues (which build up creates).  And lastly one that uses the same or a similar diaper.  A mom using the same or similar diaper and successfully keeps the diaper free of its potential issues will be a good resource.   I can only advise so far.  I understand fabric and sewing very well.  I've always been good at science and research.  And I've been cloth diapering longer then most but my hands on experience is keeping basic fitted's and prefolds made of cotton clean. 

* If you are using a diaper made of natural fabrics but 8+ layers thick, you also will need a more thorough wash and rinse routine in order to wash through all the layers.   This means you might need to follow much of the same advice. 

Why white vinegar is safe:
White vinegar is also called distilled.   Technically speaking,  its not.  What it is, is 5% to 8% acetic acid (that's vinegar) in water.  With a pH of 2.2-3.  This makes it too weak to breakdown fabric fibers.  It will however breakdown detergent and uric acid.  So what's their problem with it?  Well it is possible that striping with vinegar might not be strong enough on synthetic fabrics to strip them.  So what you could do instead is use white vinegar in a presoak before washing or add to the rinse cycle after washing.    Do that with each wash to help hard to clean synthetics. 

Why baking soda is safe: Baking soda (and washing soda) have been used in laundry and cleaning for over 100 years.  They are safe and they are gentle.  They do not have the ability to harm fabric (they are not strong enough to do so).   They also clean nicely.  Washing soda cleans better then baking soda however.  And if all you have is baking soda you can bake it and it will turn into washing soda.   So why do some companies say not to use them?  Same issue as vinegar, these are safe gentle cleaning products which may not be strong enough to clean synthetic materials in a diaper. 

The pics below come from a microfiber industry site. The top diagram shows why and how they do their job of picking up and trapping dirt and bacteria. The second picture is a photo of a cross section of the fiber under a microscope. It is also why they work as stay dry fabrics instead if absorbing fabrics. The fiber design does not allow the fiber to swell up with retained water.

Diaper Creams & Cloth Diapers

So one of the things you will receive as a shower gift (or have purchased yourself) is diaper cream to protect or heal diaper rash.  And the two best out there are thick, creamy diaper absorbency destroyers.   And your wondering what on earth are you supposed to do? Protect that little bum with cream or with absorbent diapers.  And why can't life just be easy enough to let you do both? 

Well actually you can.  Remember me mentioning disposable diaper liners that are flushable, biodegradable and make cleaning poop into the toliet so simple?  Yeah well they also protect your fluff from diaper cream.  So...

Solution #1: use a disposable diaper liner. 

And of course there is...

Solution #2: dont use cream. 

Ok dont worry, most of the time your cloth baby won't need cream cuz a healthy, natural, clean cloth diaper that is changed and laundered often wont lead to diaper rash.  However foods, teeth etc will lead to a rash on occasion.   So return to solution #1: disposable liners.  *of course there are diaper rash treatments that are cloth friendly and they will be covered later, this is about creams.  The cloth safe items are usually oils.  Also I haven't used them and I am skeptical as natural oils are one of the this.gs we remove when prepping cloth diapers to increase absorbency. 

Why?  I always wonder this so I will assume others are likewise curious
  The creams are designed as a wetness barrier for babies skin.  Of course as it builds up in the diaper it becomes a wetness barrier for your diaper.  This isn't so great as you need that diaper sucking up wetness not lettinng it roll off. 

If your diapers are starting to be less absorbent and you've been using cream, this is why.  Having made this rookie mistake myself years ago I can tell you that you van see the white build up on your white diaper.  Or more likely your cloth liners.  They will need to be stripped.  Since for me it was just liners, I replaced them. 

Ever since I make sure to use the disposable liners.  I still use cotton ones for absorbency but over those is my poop catching diaper build up saving disposable liner.  They are worth the money.  Actually they are worth more then the money (the are very affordable) . 

So keep your fluff fluffy and not weighed down with cream build up. See, the fix was simple and you can still have your cake and eat i it too.   

Is Your Brand New Diaper Leaking - We Can Fix That

Ok so your super excited to use your brand new cloth diapers.  You feel confident, and I've assured readers multiple times that it works if you change it.  You washed them once after they arrived (like all new baby clothes).  Time for super cute fluffy bum!!

And then they leaked.  You changed them but the absorbency wasn't what everyone promised.  Your frustrated, tired, confused and have 3 weeks worth of laundry that you've accumulated in just 2 days.  There is a fix, its simple and its a strange little thing about the cloth diaper world.

Before using your cloth diapers for the first time they need to be washed 3-4 times.  This makes them more absorbent.  In fact cloth diapers continue to increase in absorbency over time (so long as they dont have residue build up or ammonia) . 

Why does washing increase absorbency?  Well with some natural fibers it removes oils, but thats only part of it and happens quickly.  What the washing does is soften up the fibers in the cloth.  It also takes them from smooth to more fiberous.  And it opens the weave of the material up some.  This allows the fabric to pull in and distribute the wetness.  This process is especially important with prefolds as it quilts them up.

So before using your cloth diapers wash them up several times.  I use a regular detergent amount on the first wash (and since I made them this time that was when I pre-washed the fabric before sewing).  For the next several pre-washes just a few spoons of detergent is enough.  **only for prepping, dirty diapers need the correct detergent amount** You dont need to dry between washes.  That's optional and personal preference.  If your at a laundry mat I'd just dry at the end to save money.   If your like me and dont have home laundry perhaps a friend will help you out.  I will be doing my pre-washing at my moms.  Although I wouldn't ask to do all my laundry this way (cuz I'd feel like a college student who saved her laundry for holidays at home),  I dont mind asking for this situation.  If your starting your cloth diaper journey with a newborn you could ask someone to do this as a shower gift. 

Pre-wash several times first and your diapers will work if you change them.  Also keep in mind many are made to be used with a cloth liner (like mine) .  Often its not added to the core because some if the benefits of a seperate liner are the same as the benefits of a prefold.  These are: adjustability, more thorough clean, faster dry. 

AND THEY ALL WORKED PART 3: Every diaper leaks sometimes - the leaks you will have.

I dont care which diaper you have you will experience a leak! This applies to disposable diapers also.  However dont worry they are pretty rare. 

THE LEAK BREAK DOWN

1. The Explosive Poop.  It happens babies have these explosive poops sometimes and it will leak.

2. The Side Urine Stream : its a boy problem.  Sometimes luck is not with you and and baby's got it pointing to the side of the diaper right at the leg.  Sometimes diaper or cover will stop it from becoming a leak, sometimes it wont.

3. The Huge Grocery Store Line Up:  your stuck in a line or traffic and the diaper change waited a little to long.  It happens. 

4. Your Sweetie Slept All Night: usually you change every feeding (which is every few hours), but she slept all night and didn't wake you up.  Time for more inserts at night or a night wrap.   Again some mornings are just like that.

5. Leak At The Elastic Site:  as mentioned in part 1., the site of the leg elastic tends to get more wet.  Consequently you sometimes get a small leak.  Making sure the diaper wrap covers the diaper completely inside the wraps elastic waist and legs will make this a 1 in 100 situation. (Same for any leak at the leg site).

6. A Bad Luck Moment.  What can.I.say? They happen without explanation.

7. The Diaper Was Not Changed: I mostly blame sposies for this.  Sposies finally became really absorbant and the companies kept increasing that till they made diapers that could last 6-12 hours.  Ok cloth companies are a little to blame also.  Cloth diapers can increasingly hold close  to a full days worth of urine (why?!)  So people came to expect this amazing absorbansy out of a diaper and that expectation leads to leaks based on needed to change the diaper sooner.  Also some people just leave em hanging (ew).  Here's the thing.  Your diaper may well hold 6-8 pees at a time.  That doesn't mean it should.  Its just not hygienic to be sitting in urine like that even if it feels dry.  Old Europe used to dry out swaddling by the fire without washing. Once dry they went back on baby cuz they were dry.  Then docs realized this was unhygienic.  They also learned that the swaddlings created rashes when not thoroughly clean.  Your cloth diapers are the same.  Change regularly regardless of absorbancy for better hygiene and less diaper.rash.  Do the same with sposies.