Clother Diapering and Using Bleach???

lovinwaves

New member
I was speaking with my 78 year old FIL, and he said they used a wet pail with Bleach in it. He said they never had a problem with the smell of the diapers. He was also concerned with the cleanliness of my diapers because I am NOT using bleach when I was hthem.

So, can you use bleach, and should I be?
 
ADS

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Nah, you don't need it with the new dipes and good washing machines we have nowadays. A closing/sealed dry pail (I use a pop open 13 gal garbage can from walmart lined with a PUL pail liner...NO smell just leaks out until I open it :) ) holds everything till wash day, then the washer and dryer do their magic. If germs were lingering all over these dipes, then you'd no doubt read widespread complaints about cloth diapering families having constant stomach bugs, (e.coli all over the house...), and you don't so it's ok :)
 

oxeye

New member
I remember reading on MDC that some people will use bleach as a last resort with stinky dipes. But I also read that it can make the diaper break down a lot faster than normal.

I don't think I'd ever use bleach on a cover, AIO, or pocket dipe, or anything with elastic. It's probably okay to do every now and then with prefolds and inserts, though.
 

ThreeBeans

New member
I've used it as an absolute last resort when a didey was accidentally left too long with poo in it :rolleyes:

But bleach is bad for diapers...it breaks down their fibres quickly. For pocket diapers, it destroys the water-proof liner.
 

Jewels

Senior Community Member
Bleach is really harsh, I don't think I have ever used it in my home! I also think that it could break down the fibers of the diapers but I also wouldn't want something that has been bleached up against my child's bottom. I know the have done bleach and diapers for years but with the rise of cancer, asthma and all the other health problems today I try to use a more natural approach to cleaning :rolleyes: If my diapers ever had stains then I just dried them in the sun and sun bleached them, when I put them away last year none of my diapers or liners had any stains.

If you wash in hot water that should be enough to get rid of germs and bacteria. Also if you use too much soap and the diapers aren't rinsed well enough then that could cause them to smell.
 

jn__

New member
some of us have "bad" water and have to use it all the time. I've been using it for 3 years, most washes, just a tiny splish.. nothing wrong with my diapers. I just get funky smells if I don't. Plus I'm not turning my hwh up any more than it is, and I'm certainly not going to run down there and turn it up when I'm doing a diaper wash, and adding boiling water is just as tedious. (and dangerous, I could trip over a kid! ;) )

Not to say I'd dump a cup of it in every load though.

I get stink if I don't.. I've been doing this for years and have tried everything, but a tiny tablespoon of bleach is just easier than some wash routines I've heard of.
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
It could ruinj many of today's cloth dipes + I certainly didn't want it on the fabric since our reason for using cloth was that Leila was allergic to non-natural materials on her bum.... I soaked some in vinegar if necessary, washed with pure essential oils and/or baking soda (depending on the water source) & boiled on occasion.
 

LuvBug

New member
you should really never use it on the diapers with PUL, fleece, or elastic... but using it on just the inserts, prefolds, ect isnt really that bad.

Think about the diapers they had back then... I dont think they even had prefolds, only flats! I also think the bleach back then wasnt the same as it is now. Now they recommend using borax in place of bleach.
 

Starlight

Senior Community Member
Bleach has not ever entered *my* home.

I would check w/ FB and BG to see if they'd recommend it.

But I wouldn't.

Remember your g-ma was probably handwashing w/ lye or something else that we wouldn't use. It would be far more difficult to get clean and disinfected that way.

Thank God for modern appliances.

I do love sun bleached stuff though. It really gets the stains out.
 

Lea_Ontario

Well-known member
I have used bleach on most of the diapers I have at one time or another - but especially during / after a stomach bug or diaper rash, etc.
 

3acorns4Christy

New member
I cloth diaper and have been for over a year. I just did our first wash with bleech this week. Joel (my son) had a yeast infection that he just got over so I thought it would be best to bleech all the dipes. But I've only done this once and won't again unless he gets another yeast infection.
 

KaysKidz

Senior Community Member
I have used NON-CHLORINE bleach on my pocket diapers and they are fine. It's not something I use daily or even weekly. But I do use non-chlorine bleach in between kids and if I have a dipe that has a skinky I can't get rid of. The very occasional use probably won't harm them in anyway. Regular use will certainly cause the materials to break down quicker.
 

racesmom

Senior Community Member
I've been CDing over three years now and sometimes I have to use bleach. I've tried everything else, tons of rinsing, boiling, different detergents, etc. Bleach works. I use it on my inserts, esp hemp, and undyed prefolds every 6-8 weeks. About 1/4 cup in a super large top loader with an extra rinse or two. No bleach smell after, and no stink- woohoo!
 

MagnificentMama

Senior Community Member
Bleach killed all the pretty colors of my diapers. I was bleaching my whites for normal laundry and forgot i had a diaper in the pile (don't even ask, how a diaper got mixed in with my regular clothes is BEYOND me) but when i took it out of the washer, all the color was goooonnneee :thumbsdown:
 

stayinhomewithmy6

Senior Community Member
I don't normally use bleach in my home either, but I was having problems with really stinky diapers, to the point that DH was going to make me switch back to sposies, so I started bleaching the inserts. It wasn't fun to have to wash the pockets and the inserts separately, but I didn't want to ruin the PUL, so that's what I did. However, the bleach didn't even get rid of the smell all the way and that was when I figured out that it was our well water causing a build up in the diapers and I started using Calgon water softener every couple of weeks... much better than bleach and it got rid of the stink completely (and we don't even have hard water, just well water). I definitely don't think that bleach is necessary for anything and I would never use a wet pail because it's a drowning risk.
 

Jordynsmama

New member
I was asking my mom-"what do you do if you use cloth diapers and you are out somewhere? Just throw them away?" and also "how do you get stains out, ect"...
she said she used them on me for a while and one times she almost poisened herself b/c she used bleach and since pee turns to amonia it is a poisenous combo?? Anyway-maybe b/c she left one too long or something.
 

easterbun

New member
Like jn, I often use a tiny amount (a tablespoon or so) to help rid any bacteria that may be hiding and causing stink issues (generally apparently by a "skunky" smell coming out of the dryer) but I would hesitate to use any more, or to keep a wet pail.

People also used to wet pail with borax, which is ultimately just as destructive to natural fibers... it may or may not effect synthetics the same (PUL, fleece, microfiber, etc).
 

KaysKidz

Senior Community Member
I was asking my mom-"what do you do if you use cloth diapers and you are out somewhere? Just throw them away?" and also "how do you get stains out, ect"...

I have a wet-bag for dirties. It's got a water-proof liner, zip closure etc. Just toss the dirty dipe in and deal w/when you get home.

And in the 6mo or so I've been using cd, I've only had ONE get a stain (I use pockets mainly w/a stay dry liner). And even after using & washing that one several more times, it's almost completely faded. Now the inserts are a bit different and seem to hold onto the stains better...but even still...most of mine still look brand new. Maybe not as bright as they once were. It's probably due to the different type of material.
 

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