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How to Sanitize Cloth Diapers (& How to Know When You NEED To)

How to sanitize cloth diapers and when you need to.

When you are dealing with sensitive baby skin and cloth diapers you need to be on your “A game.”

If you’ve purchased pre-loved cloth diapers, your diapers are holding onto odors, or if your baby is suffering from a yeast infection it’s important to know all about sanitizing cloth diapers. 

Washing your cloth diapers in the washing machine will get them clean, but there are definitely times that call for full sanitization. 

Today I want to share the step-by-step process of how to sanitize your cloth diapers with bleach. By the end of this post you’ll have all of the information you need to take care of some common cloth diaper cleaning issues.

When Do You Need to Sanitize Cloth Diapers?

If you’re just getting started with cloth diapering, you might be wondering…”if I’m machine washing the diapers every time, why would they need to be sanitized?” 

To put it simply, machine washing cloth diapers removes urine and feces. 

Sanitizing cloth diapers goes one step further and eliminates bacteria and fungus that can cause infections. 

You might need to disinfect or sanitize your cloth diapers if: 

Your baby has a yeast infection

Yeast infections are typically caused by an upset in the balance of naturally occurring yeast (or yeast-like fungus) and bacteria found in the body. When the overgrowth of yeast occurs, yeast spores will be present on cloth diapers. These spores can only be eliminated by sanitizing the diaper. 

In babies, yeast infections will look worse in the folds of skin around the groin. Look for red, irritated skin, small pimple like bumps and possibly cracks that bleed or ooze. If diaper rash cream isn’t helping that is another good indicator it might be a yeast infection. 

Your diapers have a bad smell that won’t go away

If your usual washing method isn’t thorough enough, you may end up with a lingering smell in your cloth diapers. Unfortunately, when it gets to the point of looking clean but having a bad odor, normal machine washing won’t be enough to restore the diaper. You’ll need to

1) Take a close look at your current washing method and figure out a way to do it more thoroughly

2) Disinfect your diapers so you can start off with a clean slate. 

You are receiving (or giving) pre-loved cloth diapers

One major bonus of cloth diapering is that they can be shared with others. Used (or pre-loved) cloth diapers are an amazing score, but you’ll want to do a rigorous cleaning before you use them on your baby. You can also send off your pre-loved diapers to a new home freshly sanitized!  

How Often Should You Sanitize Cloth Diapers?

Bacteria?! Fungus?!! YIKES! Reading about these cloth diaper problems might make you want to sanitize the diapers much more often than “as-needed” but DON’T!

You should only sanitize cloth diapers if you are having one of the three issues we’ve talked about: Yeast Infection, Lingering Smell, or restoring Pre-loved Diapers. 

Thorough and effective washing of cloth diapers will make them clean enough for your daily use. 

Both soaking diapers and bleach have the potential to break down the materials in your cloth diaper and reduce their lifespan.

Save yourself time and trouble and only sanitize your cloth diapers when these three issues come up. 

How to Sanitize Your Cloth Diapers – Step By Step

Now let’s get down to business. You know why you need to sanitize your cloth diapers and how often to sanitize…but how do you do it? 

  1. Choose soaking location: If you have a top loading washing machine, that is the ideal place to start the sanitization process. If you don’t, you can also use a bathtub, a sink or even a bucket. 
  2. Fill your container with cold water plus an appropriate amount of bleach. This should be around 1 TBSP per gallon. If you are using a top-loading washer you should use ½ cup for a medium sized tub (⅓ cup if smaller, ¾ cup if larger). If you fill an average sized bathtub half-full, you would use ½ cup of bleach (¾-1 cup for a full tub). 
  3. Soak the diapers for 30-45 minutes
  4. Rinse in HOT water then drain. 
  5. Run the cloth diapers through a normal washing machine cycle on HOT with your usual detergent
  6. Before drying, smell the diapers. If there are still odors, repeat steps 2-5. If you still smell bleach, run the diapers through another normal washing machine cycle.

What you Need to Know Before Using Bleach on Your Diapers

Now that you see all the steps laid out, sanitizing your cloth diapers sounds simple, right? Well, yes and no! There are a few things you should consider before you jump into bleaching your cloth diapers to solve yeast or smell issues or to prepare used diapers for use. 

Could it void my warranty?

Be sure to check your diaper manufacturer’s website before using bleach as it may void the warranty. In order to qualify for a return, many diaper manufacturers require that you follow their product care instructions explicitly. Some diaper manufacturers are okay with bleach but not okay with soaking. Others will not return or trade your cloth diaper if you use bleach.

Do an internet search of the name of your diaper maker and see what that particular manufacturer suggests. If you don’t know who made your diapers, go for the bleach! (You wouldn’t be able to get a refund anyway! 😉 )

Do you have hard water?

Too much iron in the water can cause stains when it interacts with bleach.  One simple way to test if you have hard water, is to get a small container and a piece of white fabric (like a clipping from an old sock). Put one drop of bleach in the container along with the fabric scrap and fill it with your tap water. Let it sit for 15 minutes and then rinse it out. If your fabric turns orange, your water is hard!

If you do have hard water, you’ll have to use an alternative disinfecting method like the ones mentioned in this post from Fluff Love University. 

Are any of your family members allergic to bleach?

Some people get a rash from chlorine exposure. The rash includes dry or chapped skin, itchiness, swelling, burning, stinging or scaly patches of skin. You can imagine how that would feel on a tender baby bottom! If you know there is a close family member with a bleach allergy, you should either try a different disinfecting method OR do several rinses to reduce the chance of chlorine irritation. 

Another thing to note: The odors from chlorine bleach can irritate noses, throats and lungs. You can reduce the danger to you and your baby by opening windows while you soak the diapers, and using rubber gloves when handling the diapers and bleach solution. 

The Final Word on Sanitizing Cloth Diapers

Whether you are trying to fix an odor problem, battle a yeast infection or restore pre-loved cloth diapers, this sanitation process is a simple and effective solution.

Cloth diapering doesn’t have to be complicated. Armed with good information and a little practice you can be confident that you are doing everything you can to keep your baby happy and comfortable. 

Further Reading on Cloth Diapers

Best Wet Bags for Cloth Diapers – A Guide for New Cloth Diapering Moms

How to Clean Cloth Diapers with Poop (With the Least ICK Factor!)

Best Diaper Pail for Cloth Diapers to Keep the Stink Down in the Laundry

Best Overnight Cloth Diapers – How to Conquer Cloth Diapering at Night

How Many Cloth Diapers Do I Need?

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