Diapers Q&A

Do your cloth diapers come out sparkling white????

My mom and I have an on-going discussion about the whiteness of cloth diapers. She says she would refuse to use them unless they are absolutely pristine, sparkling white. I say so long as you are washing them and taking steps to do it correctly, (ie, soaking them in a diaper pail before washing, using both hot AND cold water to wash them, sunning them, etc.) that they don't have to be perfectly white. This is my first baby, so I don't really have much experience with cloth, but I'm willing to try!!

Public Comments

1. You are absolutely right, as long as you wash them correctly they are perfectly fine to use. Theres some things you can do to whiten them but I wouldnt really bother they are just gonna get dirty anyhow. Besides, sparkling white doesnt mean clean, only proper washing means they are clean. Dont worry about, do what you are doing.
2. try pampers
3. I use disposables, but I admire your efforts.......just tell your mom that to get diapers whiter than white, you would need a ton of bleach or lots of boiling hot water.......neither of which is good for the environment!!!! (The environment is often a good excuse)
4. The only way to get your diapers sparkling white is to use a ton of bleach on them. Not only is that unnecessary, it also allows bleach residue to come into contact with your baby's skin. Most of my diapers are stained, I sun them whenever possible but many stains still remain. I know my diapers are clean when they smell clean.
5. no they don't
6. Nope, they don't need to be absolutely pristine, sparkling white.lol. Where'd she get that idea from? What does she suggest you do? Bleach them? That would mean much more wear and tear on your dipes (probably ruining some of them) and much more importantly, putting more chemicals on your baby's bottom. Kinda silly. I mean, that's the biggest reason I cloth diaper- to keep chemicals OFF my baby's most sensitive areas and to protect baby's reproductive organs from harm. Maybe you should tell her this: #1- The sun is an excellent disinfectant and it bleaches naturally. (You know, like bones out in the desert.) #2- I met the daughter of the inventor of the absorbent material inside most disposable diapers. She said he insisted his children be CLOTH diapered, no disposables for his children. I don't know about anyone else, but that tells ME to keep them off MY baby too. Good luck hun, hopefully your mom will leave you alone about it. Maybe have her do her own research. That usually keeps my MIL busy and off my back for a while. ;) Oh, and there's no need to use a wet diaper pail if I'm understanding you correctly. I keep mine in a dry pail and most others I know do too.
7. That's one reason I went with unbleached diapers- they're naturally a lovely ecru color, so I don't stress about a bit of dinginess. My nose is a great indicator of how clean they are!