Diapers Q&A

Cloth diapering- cleaning poopy diapers- how to do?

So, I am new to cloth diapering and only get to do it when at home and on weekends. I am cleaning poop for the first time. The poop mostly just came off into the toilet, but it was a bit gooey. Am I supposed to put soap and rub on it? Pre-treat and soak it? I put some soap and rubbed, but after I washed this load the diaper still smelled awful. So, I must have done something wrong. I feel silly, but I would appreciate if you could tell me what you do and what you use to wash them out? For regular diaper washes I use either Charlie's soap or 7th generation free and clear.

Public Comments

1. lysistrata411, Do you have any Detol? You could spray them with that; then throw them in the washer machine? -Adelle
2. i have a friend who cloth diapered her kids. she would keep a huge bucket with a tight snapping lid, of diluted bleach water. after a poop, she'd flush the poop & then throw the diaper in the bucket & put the lid back on. then after a couple days, she'd wash them all. good luck.
3. It depends on what kind of diapers you are using. I use Fuzzi Bunz and I don't do anything special to them. I just was them in the wash like normal with Allen's Naturally. I follow the instructions (rinse cold, wash hot, then rinse cold again) and most of the time everything is just fine. Every now and then I will have a stain, but it always bleaches out in the sun. If you have been using those diapers for a while, the smell could be because over time the ammsonias in the urine build up in the diapers and make them less absorbent and more smelly. Every couple of months it is a good idea to strip your diapers, meaning wash them with something that is made to take out grease, like dish soap. When my daughter was younger I used to use these thin paper liners made for cloth diapering. They went into the diaper and you could use them a couple of times with wet diapers, then when the baby poops you pluck the whole thing out and flush it away. Most online stores that sell cloth diapers will sell these liners as well. I know at one point www.babiesinchico.com had them, but I don't know if she still carries them or not. Good luck.
4. The traditional method is to have a lidded bucket full of water and a nappy soaker such as Napisan. As you change the nappies, you get rid of any poo off the nappy, then place it in the bucket. When the bucket is full, you pour the water out, place the nappies in the machine and simply give them a good rinse and spin. OR there is drypailing This alternative allows the washing machine to do the work for you. Once you have disposed of the poo (if any) you simply place the nappy in an empty bucket. (You might choose to rinse a poo-ey nappy first.) You could even use a rubbish bin with a flip-top lid or a tough bag. When the bin is full, you up-end it into the washing machine and then wash. No filling, emptying or lugging of buckets. However you may need to pre wash To get rid of smells, you need to do a hot wash NO detergent, but half a cup of bicarb soda; and then a quarter of a cup of vinegar to your rinse cycle
5. Wash off the loose poopy immediately after a change. Remove as much of the colouration as possible by rinsing off severally, then wash with warm water and soap...i can assure you the nappy will smell fresh after this. And please, dont mix poopy diaper with the urine ones, since poopy one requires more claning attention. I use the same method for my 5months old. Good luck.