How (and why) to Strip Wash
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Sorry, another question! There are still bubbles during the rinses. Was gonna do one more after this one and then go to bed, but what should I do with the nappies overnight? Will it be bad for the nappies to keep them damp in the machine to continue with the rinses tomorrow?
You can leave them in the machine or I sometimes run a cold bath and leave them in there overnight. The extra water will help soak some more bubbles out. Soaking isn't generally recommended but it's ok every now and then.
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When I want to rinse my nappies a gazillion times over to strip them of residue I usually just put them on for 2 or 3 really long washes (labelled as cotton washes here) but with no detergent added (i adjust the temp accordingly). That way you don't have to constantly go back every half hour or so to start yet another rinse.
Marie000
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I bought some used diapers and I would like to strip wash them before I start using them. Problem is, my washing machine does not work on hot water (problem with the water intake leaking). Is it possible to strip wash in cold water?
Or should I just add hot water from the tap to the machine when it fills up?
Or should I just add hot water from the tap to the machine when it fills up?
I've been trying that and I've found it doesn't work as well. Two rinses seems better than one long wash, I assume because the first part of the wash doesn't have as much water as a proper rinse. I guess it depends on your machine though.
I don't know, I've never tried! I assume the 60 degree thing is to sanitise but it maybe helps lift detergent build up, I'm not sure. You could try in cold water anyway. If you're just stripping them because they're preloved, not because you're having issues with them, I don't suppose it really matters if it's not as thorough as usual.
Emmy1987
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Thanks for this, am strip washing my nappies as we speak, was wondering why they smelt horrible after the first wee (so bad I couldn't smell THREE of her poopy nappies today 
) then I came across this and am strip washing all my inserts! Already they smell a LOT better 
) then I came across this and am strip washing all my inserts! Already they smell a LOT better 
patch2006uk
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I've strip washed today too. There were only about 3 stinky inserts, but I figured doing a whole batch would be a good idea anyway-they've been in service for 14 months now!!
There weren't many bubbles coming off them, and we really don't use a lot of detergent. My mom did a load of laundry for us a little time ago and used fabric softener. There were about 3 nappies in that load. Could 1 wash with fabric softener have been enough to cause some hideous smells? I've got no way of knowing which mom washed and whether they're the ones that smell, I just think its a bit of a coincidence that most are fine but a few are ponky.
There weren't many bubbles coming off them, and we really don't use a lot of detergent. My mom did a load of laundry for us a little time ago and used fabric softener. There were about 3 nappies in that load. Could 1 wash with fabric softener have been enough to cause some hideous smells? I've got no way of knowing which mom washed and whether they're the ones that smell, I just think its a bit of a coincidence that most are fine but a few are ponky.
Yeah I'd say it's possible. I would imagine that once the fabric softener was on there if it wasn't stripped out straight away it would then make washing the next lot of detergent out harder, then even harder the next wash and so on until it gets to be a problem. I think it's good that you stripped other nappies too. I know that whenever I've had issues (like when we got back from holiday when I'd been handwashing), the stinky ones made even the others smell a bit after a few washes so they all needed doing.
tigerlilly
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Hi ladiesI plan on using Bambino Mio brand along with the sanitizer and the mio powder. Does anyone else use these products? Would I be better of hand rinseing the nappies in hot water before washing? I'm new to the cloth nappy systems. Thanks
patch2006uk
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Fingers crossed one attack with a dishwasher tablet works then! 
it's really annoying-the nappies last 3/4 hours absorbency wise, but they stink after about 5 minutes. My mom is known to use a lot of product in her laundry (my dad likes things soft), so I'll definitely have to remind her not to use any if our washing machine breaks down again!
it's really annoying-the nappies last 3/4 hours absorbency wise, but they stink after about 5 minutes. My mom is known to use a lot of product in her laundry (my dad likes things soft), so I'll definitely have to remind her not to use any if our washing machine breaks down again!I'd just use your normal detergent (1/4 the normal dose maximum though) rather than buying anything special. IMO the special nappy ones are really just a way for companies to continue making money out of you after you've bought their nappies. If you want to sanitize, just wash at 60 degrees or wash at a lower temp with bio detergent, or wash at 30 normally with an occasional 60 degree wash. Hand rinsing on hot water won't do anything. You could rinse poo off once LO is on solids or formula if you want, but a non-weaned BF baby has poo that can go straight in the machine. Hot water can actually set stains into the fabric so don't do it! Before you do the wash, run a cold rinse in the machine, then do the wash, then two rinses afterwards and you'll be fine.
Fingers crossed one attack with a dishwasher tablet works then!
I used to use loads too. I love the smell of it, the cheaper and more synthetic the better! I could inhale cheap detergent all day
. Since using cloth nappies I've gradually weaned myself off for everything else too, although bedding is my weakness, it has to smell strongly of detergent!Mum2b_Claire
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Would you still do the first rinse if the machine only had wet nappies in it, not dirty? Very infrequent poo-er here! I do do the pre rinse and have no issues but just wondered.
tigerlilly
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Thank you x
Yep, I always do. It gets the nappies properly soaking wet (it's best if you can stop the rinse before the spin) which increases the level of water in the main wash, so that's better for nappies. I didn't do it with our old machine but need to with our newer one as it's too water efficient. Or if I'm in a rush I sometimes pour a few litres of water over the nappies instead.
Sounds like too much detergent to me. If you weren't using enough you'd probably be able to see and smell the problem straight after a wash before tumble drying. How much detergent do you usually use? Which strip wash method did you use? The dishwasher tablet method is the least thorough so if you used that it's possible it didn't work and you'd need to try a more intensive method.
I use 50g of soda crystals cos we have very hard water, and I've just switched back to using Surf liquid which I use 5mls of (tsp), before that I was using fairy non bio powder and used less than a tablespoon of it.
First I did the dishwasher tablet, but still had smelly nappies so did the detergent, which I didn't think I had rinsed thoroughly enough so did it again from the beginning. There is a vague smell to my LO's wee (dunno if that's normal!) as I recently noticed when I attempted EC, so I would understand them being smelly after being wee'd in, but was confused last night when I opened the tumble dryer halfway through and there was a bit of a wee smell
Hmm yeah it does sound like build up, although it is normal for wee to smell a bit wee-ish! Is your machine quite new? You might need several rinses per wash if it's quite efficient. Are many of your nappies microfibre? That can be worse at holding onto stink even after stripping. After handwashing recently I had some horrible build up to deal with when we got home from holiday, in the end I had to boil wash them but thankfully it was just stay dry Flip inserts so it was ok. I would probably try the full dose method one more time and do extra rinsing on top of what you think you need, but maybe you'll have to resort to the fairly liquid one or one of the harsher ways.
