Stupid Question Alert!! Basic knowledge really... lol

[nervouspains]

Hi Ladies,

Well i was just wondering What is a strip wash and Why do you do them?

Thanks! xx

 

[Eala]

Over time, detergent can build up in your nappies. This affects how absorbent they are, and can make them retain smells. A strip wash can be done in various ways, but the purpose is to "strip" all the detergent out of the nappy, restoring it to full absorbency.

I just tend to strip them whenever I feel they need it I couldn't tell you if that actually falls into "every 6 weeks" or something

 

[nervouspains]

Fab thanks!
So basically a normal wash with no detergent?
How many washes should be done for it to be 'stripped'?

Thanks xx

 

[Rachel_C]

No, it sounds silly but to get the build up of detergent out of the nappies you need to use detergent of some kind! The most common way I've seen is to use a full dose of detergent (rather than the 1/4 dose you'd normally use to wash nappies) and then keep rinsing until all of the bubbles are out. You just have to watch the last stages of each rinse and if suds are still coming out of the nappies you need to rinse again. It can take all day but it's worth it and shouldn't need doing too often if you're only using 1/4 dose normally.

You can also do it using a dishwasher tablet instead of detergent and that method means you don't have to rinse as much. There's another method involving washing up liquid, lots of scrubbing and lots of rinsing. If you google it I'm sure you'll find it. Most people find the first method is adequate though.

 

[Eala]

I use a dishwasher tablet and it works really well

I know some people use soda crystals in the detergent drawer too, which has the added benefit of cleaning the machine a bit as they go

 

[nervouspains]

Fab thanks ladies!
I was just reading up and thinking of doing this:

90c wash- with no washing in, just a cleaning tablet to make sure the washing machiene gets a good clean
Then rinse the nappies, 1/2 tablet wash at 40c then rinse and rinse until no more suds!

Thanks for your help ladies xxx

 

[jessabella]

waaa im still confused...info overload

 

[Rachel_C]

jessabella - after nappies have been used for a while, detergent tends to build up in them cos machines rarely wash 100% of the detergent out. That can make them less absorbent and smelly, so after a while you need to 'strip wash' them to get the build up out. Either wash your nappies with a dishwasher tablet in (yes, the kind you'd put in a dishwasher for your plates and cutlery!) and rinse a couple of times, or use the full dose of detergent recommended on the box/bottle and then keep rinsing the nappies afterwards until no more detergent suds come out of them. Easy!

Lots of people do this regularly to prevent the build up getting to the point where it is noticeable, say once a month or every 6 weeks.

 

[Arcanegirl]

Hmmm maybe i need to do this, last strip was start of Aug and before that was god knows! oops!

 

[littlestar]

everyone is different we;ve been using cloth for 9 months now and i've done two strip washes so far.
some of it comes down to the type of material you use - i find the micro fibre ones worse for build up than natural fibres.