Yeast! Help with cloth diapers!

[SierraJourney]

I've been battling a rash on my 15 month old for almost a month now. It started with one patch right under his parts, and spread farther down his bum. I tried every type of cloth diaper safe cream that usually works for him, and it just kept getting worse,---so I switched to disposables with not-so-friendly creams, washed my diapers in hot water, with oxyclean and gso, and when the rash looked like it was gone, I switched back to my cloth diapers. The rash came back immediately! (within 2 diaper changes!) So, I just switched back to disposables and heavy creams, and washed all of my diapers in hot water, with gso, and about 1/2 cup of bleach, dried them all on high and sunned them all. The rash is still on his bum, so I'm still using creams and disposables. . . but how long should I keep doing that before switching back to cloth? Anything special I should do to get rid of the rash? Anything else I need to do with my diapers? Will this work to get rid of it? It's been such a discouraging battle this month.

(Btw, I think it is yeast because it won't go away, and I was on antibiotics for 3 weeks and was breastfeeding). Any help is appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Rachel_C]

When the rash dries out (give his bum some air or even use a hair dryer on cool!) does it go scaly round the edges? That's indicative of a yeasty rash, I think.

What nappies are you using? Do they have a stay dry layer or are you adding one to each that doesn't? My oldest LO in particular would get a rash from any nappy that let her feel the damp. How often do you change the nappies?

 

[SierraJourney]

Yes, it kind of gets scaly and a bit yellowish if it dries out. I have all pockets stuffed with microfiber (sometimes hemp if we are going on long car rides). I change him every 2 hours or sooner if poopy, obviously. He hasn't had any major rashes with his cloth diapers ever until this month.

 

[Rachel_C]

Have you stripped the nappies? I know you've done hot washes and bleach but a proper strip wash might help. Synthetic fabrics are quite prone to detergent build up which can cause rash and can also trap nasty stuff in with the detergent.

 

[SierraJourney]

I stripped them before the rash started happening--maybe a month ago. Even after the bleaching and multiple rinses I've done lately, would it help to strip again?

 

[Rachel_C]

How did you strip them? What method did you use? Is it possible that the strip wash wasn't quite thorough enough and brought anything nasty to the surface or actually made things worse? I know some nappy detergent makers say this can happen so it might be worth trying again.

 

[SierraJourney]

I used the dawn dish liquid method--washed the diapers clean, then put dawn in a hot hot wash, then rinsed 3 times. At this point, I'll do anything to try to get this to go away, so I might try stripping them again. Thanks!

 

[Rachel_C]

Hmm I don't know if it's a UK/US difference but if I used washing up liquid on nappies it would take days to rinse it out so maybe there's still some in the nappies that could be causing rash? If the skin was already weakened by rash, I imagine it'd be easier for thrush to take hold.

 

[JenX]

You said you switched to "not so friendly creams" but have you used an actual antifungal cream such as Lotrimin? You may need an antifungal cream to knock out the yeast. After it is gone I would suggest using coconut oil and maybe adding fleece liners when you start back with cloth, just to make sure he stays really dry.

 

[adrie]

I've been battling a rash on my 15 month old for almost a month now. It started with one patch right under his parts, and spread farther down his bum. I tried every type of cloth diaper safe cream that usually works for him, and it just kept getting worse,---so I switched to disposables with not-so-friendly creams, washed my diapers in hot water, with oxyclean and gso, and when the rash looked like it was gone, I switched back to my cloth diapers. The rash came back immediately! (within 2 diaper changes!) So, I just switched back to disposables and heavy creams, and washed all of my diapers in hot water, with gso, and about 1/2 cup of bleach, dried them all on high and sunned them all. The rash is still on his bum, so I'm still using creams and disposables. . . but how long should I keep doing that before switching back to cloth? Anything special I should do to get rid of the rash? Anything else I need to do with my diapers? Will this work to get rid of it? It's been such a discouraging battle this month.

(Btw, I think it is yeast because it won't go away, and I was on antibiotics for 3 weeks and was breastfeeding). Any help is appreciated. Thank you!

I definitely can't say what the rash is as I'm not a doctor, but I have heard that if it is clearing up with traditional and cloth diaper safe creams/ointments, it is not yeast.

If you have hard water, multiple rinses can redistribute the minerals back into your diapers and cause rashes.

I am part of an awesome online community on facebook and the knowledge and help there has been immeasurable for helping people correct their issues and tweak their wash routine if and when needed.

Firstly, what is your wash routine? What kind of detergent and how much are you using for how many diapers? (What is gso?) What kind of washer you are using? and do you have hard water?

 

[Rachel_C]

Actually some creams are good on yeast... CJ's Butter Plus and coconut oil both contain yeast-fighting good stuff

I have never heard that about hard water. You'd notice if the nappies were fully of hard water deposits, surely - it's more important to remove detergent from the nappies IMO and yes, we do have hard water

OP how are you getting on?

 

[SierraJourney]

I actually live in the city, so don't have hard water at all. I use Country Save detergent --about 1/4-1/2 of the scoop each load. I have a traditional top-loading washing machine. I pre-wash on cold (no detergent), then hot wash with Country Save, and rinse twice. This has worked great for 8 months, no problems.

The rash is cleared up and we just started back using cloth diapers this morning (per doctor's recommendations, we switched to disposables and used Lotrimin for a week to clear things up). I already see a tiny bit of red on his bum, but am hoping it's just from a bm and not the rash starting again. . . I'll keep you posted. Thank you ladies!

 

[adrie]

I actually live in the city, so don't have hard water at all. I use Country Save detergent --about 1/4-1/2 of the scoop each load. I have a traditional top-loading washing machine. I pre-wash on cold (no detergent), then hot wash with Country Save, and rinse twice. This has worked great for 8 months, no problems.

The rash is cleared up and we just started back using cloth diapers this morning (per doctor's recommendations, we switched to disposables and used Lotrimin for a week to clear things up). I already see a tiny bit of red on his bum, but am hoping it's just from a bm and not the rash starting again. . . I'll keep you posted. Thank you ladies!

My suggestion would be to make sure you are doing a proper bleach soak/strip with DISINFECTING bleach (not the oxygen kind). It can be any kind as long as it contains 5.25% sodium hydrochloride. Don't do that, and you will probably never get these diapers clean.

Here are bleaching instructions:
Use clean diapers only. Soak in COLD water for 30+ minutes using disinfecting bleach (contains 5.25% or greater sodium hydrochloride.)


Regular Top Loader~

small load: 1/3cup

medium load: 1/2 cup

large load: 3/4 cup


HE Top Loader~

small load: 1/4 cup

medium load: 1/3 cup

large load: 1/2 cup


Bath Tub (necessary for those with Front Loaders)~

1/4 cup for 1/4 tub

1/2 cup for 1/2 tub

3/4 cup for 3/4 tub


Smaller Vessels~ 1 Tbsp of bleach per gallon of water

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After that, I would definitely amend your wash routine and perhaps add a bit more detergent as you have soft water. Even seeing a few bubbles/suds in the machine does not warrant need for extra rinses if the diapers don't feel soapy or slimy.

 

[SierraJourney]

Actually, with Country Save you don't need much detergent. Some people even use just one tablespoon. I started out using a full scoop and it was way too much. Diapers were all stripped and bleached already due to the yeast.

 

[Rachel_C]

If you follow adrie's instructions, you'll invalidate most warranties on nappies and it goes against what most manufacturers recommend.

 

[sheldonsmommy]

A mom not too long ago had some issues with her front loading washer growing mold and it was being re deposited on her diapers. I don't recall the model, but it was apparently a common problem for that particular washer. Might be worth a google?

Your wash routine sounds good to me. I recently bought a bunch of pre-loved diapers and I soaked the microfiber inserts in dish soap and peroxide, the PUL covers I soaked in borax and washing soda (for 30 minutes after a regular dishsoap strip had them smelling like soap , I was not concerned about warranty).

I have been using a free and clear detergent on my new diapers for about 6 months and I use about 2 tablespoons and aside from changing to a hot wash rather than warm with 2 rinses, my diapers look and smell like new.

 

[adrie]

How might mom's ensure their used diapers are sanitized to inhibit the possible transfer of any infections (such as yeast). BLEACH.

Might be a good idea to inquire of a diaper service (in your respective area)as to how they ensure their diapers are sanitized properly for many babies to use without passing on any infections.

The truth is, mainstream detergent and and the bleach used to sanitize them would not be detectible by cloth diapering manufacturers. There is ONE reason any of this invalidates their "warranties" and that one answer is MONEY. Believe to the contrary as you wish.

I will say, though, too much detergent is not good for those with soft water as they don't need as much detergent as those of us with harder water.

I wish everyone luck with their diapers, just wanted to reiterate that stripping your diapers is never necessary with the proper wash routine, and if and when you do come into issues, do not assume/believe the issue is detergent build-up and as such use less and less detergent and more and more water!!!!

 

[adrie]

Actually, with Country Save you don't need much detergent. Some people even use just one tablespoon. I started out using a full scoop and it was way too much. Diapers were all stripped and bleached already due to the yeast.

If baby has a yeast rash again, the diapers were not properly disinfected. And If you used oxygen bleach, they are not disinfected.

 

[adrie]

Actually some creams are good on yeast... CJ's Butter Plus and coconut oil both contain yeast-fighting good stuff

I have never heard that about hard water. You'd notice if the nappies were fully of hard water deposits, surely - it's more important to remove detergent from the nappies IMO and yes, we do have hard water

OP how are you getting on?

You have 5 years of cloth diapering experience and you've never heard about hard water minerals and their effect on diapers? You also suggest dishwasher tabs to strip diapers. No. Sorry.

A lot of people assume that rashes, repelling, and stink are always due to 'detergent build up,' and that is where "use less and less detergent" stems from. The truth is, ALL of the issues listed above are likely due to mineral build up because of improper washing techniques, weak/poor cloth diapering detergent and not enough of it if a person has moderately-severely hard water.

To strip diapers: RLR.


To disinfect diapers with issues like ammonia, yeast, mold: disinfecting bleach with AT LEAST 5.25% sodium hydrochloride AFTER you have done an RLR soak if you have hard water. If you have these issues and do not do a proper bleach soak with adequate bleach, your problems will not be solved. Period.

 

[adrie]

A mom not too long ago had some issues with her front loading washer growing mold and it was being re deposited on her diapers. I don't recall the model, but it was apparently a common problem for that particular washer. Might be worth a google?

Front loaders can be notorious for build up of trace amounts of detergent and water in the rubber gaskets (which turns into mold). Cleaning the rubber gaskets with hot water and vinegar or bleach periodically will keep any issues at bay, along with leaving the door to the washer open when not in use.