There a couple of reasons for leaky cloth diapers: the diapers are repelling because they need to be stripped or possibly because the diapers fit poorly.

Diaper Fit Problems

Diapers are Too Big

If the diaper is too big, the gussets around the legs are too large.  The stuffing in diapers is designed to absorb fluid quickly.  But the fluff on the inside can’t keep fluid from running out of a leg hole that is too large.  Also if the diaper is too large, the waistband won’t be tight enough to form a good, solid seal.  Without this good seal, urine can wick onto clothes.

Diapers are Too Small

If the diaper is too small, the leg gussets are too tight.  This can create red marks on the baby’s legs and that doesn’t make a Mama happy.  A too-small diaper also creates a problem in that you can’t add any additional stuffing to the middle for absorbency.  If you start to add extra inserts or prefolds, you won’t be able to snap or velcro the diaper closed.

Cloth diapers are just like paper diapers in that you have to move up in size in order to increase the amount of absorbency.  When a diaper is too small, the baby will wet out of it almost every time.

Diaper Elastic Needs Repair

This is a great example of elastic that needs repair.  When the elastic in a diaper is shot, it leaves gaping leg holes and the gusset is totally inefficient.

You can see that the poorly fitting elastic lets the liquid just run right out of the diaper.  And this creates an enormous mess.  Even if the diaper is the right size for the baby, shot elastic will cause leaks every time.

Repair Your Diaper’s Elastic

If you need help in repairing your diaper’s elastic, I’ve written a detailed tutorial to replace them.  This method of replacing elastic does not require a sewing machine.  You do have to be able to thread a needle a do a basic stitch, but it won’t tax your crafty skills much more than that.

If you are able to find Lastin, it will hold up longer.  However, I’ve replaced most of our diapers with the regular elastic you find at Wal-Mart and the results are definitely satisfactory.

If you have questions on how to replace your diaper’s elastic, feel free to ask in the comments.

Mama’s Laundry Talk has a whole series dedicated to the washing and care of Cloth Diapers.  Find all of those resources on Mama’s Cloth Diaper Care Page.

I am so thrilled to have Dave from Folkabout Baby guest post here at Mama’s.  Dave writes a unique blog and I just love its premise: your baby knows best so learn to listen to him or her.  Folkabout Baby is about “saving the world by changing the way we raise our children.”  Love it.

Cloth diapers are great. They’re cheaper than disposables, especially if you use them for more than one baby. They make potty training easier, since your child will be able to tell more easily if their diaper is wet. Perhaps best of all, they’re better for the environment, diverting huge amounts of waste from landfills.

What’s not to love?

Well, let’s be polite and call it the “ick factor.” As in, “Ick, what am I supposed to do with this poop-filled diaper?”

This problem is made even worse when you don’t have your own washer and dryer. If you have to schlep your dirty diapers four blocks away to the laundromat, it’s simply not convenient to do a load of laundry every other day.

There are three concerns that you have to address to use cloth diapers when you rely on outside laundry facilities. The first is the smell, since you have to go longer in between laundry loads. Next, you need to figure out how to transport your loads of diapers to the laundromat. Finally, you need to be prepared for the poor performance of public washing machines, since these machines are often old, and were probably never very high quality to begin with.

Putting a Lid on Smell

The best way I’ve found to deal with the smell of a bin of used cloth diapers is one that ramps up the ick factor a few notches, but it’s worth it. If you’re squeamish, it might not be for you, but it yields huge dividends when combating smell, as well as dealing with poor-quality washing machines, as I’ll discuss below.

Quite simply, I pre-wash poop-filled diapers by hand before putting them into the diaper pail. You can use rubber gloves if you want, but I just wash my hands thoroughly afterwards. This pre-wash eliminates most, if not all, of the cause of nasty odors.

Storing the used diapers properly will eliminate any remaining odor the diapers might still have. I use a wet-bag specifically designed for cloth diapers, available at Ottawa Cloth Diapers (not an affiliate link, just a great product).

For a bin, I use a green-waste bin with a hinged lid. These bins are available at most hardware stores, and they’re designed to prevent any odors from escaping. The lid seals quite snugly, and no smell gets out. Trust me, I’m a chef with a very sensitive nose, and I don’t notice a thing when I walk into my baby’s room.

Getting to the Laundromat

The storage method you choose for your diapers should also take ease of transportation into account.

A waterproof bag is a must; without one, you can’t transport the diapers without running the risk of baby poop getting everywhere. Even still, you probably don’t want to risk the bag developing a hole in transit.

Having a system that lets you keep the diaper bag in the bin is best. For instance, the green-waste bin that I use has wheels built-in, which makes it a breeze to bring down to my building’s laundry room.

Keep in mind that you have no choice but to use the dry pail method. Does lugging an extra twenty kilos of nasty water down to the laundromat with you sound appealing? I didn’t think so.

Dealing with Poor Quality Washing Machines

If you’re doing laundry in the laundry room of your building or at a laundromat, you’re stuck using whatever machines are available. As a rule, these machines are rather old, and they’re probably not too efficient. They simply don’t have the options that a high-end washer does, which means you’ll only be able to take advantage of a few of the different tips found here.

This is where pre-washing shines. By dealing with most of the waste matter before the diapers even end up the pail, you put much less of a demand on the washing capabilities of the machine you’re using. Before I started pre-washing, I’d have to run loads two or three times in order to get them clean, but this is no longer an issue for me.

Even if you’re using an ancient clunker of a washing machine, you probably still have a few options open to you. Select the cycle that runs for the longest, which is usually also the hottest temperature setting. This gives your diapers the best chance to get clean. As well, consider using an in-wash booster, such as oxygen bleach, and use a high-quality detergent. This will maximize your chances of getting the diapers clean in one load.

Is It All Worth It?

Absolutely!

Washing cloth diapers when you don’t have your own washer and dryer is certainly more inconvenient, but it still offers you huge benefits over disposable diapers. You’re saving money, you’re preparing your child for potty training, and you’re greatly lightening your impact on the environment.

By pre-washing your diapers and storing them in a bin with a tight-fitting lid, you don’t need to worry about the smell. When you choose a storage system that makes it easy to get your diapers to the laundromat, you don’t have to struggle on laundry day. Finally, by taking into account the limits of the machines you’re using, you can make sure that you get clean diapers every time.

If you’ve been reluctant to switch to cloth diapers because you don’t have your own laundry machines, keep these suggestions in mind, and know that it’s easier than you think. When you decide to make the switch, your wallet will thank you, and you’ll be creating a better future for your child.

Trust me, it’s worth it!

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Dave Higgs-Vis is a father, a husband, a blogger, and a chef. He writes Folkabout Baby, a blog dedicated to saving the world by changing the way we raise our children. He believes that listening to your baby is the best thing that you can do to improve as a parent.

This is the last post in a 4-part series on cloth diaper care.

Mama is proud to have this Cloth Diaper Care series sponsored by Cloth Diapers Rock: the unique cloth diaper matching service.

Using cloth diapers can certainly be the easiest way to diaper your baby.  However, when things go wrong with cloth diapers, they go wrong in a big way.  A messy way.

If you are going to cloth diaper for any length of time, you’ll likely run into diapers that are leaky at some point. They wick urine onto your baby’s clothes or the diapers just don’t seem to be as absorbent as they once were.

First consider: Am I changing the baby’s diaper often enough?

It’s obvious but if the baby is wet, change her.  While one could go 3 or 4 hours without changing a paper diaper, this is just not the way cloth works. You have to change cloth diapers frequently –every couple of hours.

And just to be on the safe side, you are welcome to stop reading right now and go change your bundle of joy.

(This is not what a cloth diaper should look like) 

Leaky Cloth Diapers

If you’re diapers are leaking, the first thing to do is figure out why.

-Is the diaper a poor fit?  Too small or too big?
-Is the elastic shot?
-Do you need to add a soaker insert?
-Will they not absorb liquid and repel instead?  Does the liquid run right off of them?

Let’s tackle each of these scenarios.

Poor Fit

Cloth diapers are just like paper diapers in that the right fit is essential.  As your baby grows, you’ll need to move up to a different size in diapers or covers.  To get the best fit, go to the manufacturer’s site and read the sizing for each diaper.  Don’t guess what you think the circumference of your baby’s thigh or waist is – get the tape measure and measure accurately.  I’ve guessed and been wrong many, many times.   So make sure you measure correctly.

Also note that if you are adding extra layers to a diaper, this will cause the fit to change.  For example, if you are using a pocket diaper with only one insert during the day and use the same style pocket diaper at night with 2 inserts and a prefold, the fit will be drastically different.  Some diapers hold extra soakers better while maintaining a good fit and some don’t.

Shot Elastic

Cloth diapers can be horribly leaky if the elastic no longer stretches. 

How do you know if the elastic is shot? 

This is the test:
If it is a pocket diaper, take out all inserts.  Hold it by the waistband at eye level.  
- Are both sides of the diaper the same length? 
- Is one side longer than the other? 
- If you pull down on one side of the diaper does it recoil back? 

You must have elastic that is in good condition for your diapers to not be leaky.  If you suspect you have shot elastic in your cloth diapers you can replace it easily in this tutorial.  This method doesn’t involve a sewing machine – just very simple hand-stitching.

Add More Fluff

As your baby gets older, he will wet more frequently and in greater amounts.  If you could get by with one prefold and a cover last month you may have to increase it to one prefold, a newborn prefold and a cover this month.  Such is the nature of those babies getting older!

So what do you add to a diaper to make it more absorbent?  For nighttime leaks, try adding a true doubler and see if the leaking stops.  If your baby needs more padding during the day, you can try something less bulky such as a newborn prefold or a doubler that is meant for babies in the 0-6 month range.

Non-absorbent Diapers

It is pretty rare that cloth diapers are truly non-absorbent.  If they are actually repelling, it is because they have a waxy coating of some sort that is built up on the outside of the diaper and won’t allow liquid to penetrate to the core.

How do you know if your dipes are truly repelling?
The inside of the diaper will be dry and your lap will be wet.  A lot.

If they are repelling, this won’t happen just one time – it will happen over and over until you remedy whatever the build-up is.

If you know that your diapers are non-absorbent, you’ll need to strip them.  There just isn’t another way to fix the problem.  You can prevent it, however.  Make sure to read through the Q&A below.

General Cloth Diaper Q&A

(For Smelly Dipe Q&A, visit the post on Smelly Diapers)

My baby has awful diaper rash.  Can I use diaper cream?

Before using any creams, try would use a baking soda rinse every time you change the baby’s diaper to get rid of the rash.  Baking soda isn’t going to harm your little one’s bum or the diaper in any way and it will work wonders on diaper rash.  Make a mixture of warm water and baking soda and mix well.  Dip your wipe into the mixture and wash the baby each time you change a diaper.  Don’t rinse off the solution and either air dry or pat dry.  It should help lessen the rash within a couple of diaper changes.  I’ve used this method a million times with great success.

If you must use a diaper cream, there are a few approved creams for cloth diapers out there.

My diapers have a lot of stains.  Will stains effect the absorbency?

While stains are unsightly, they have zero effect on how well the diapers absorb.  If you truly don’t like the stains, wash them as you usually would but make sure you dry them in the sun.  The sun is the best, frugal stain remover there is!

My baby has a stomach bug with worse-than-usual poop.  Can I still use cloth diapers?

Yes, you can still use cloth diapers but you need to:
-wash them daily so the bacteria doesn’t breed as readily
-use the sanitizing cycle on your washing machine if it has this as an option
-use 1/4 bleach or 3/4 cup bleach to sanitize dipes if you don’t have the cycle on your washer
-if you have 2 little ones that share the stash of diapers, be extra careful not to spread from one to another
-make sure you hang dry in the sun

Cloth Diaper Link-Up!

Now it’s your turn!

Do you have a post you’ve written in the past few months on how you launder and care for your cloth diapers? 

It’s always helpful to see how another family’s routine works, so share your permalink in the linky below.

And I totally love a cloth diaper giveaway and truly appreciate a WAHM, but those types of links will be deleted for this specific link-up.  Only posts on how you launder or care for your cloth diapers, please.  I ask you to link back to Mama’s Laundry Talk so the rest of your cloth diaper friends will know where all of the cool cloth diapering posts are.

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Please take a few moments to visit the sponsor of Mama’s Cloth Diaper Care series: Cloth Diapers Rock.

Cloth Diapers Rock is a unique cloth diaper matching service.  If you need cloth diapers, they’ll match you with a great product and distributor.  Cloth Diapers Rock offers information on styles of cloth diapers, sew-your-own diaper tutorials and more!

This is part three of a four-part series.  The last post will run next Thursday where I’ll host a cloth diaper Q&A and cloth diaper link-up.

Mama is proud to have this Cloth Diaper Care series sponsored by Cloth Diapers Rock: the unique cloth diaper matching service.

There are a few reasons why people stop using cloth diapers.  One of the biggest reasons?

Smelly diapers.

I don’t mean that they are smelly when you’re putting them in the washing machine.  They are supposed to be smelly then.

I mean that they are stinky when they are clean.  And diapers should just smell fresh and heavenly when they’re clean, not stinky.

A lot can be said about smelly diapers and help in getting them back to their normal, lovely state.  I’ll try and encompass most of the stink issues in this post.

Why Clean Cloth Diapers Smell

There can be several reasons why your cloth diapers are smelly:

• Detergent build-up on diapers
  If you battle hard water, it can be horribly difficult to wash all of the detergent from your diapers.  You might even have to do 3 or 4 rinses after the normal wash cycle to rid your dipes of detergent.  If you are constantly heavy-handed with detergent, you’ll inevitably have build-up.  Lastly, if you are using a front-loading washer to launder your diapers, you’ll more likely have build-up since they use a decreased amount of detergent.
• Using too much detergent
  Using too much detergent with each washing can cause stinky dipes also.  Even if you don’t have actual detergent build-up, it can cause smelly diapers.  So make sure you use only the recommended amount of detergent for cloth diapers, which is 1/4-1/2 of the amount you’d pour in a usual load of clothes. 
• Not using enough detergent
  There is a fine line of how much detergent you should use in diapers.  If you don’t use enough, your diapers will come out of the washing machine smelling gross.  If your diapers are clean they shouldn’t smell gross.  Believe me:  5 drops of detergent is not, I repeat is not enough to get your diapers clean!
• Not using a detergent that works well for cloth diapers
  When choosing a detergent to use with your dipes, make sure it is something low-sudsing and doesn’t have added fabric softeners.  The fewer the ingredients, the better.  I covered choosing a detergent in the post on how to wash cloth diapers, so head over there if you need detergent help.
• Diapers need to be washed more frequently
  Bacteria can make diapers smell absolutely disgusting.  If your cloth diapers are sitting in the diaper pail for more than 3 days, it will be hard to keep them smelling nice and fresh.  The longer they sit, the more gross they are.  If you are battling stink, for whatever the reason, try washing every other day and see if that improves your stink issues.  Think about it:  those diapers contain the waste products of your baby’s body.  And they’ve been sitting in a hot, humid diaper pail for 6 days.  Of course it stinks.  So wash frequently.

How to Get Rid of Smelly Diapers

Getting to the crux of why your diapers smell bad is the only way you’ll cure the stink once and for all. 

Experiment with only one variable at the time.  If you believe it might be your detergent, then change only your detergent.  Either increase or decrease the amount based on your issue. 

If you have detergent build-up in your diapers, you’ll need to strip them.  I’ve written a comprehensive guide to stripping cloth diapers that is easy to follow.  If your diapers have a lot of build-up or if you use a front-loader, you might need to strip them 2-4 times to get them back to their clean-smelling state.  It won’t hurt the diapers to strip them multiple times, it will just be time consuming.

How to Maintain Fresh Smelling Diapers

So you’ve stripped your diapers and they smell fabulous, just like when you first bought them.  Now the question becomes:

How do I keep them this way?

Consistency is the key.

Consistently wash them every 2-3 days.  Consistently use the same type and the amount of detergent that works best for your washing machine and water type.  Consistently use the same wash routine.

Once you figure out the ‘perfect’ method for your diapers, don’t vary from it! 

Don’t get discouraged in trying to figure out what actually is the perfect cleaning routine for your diapers.  You’ll get it down pat with a little bit of work and experimentation.

A Little Stinky Diaper Q&A

I’ve stripped my diapers and they still smell awful.  What do I do now?

Strip them again and then again if necessary.  If they are exceptionally bad, it will take multiple times to get the build-up out.  Don’t be scared – just do it.  And definitely dry them in the sun.

If they still smell after stripping a couple of times, you might need to use a little chlorine bleach.  For a top-loader use 3/4 cup of bleach and for a front-loader use 1/4 cup of bleach.  I promise that using this small amount of bleach to get your diapers back in shape will not hurt them or the elastic.  There are a few times in laundry where you have to pull out the big guns.  Now is the time if you can’t get your diapers stripped well enough using Blue Dawn, a ton of rinses and sunshine.

What should my diapers smell like when they are clean?

You really shouldn’t smell anything.  Do this test:  When taking your diapers out of the washing machine (they’ll be wet of course), give them a big sniff.  Do they smell like detergent, even a tiny bit?  If so, they still have detergent in them and need to be rinsed again.  Do they smell like ammonia or just general ick?  If so, they needed more detergent in the wash cycle.  Run them through another wash cycle adding more detergent this time.  Can you not really smell anything at all?  That’s perfect.  Whatever you did with detergent is the correct method for your dipes.  Don’t change a thing.

My inserts for my pocket diapers smell awful.  How come?

Microfiber inserts and occasionally hemp just don’t rinse as cleanly as cotton prefolds.  Just chalk it up to the nature of the fabrics.  If you are looking for easy diapers to wash and maintain, cotton prefolds should be your top choice.  Microfiber and hemp have their definite pros though, so it’s a choice of what you’d like to deal with: diapers that potentially stink more often and are less bulky or clean rinsing diapers that are a little more bulky.

My diapers smell like ammonia and they smell awful as soon as the baby wets in them.  How do I get rid of that?

The ammonia smell is likely due to detergent build-up.  Try stripping the diapers and make sure you aren’t using too much detergent in your usual wash routine.

What is your best maintenance tip for keeping cloth diapers smelling fresh?

I have two actually:
- Dry diapers in the sun as often as possible.  The sun has fabulous smell-killing properties, so dry in the sun liberally.
- Even if you have enough diapers to diaper your baby for 10 straight days (some of you do!), wash every 3 days at the very most.   You’re asking for stink trouble if you wait much longer.

Smelly diapers can be horribly frustrating, but they can smell clean again.  What are your questions about stinky diapers?  Ask away in the comments or send me an email.

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Please visit the sponsor of Mama’s Cloth Diaper Care Series: Cloth Diapers Rock

Cloth Diapers Rock is a unique cloth diaper matching service.  If you need cloth diapers, they’ll match you with a great product and distributor.  Cloth Diapers Rock offers information on styles of cloth diapers, sew-your-own diaper tutorials and more!

I’ve loved writing the Cloth Diaper Care Series over the past couple of weeks. If you use cloth on your baby, you have figured out your own best way to wash and take care of your diapers.

If you have written a post in the past 3 months on how you take care of your cloth diapers, feel free to link it up on Thursday.  It is so beneficial to read how other families do things.  You can glean new ideas and possibly throw out some old routines that are not helping.

The link-up will go live Thursday morning at 8:00 EST. 

Please directly link only to a post that has to do with the following:

- your wash routine for your diapers
- how you store your diapers until wash day
- how you have battled stinky diapers and won
- laundry problems (repelling, leaking) you’ve encountered and how you’ve solved them

This is not a link-up for cloth diaper giveaways or an advertisement for your cloth diaper site.  While I totally appreciate a good giveaway and respect a WAHM, those types of posts will be deleted for this link-up.

I can’t wait to read all of your insight, ideas and advice for washing and taking care of cloth diapers!

Mama is proud to have this Cloth Diaper Care series sponsored by Cloth Diapers Rock: the unique cloth diaper matching service.

Cloth diapers have made an enormous come back in the last several years. Moms are using cloth diapers to help the environment and especially to save money in their tight budgets. The negative stigma that cloth diapers once held is slowly disappearing.

When I first started with cloth diapers, I was lost. I knew no one else that veered outside of the ‘norm’ of paper diapers. Thankfully, the internet was buzzing with moms that were switching to cloth.

But I was so confused! There were a million diaper types to choose from. So many ways to wash them (Dry pail or wet pail…what?!). So many very basic questions to which I needed some answers.

Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll present a ridiculous amount of cloth diaper information in several posts. Because there is so much to say about cloth diapers (really, there is!), I’m going to write a post on cloth diapers every other week under this same series.

I can’t wait to compile all of this cloth diaper information in one place. It will be so easy for cloth diapering families to find the information they need!

Storing Dirty Diapers

One of the biggest downsides to cloth diapers is the ick factor associated with them.  No one wants to deal with bodily fluids, even from a cute little baby.  So it is essential to  choose the right system in which to store your dirty diapers until wash day.

Wet Pail versus Dry Pail

The first decision in regards to dirty diapers: whether you will store them using a wet-pail system or a dry-pail system.

In a wet-pail system, dirty diapers are placed in a container that is partially filled with water.  The water supposedly keeps down the stink of dirty diapers and also helps keep stains from setting in.  When transferring dirty diapers from the pail to the washer, you can easily pour the entire contents of the pail into the washing machine.  The only time you would touch dirty diapers is when you take them off of the baby and place them in the pail.  The two biggest disadvantages to a wet-pail system are:

1) A wet-pail system is extremely hard to use with a front-loading washer.  It would be nearly impossible to pour them directly into the washing machine and not spill gross water on the floor.  It can be quite messy.
2)  A wet-pail system means that there is a pail of water sitting fairly unprotected in the house.  Little people can drown in a very small amount of water, including that in a diaper bucket.  That being said, there are devices you can use to secure the lid in place.  But you would have to be hyper-vigilant to keep that lid intact at all times.

In a dry-pail system, dirty diapers are taken off of the baby and placed in a (dry) container until it is wash day.  Unless there is poop that needs to be flushed in the toilet, you can just put them right in the container as-is.  No need to un-stuff pocket diapers, since you deal with that on wash day.

Honestly, the dry-pail system is much easier and less messy than the wet-pail method in my opinion.  In fact, I don’t know another cloth diapering family that uses the wet-pail.  So we are going to focus on the options in setting up a dry-pail method in this post.

Options for Dry-Pail Diaper Storage

Wetbags

Wetbags are a very popular way to store dirty cloth diapers.  Wetbags are a literal bag that is sewn using PUL  to ensure that the interior is water/poop-proof.  Usually there is a pretty cotton fabric sewn on the outside with the PUL layer on the inside.  They are sewn using the same PUL fabric that is used to sew the exterior of diapers such as Fuzzi Bunz or BumGenius.  Did I mention how unbelievably cute they are?  I mean super cute.

How to Use Them:
If your wetbag is large enough, insert it into your diaper pail as you would a trash can liner.   If you want to control the stink from the diapers even more, you can close the zippered or drawstring top to the bag each time you use it.  Or you can leave it draped over the side of your lidded container.

On wash day, simply put all of your diapers in the machine and toss your wetbag in with the diaper load.  Make sure that your wetbag is turned inside out so the interior of the bag is thoroughly washed.  Since the bag is probably made from PUL, it is best to let it hang dry.

It’s easier if you have two wetbags – one to put in the diaper pail while the other is washing.

Pros:
Wetbags are very easy to maintain since they go straight in the washer.  There are some beautiful bags made by WAHMs, and I love to support them.  They conceal diaper stink very well.

Cons:
If you choose to open and close the bag each time, it usually takes two hands to do so – Mamas often only have one hand free.  Since it is PUL, the fabric can develop holes or nicks in it, which would cause leaking.  They can be pricey.

Lidded Trash Can

How to Use Them:
Lidded Trash Cans can be used with or without a bag inside.  If you choose to use a bag, you can use a wetbag, a pail liner or even a trash bag.  You can get multiple uses out of a trash bag before you need to replace it. Trash bags are more cost-effective at the outset than a wetbag if you are unsure if you’ll stick with cloth diapering.

If you choose not to use a bag, simply sanitize your container with a disinfecting wipe or a spray cleaner and cloth prior to using it again.

Pros:
The clean-up for a lidded trash clean is minimal, and there is no clean-up if you use a bag other than the occasional wipe down.  If you use a lidded trash can that is foot-operated, throwing the diaper in the pail can be totally hands free.

Cons:
If the trash can is deep, it can be hard to clean the bottom effectively.  If the lid just sits on top and is not tight-fitting, the room can be smelly.

Plastic Tote Container

Plastic Tote Container refers to any type of lidded organizing container you would buy in the home section of Walmart or Target.  Since they come in different sizes, you can customize them to the space in your nursery.

How to Use Them:
Plastic containers are not used with a bag of any type.  Diapers are simply taken off of the baby and put straight into the container.  When buying a container, ensure that you buy the style in which the lid has hinges on the side.  The tighter the lid fits, the less you’ll smell diapers.

Pros:
Plastic Containers are completely customizable to your space.  You can buy a larger one for the nursery and a smaller one to keep downstairs.  If you buy the hinged lid, there is virtually no detectable diaper smell in the room unless the lid is removed.  If you’re going for the incognito look, you can buy a colored container and no one knows your diapers are inside!  They are extremely easy to clean by simply sanitizing with a spray cleaner or a disinfecting wipe.

Cons:
They can be bulky when moving them around.  It takes two hands to open the hinged lid  and throw the diaper inside.

Make sure to follow Mama’s Cloth Diaper Care series on Thursday where I’ll post in-depth instructions on diaper washing routines.

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Please visit the sponsor of Mama’s Cloth Diaper Care Series: Cloth Diapers Rock

Cloth Diapers Rock is a unique cloth diaper matching service.  If you need cloth diapers, they’ll match you with a great product and distributor.  Cloth Diapers Rock offers information on styles of cloth diapers, sew-your-own diaper tutorials and more!

Baby and toddler socks are notorious for getting lost in the laundry process.  I would love to know the percentage of socks I’ve purchased that are still within the walls of this house.  My guess is <50%.

I have no idea where they go.

But in the past few months, I’ve made great strides in my retention rate of those tiny little items.  And of course it involves a mesh bag, because you know I love them. They meet so many of my laundry needs.

I tend to wash everyone’s clothes together except the baby.  For whatever reason, it is easier to wash hers separately at this point in time.  So that alone makes it slightly easier to keep up with her socks since they should only be in one load – not scattered out over several loads.

But the best idea I’ve had lately regarding baby socks?

This:

I have a mesh bag attached to her laundry hamper.

You know how you come up with a fabulous idea every once in awhile and you wonder why you didn’t think of it sooner?  This was mine.

The logistics of it are so simple: whenever I (or my husband) is getting the baby undressed, her dirty clothes go straight into her hamper and her socks go straight to the mesh bag.  Then when it is time to wash her clothes, I zip up the mesh bag and throw it into the hamper.

The socks go through the washer and dryer in the mesh bag and then I match them and put them in her drawer.  I re-pin the bag to her hamper and the cycle starts all over again.

So what if you don’t have a pin-able type of laundry hamper? Think outside the box.  You could: pin the bag to her changing pad on the table, pin it to the outside of her crib sheet, hang it on the wall above her table if there’s already a hook there.

Look around you and identify what the easiest, most accessible spot is for a sock-only mesh bag and then go put one there!

Really, it is such a beautiful system.   You’ll love your results.

Keeping track of little socks definitely works for me!

Warning: This post is completely about baby poop.  Pictures included.  Just a polite warning to the squeamish among us.

I am in the throes of baby poop.  With an 8 week old, it seems to be everywhere I turn!  I’m not a fan of up-the-back baby poop for many reasons, with the most obvious one being: stain removal.

This is Mama’s tried-and-true method for getting baby poop out of those sweet little outfits.  Please keep in mind that newborn (especially breast-fed) baby poop is one of the hardest stains to remove, so you may never have 100% removal.  But with some work you can remove most of the stain and possibly all of it.

The scenario: You bought the cheap diapers because they were on sale, thinking, “They can’t be much different than the Swaddlers, right?”  Wrong.  The baby hasn’t pooped in 4 days and has finally decided to make up for lost time.  With poop all the way up to her neckline, you try to oh so carefully remove her clothes without spreading it even more.  (True story…happened to us at the doctor last week.  It was so bad I had to give the baby a bath in the sink while we were there.)

What do you do now? Especially when the outfit looks like this?

If you are able, run the outfit under cold water removing as much of the poop as you can.

If you are unable to immediately launder the outfit, leave it in a pan full of cold water to soak until you can deal with it. The cold water soak will prevent the stain from setting in.  Once the stain actually dries, it will be much harder to remove.

The next step is to wash the outfit.  Make sure you check off all of the following items:

• Use a medium-large scoop of Oxi Clean, depending upon the size of the laundry load.
• Wash the item in warm water.  Cold water won’t be as effective in removing the stain.
• Wash the outfit on the ‘normal’ cycle if the item will tolerate the agitation.  Because it is a more difficult stain to remove, it needs the added agitation of the ‘normal’ cycle.  If the item is of a delicate fabric you can wash it on the ‘gentle’ cycle, but you might not be as successful in complete removal of the stain.

After you have washed the outfit according to these recommendations, hang the item to dry. Do not dry it in the dryer. When an item is wet, it can fool you into believing that the stain is not there!  You can only really tell if the stain is completely gone when the outfit is totally dry.

Better yet, dry the outfit in the sun. The sun has amazing stain removal properties, so take advantage of them!  And its bleaching power is free, which is even better.

If the stain is still there even after drying the outfit, you’ll need to do The Soak.  Then wash again as directed above and dry in the sun if at all possible.  Between the Oxi Clean and the sun, you’ll hopefully be able to remove the stain completely.

Disclosure:  This post contains affiliate links.

I’m guest posting at two of my favorite sites today!  Two blogs by two very wise women:

(I apologize for promising pictures.  I don’t have any.  Not one.  I decided pics weren’t really needed.)

It is inevitable at some point that you’ll need to strip your cloth diapers.  So what is the most effective way to do that?

If your diapers are soiled, go ahead and go through your normal washing regimen.  You don’t have to dry them.  You can start the stripping (of diapers) process while they are still wet.

(Here is one of the few times that a top-loader comes in really handy.  I personally think they wash cloth diapers more effectively.  I washed diapers for about a year using a top-loader and I never had to strip them.  When we got our sassy new front-loaders, my problems with stink and absorbency began.  I am certain it is because there is not as much water available to rinse.)

• Start by placing all of your diapers in the washing machine and running a cold rinse.
  Even if you’ve just washed them, run them through another cold rinse.
• Squirt about 1 Tablespoon of Blue Dawn Dish Soap into the washer.
  If you have a front-loader, squirt in on top of the diapers – don’t put it in the detergent dispenser.
• Wash your diapers on the longest, hottest setting your machine has.
  You need as much agitation and as much hot water as your machine will give you.  Don’t skimp on either, or your diapers will still be stinky.
• Wash your diapers on another long-cycle wash.
  No detergent. No Dawn Dish Soap.  Just a plain wash cycle on hot.
• Rinse on cold over and over and over until you can’t see any bubbles inside the machine while it is rinsing.
  You shouldn’t even see a hint of bubbles in your machine. If you do, rinse again.  Seriously, you might need to rinse 4-5 times in a front-loader.  You can probably get away with 2-3 rinses in a top-loader.
• If at all possible, dry your diapers in the sun.
  The sun is beneficial in so many ways.  And getting the stink out of cloth diapers is one of them!

And that’s it!  That’s all there is to it!

But what if you go through this whole process and they still smell awful?

I’m so glad you asked.

Here are a few ideas if your diapers continue to harbor the stink:

• Boil them on the stove for 5-10 minutes.
  Find the biggest pot possible, fill with water and bring to a  boil.  Put your inserts or diapers in the pot, stirring occasionally.  Boil for 5-10 minutes, keeping the diapers submerged as much as possible in the water.  Then send your diapers through a regular hot wash cycle with no detergent.  Rinse.  Then dry in the sun if possible.  Do this only with inserts – do not put boiling water on PUL!  This method is best used for inserts and prefolds.
• Use a capful of bleach.
  Gasp! I know…
  I am not so much a fan of bleach as you well know, but desperate times call for desperate measures if your battling the stink.  Or your diapers are repelling like crazy.  You can use one capful in the bleach dispenser when doing a hot wash.  I’ve only used bleach once and it did the trick for my diapers.  But I only used it when stripping (diapers).  Never in my usual wash routine.
• The dishwasher.
  I am NOT a fan of putting non-dish items in my dishwasher, as I am a scaredy-cat and I’m afraid I’ll set it on fire.  If you decide to wash them this way, make sure you clothespin the diapers to the top rack only and disable your Jet-Dry dispenser if you have one.  Wash on the longest setting your dishwasher offers.  You might need to run it through 2 cycles.  Take the diapers out and run through just a spin a cycle in the washer because they will be soaking wet.  Also, don’t put PUL in your dishwasher.  You will not like your results.

Stink and repelling diapers do not work for me!  But clean, absorbent cloth diapers definitely does!

Are you having trouble with your cloth diapers?  Feel free to leave your questions!

Disclaimer: Proceed with caution when washing your dipes, whether it is in the machine or dishwasher and use common sense.  Mama is not responsible for any house fires, or shot elastic in your dipes if you choose to try these methods.  Or any other diaper fails you might experience.  Please be careful.