what is the best thing to soak clothe diapers in?

Susanne - posted on 11/11/2009

i used napisan it was good

Jennifer - posted on 11/10/2009

I use a dry pail (no soaking) and I have never had a problem with smell or staining. On the rare times I have gotten a stain, I put them in the sun (straight from the washer) and it clears right up. I do a cold water rinse, hot wash, and then into the dryer. Every now and then I will bleach my inserts (I have a lot of microfiber, and they can get stinky).

Kyrsten - posted on 11/03/2009

Actually, if you read the instructions on a lot of the newer types of diapers (like the BumGenuis pockets, GADs, or specifically microfiber/suedecloth/etc.) most of them specifically tell you NOT to soak the diapers. If you have a lot of build-up and repelling/leaking, most suggest stripping the dipes with original blue Dawn (ONLY the blue Dawn!). You only use a couple of drops, and work it through thoroughly with your fingers, then rinse it thoroughly. Repeat if necessary.
Some types of diapers still recommend doing a load with a 1/8 - 1/4 cup of bleach, but again, check with the instructions/manufacturer FIRST, so you know whether or not you might cause damage to the dipes.
If it's staining that is the problem, the best bleach in the world is sunshine. Totally not kidding here! Stubborn cloth dipe stains almost always respond well to sunning. The next couple of times you wash them, try drying them outside. :) If they seem scratchy or crunchy after sunning, pop them in the dryer for a short "fluff" load, and that should help.

Shannon - posted on 11/02/2009

I toss a half cup of vinegar and one cup of water into the pail for every couple of diapers. Just remember to get the solids into the toilet first!

Teri - posted on 11/01/2009

I do not soak normally speaking but with my older son's AIO's for school they do tend to need a soak cycle on my HE and I will either use a little biokleen in there or borax. But with a TLer i do not have to do that at all.

Jenny - posted on 10/21/2009

I've been told by several people that soaking buckets are harmful to kids...so we don't soak, we just have two pails, one for the pockets and one for the liners (I do fuzzi bunz) and wash every couple days.

Jessica - posted on 10/20/2009

idont soak either. i occasinally add some fluff dust to my pail if i am having to wait an extra day to wash and their are some really stinky ones in there. i wash with detergent cold er det hot er and do a bleach rinse once a month and an hot dry. i have no problems and they are all as white as the day I bought them.

Vilate - posted on 10/18/2009

ditto to the don't soak gals! I use a bucket with a lid.

Jennifer Rain - posted on 10/17/2009

I dont soak either, and cold water helps with stains. I always add 1/4 cup vinegar in a downey ball to the wash and hang dry whenever possible.

Brooke - posted on 10/17/2009

I don't soak any of my cloth diapers and I have had great success. I put everything together in a dry pail with a lid that closes tight. I don't have problems with smells or stains, honestly, I think it's great. However, I've wondered about this, because I always read about people doing all sorts of tasks, remedies, soaking etc. to combat stains and smells with their cloth diapers, and I wondered why I find it so simple and smooth for me. I believe it's because I probably wash a load of diapers about every two days, so maybe that is why I find it so easy and great to do a dry pail. Maybe other people have to leave their piles of dipes for a few more days, but I'm a stay at home mom, and so I just wash small loads about every two. I've never had to use tea tree oil or bleach or vinegar or any of that. Just do the typical dry pail, cold wash w/ a tiny bit of detergent, hot wash w/ a tiny bit of detergent & then an extra rinse, then dry. Sometimes, if I feel like the diapers are getting dingy in color, I'll just lay them in the sun to naturally bleach out & it's worked great. Try the dry pail, that's my suggestion. :)

Dawn - posted on 10/16/2009

i use bambino mio nappy sanitiser. at first i used to soak them before washing, but i've since read that you shouldn't leave them in the solution for too long. i now mix the sanitiser with a little water before pouring it in the washing machine drawer to help it desolve.

i dry pail the covers and put the inserts into a bucket with water and a few drops of tea-tree oil to help with the smell as i only get to wash the nappies every few days.

they still don't always come up completley clean as poo gets stuck in the leg cuffs but i don't think this is down to the sanitiser - just really sticky b/f poo!