How To Get Stains Out of Cloth Nappies.

One of the biggest things that has come out of being a cloth nappy parent is my ability to wash clothes like a champion! I never realised there was more to washing to get your clothes so sparkly clean, so naturally white and so fresh smelling with minimal product.

Any cloth nappy parent will tell you they are now the queen or king of clean. Because let’s face it if you can’t get your nappies 100% amazingly clean you wouldn’t want to put it on your new babies bottom. They are the dirtiest thing you’ll wash at all.

The odd poo stain on your cloth diapers is not a problem and doesn’t always mean your nappies aren’t clean. However if you can getting consistent staining there is probably something you can do better with your wash routine. Insufficient washing over time will cause problems.

Rather than selling you a magic product to bleach out the stains I think it is better to show you how to avoid staining in the first place. Though sometimes, due to something baby has eaten, if they have been poorly (certain medicines will cause a stain in their nappy) or a number of other factors you will get the odd stains, in which case I have a natural, free solution for you.

Why are my reusable nappies staining?

It is likely if you are getting a lot of staining on your nappies your wash routine is not sufficient enough. Using the right amount of detergent for you water hardness, getting good agitation in your machine and including a cold pre-wash will ensure your nappies are super clean.

Follow the guidelines for the FULL amount of washing powder to the size of your washing drum adding in extra as advised for heavy soiling. Then make sure your washing drum is filled 2/3 full. Too full and the nappies will not agitate against each other enough, too empty and the same thing will happen.

It is okay to get some staining, as there can be other reasons for staining and I will talk you through how to get rid of this however if you are getting consistent staining I would advise going back to look at your wash routine to ensure your nappies are being properly cleaned.

Read: “How to Fix your Cloth Nappy Wash Routine.”

“How to Wash Cloth Nappies. 6 Steps to Success.”

“The Best Washing Detergent for YOUR Cloth Nappies.”

Which stains in reusable diapers to worry about and which to not.

Worry about…

Poo stains.
Poop stains can happen but shouldn’t happen often. Some babies poo will stain worse than others. As above look at your wash routine. Meconium poo is more likely to stain.
Try the scratch test. Yes it’s as awful as it sounds. If you scratch the stain and it comes away it means the nappy has been washed well enough and needs to be washed again. Think about why it has washed properly and review the steps above.
If the nappy looks and smells clean it’s likely the stain is just superficial.

Don’t worry about stains from…

Certain foods.
Blueberries, beetroot, highly coloured foods can pass through into your childs poo and therefore stain your nappies.
Medicine stains.
Some medicine will leave a grey stain in your nappies when they have passed through your childs system. Both of these are not the result of insufficient washing.

how to get rid of stains from cloth nappies.

Sunlight or UV light is the best way to get rid of staining from cloth nappies. It does not need to be a brilliant sunny day, placing by a window is enough to get UV light to your nappies.

Just a short period in direct sunlight will rid your nappies or clothing of any stains. Longer if it is a cloudy day by a window, this could take most of the day but it will work.

“Sunlight removes stains and brightens whites by breaking down the bonds in the stains to the point where they can no longer hold. The ultraviolet radiation in sunlight does this by breaking down molecules and their bonds via chemical reactions.”

Just be aware that to much sun expose on a hot day can damage the water proof layer of your nappy to don’t leave these bit out for too long in the summer sun. Inserts, fitted nappies, cotton, bamboo or hemp material can be left in the sun as long as you want.

Alternatively just give the stain time to go through a few more washes and they will fade. The nappy is still fine to use on your baby, providing it smells and looks clean other than the stain.

The sun is also brilliant for keeping your whites looking white and cloth nappies looking bright making me feel like they are even fresher and cleaner than I already know they are. This is one of the many reasons why at every opportunity I get them out in the sunshine to dry.

Note: To get stains out of nappies or any clothing using the Sun you need to hang them out when wet. Ideally straight from the wash.

Do yellow newborn poo stains on cloth nappies matter??

Pre-weaning babies excrete bilirubin in their poop (the same thing that causes jaundice in young babies) giving it a yellow colour which can cause staining. This doesn’t necessarily mean the nappies are not clean however I always think it’s worth looking at your wash routine to see if it can be better to get your nappies cleaner.

If you still get the odd stain this is fine, you can use the sun or just give it time. After a few more washes these will disappear.

Does meconium poo stain?

The first poo a baby passes (meconium) though a horrid looking tar like substance actually washes out very easily in the washing machine so it is safe to use your reusable diapers during this first 24 hours. It may leave a little stain but this will wash out over a few washes or will bleach out in the sun.

It is a common concern for new parents that dealing with meconium in their cloth nappies will be too much, need to be rinsed out or will stain, therefore waiting to use them until after meconium has passed. However this is not something you need to worry about and you can deal with it as you would be any nappy before 6 months. Simply dry pailing then washing.

Toddler standing at waters edge on stony beach wearing a cloth diaper

How to get mould stains from cloth nappies.

Some parents will experience mould on their cloth nappies if for example a wet nappy gets forgotten about in a wet bag somewhere, in the car, in a bag I hadn’t checked, these things happen.

Manufacturers recommend against it but if you want to save a nappy from mould stains you can use a diluted bleach soak, followed by a strip wash.

If you do a use bleach wash the nappy on a 60° wash first with no detergent before starting a strip wash.

Then strip wash by washing the nappy as you usually would with FULL dose of detergent at 60°, followed by another 60° wash with NO detergent.

I would not recommend using bleach regularly but for circumstances such as mould it could save the nappy rather than it ending up in the bin.

For more in-depth information on using bleach with your nappies or strip and sanitising your nappies with bleach look at Clean Cloth Nappies for expert advice in this area.

What not to do when getting stains out of cloth nappies.

It is not necessary to use any harsh chemicals or soak your nappies for a long period of time to try and get rid of staining. These methods can affect absorbency, damage elastic or waterproofing and will invalidate your warranty with the manufacturer.