Sunning Cloth Diapers

Beware: Dirty Diapers ahead!

If you use cloth diapers, you're aware that your babies poo can and probably will stain them. We have a diaper sprayer that i'm hoping will help prevent some of the dreaded staining, but my husband isn't a
plumber, and he's not comfortable attempting to hook it up until someone is here to help them (AKA: his dad) So, until his dad visits in September (fingers crossed) it looks like i'll have more stains than I'd like.

So, now I get to figure out how to get the stains out. DJ told me that I should bleach the diapers, which I've heard you can do. But, then I was warned by a fellow fluffy mommy, that it caused her child to have a diaper rash. Hoping to prevent that, I opted for a more natural way to remove stains: the sun.

So, here's how I did it.

First, run your diapers through a cold quick rinse. I did this because I don't have the sprayer, and I wanted to remove the poo. Remember, breast fed poop is water solluable, so there really is no need to rinse before you start the wash process. This is what a dirty diaper looked like after the cold quick wash. (I warned you there'd be dirty diapers ahead!)

Next, take lemon juice and squeeze onto the poop stains. I first started with a real fresh lemon, cut in half. But, I quickly realized that I'd need a few lemons, and I only had 2 in the fridge. So, I grabbed my lemon juice, and just squirted it on.

I threw all the treated diapers in the sink and then put them all back in the laundry basket and carried them outside.

Now, I don't have a clothesline, and with no trees in our backyard coupled with the fact that we're renting, I knew I wasn't going to get one. So again, I turned to my fellow fluff mommies and someone suggested this:

Yes, I know, turn your head sideways.... but, it's a drying rack that I picked up at Target for around $15.00. I was able to lay my liners on the top, and pin the diapers to the other racks.

Then, I left it alone for the rest of the day. They had a good 8 hours in the sun. I did have to go outside in the early afternoon, because the diapers ended up in the shade.

After they sun bathed, I brought the diapers back inside and did my wash cycle all over again. Thankfully, I have a stain cycle wash on my washer, so I use that when I'm washing the diapers.

I don't have an after picture... I know, you probably want one, but I promise that almost all of the poop stains came out. There are still a few, but they're not as noticeable as they were; it's mostly in the elastic of the diapers. And, if I had time, I'd take out the elastic in my FBs and lay them flat, but, I don't. I'm a mom of two after all, so we'll take what we can get!

How have you gotten the stains out of your diapers? Is there another method that you prefer?