How to Sanitize your Cloth Diapers
Mother-ease diapers are manufactured for commercial laundering purposes and are designed to withstand high washing and drying temperatures. This also includes the occasional sanitize chlorine bleach (North American chlorine bleach USA/CDN) wash and if done properly will not harm your Mother-ease diapers or elastics.
There are a number of different reasons why you may choose to sanitize your cloth diapers. A few reasons may include lingering odor, stain removal, yeast infection, reoccurring rash, selling your cloth diapers, or storing between children.
Before you start to sanitize your diapers, be sure your cloth diapers are clean!
Top Load Washing Machine
1. Set your washing machine to a large load (highest water level) using HOT water. Run the hot water tap nearest to your machine prior to starting your washing machine to ensure hot water is already at the machine.
2. Fill the machine completely and add the following:
- 1 Cup of chlorine bleach (North American chlorine bleach - USA/CDN)
- The detergent manufacturer's recommended amount of detergent
3. Run the wash cycle for 10 seconds - to allow the chlorine bleach and detergent to disperse into the water.
4. Add your diapers and run a full wash cycle.
5. Once complete, run the diapers through another Rinse Cycle - this ensures all of the chlorine bleach has rinsed out.
6. Line dry or machine dry diapers on medium heat setting.
Front Load Washing Machine
1. Add your clean diapers to your washing machine.
2. If you have the option, set the machine to use the most amount of HOT water. Run the hot water tap nearest to your machine prior to starting your laundry machine. This ensures hot water is already at the machine.
3. Add the detergent manufacturers recommended amount of detergent to your detergent compartment.
4. Add ½ cup of chlorine bleach (North American chlorine bleach - USA/CDN) to your bleach compartment.
5. Run the machine through a long wash cycle.
6. Once complete, run the diapers through another Rinse Cycle - this ensures all of the chlorine bleach has completely rinsed out.
7. Line dry or machine dry diapers on medium heat setting.
*Note:
- Do not use this method on your diaper covers.
- Do not overfill your washing machine. We would recommend sanitizing 15-20 diapers at a time, depending on your machine size.
Hello! Can I use chlorine free bleach? Will it have the same sanitizing effect?
Hiary on
Hi Liat,
Hard (or ’crunchy") diapers can be caused by water hardness, but line-dried clothing is often a little hard. For this reason, we do recommend that the diapers are tumbled in the dryer after being line-dried for a few minutes to soften them up.
Mother ease Cloth Diapers on
Hi i have a question regarding washing my cotton all in one diapers. I have red allready you’re washing guide but i still have the problems that the all in one cotton getting hard. I lately bought 5 ned diapers and witing 5 washing there allready hard.
Could you please take s look at my washing routine and tell me what i do wrong?
1. First wash round. I wash them om 30 degrees with 65 ml powder (not more then 5% soap, no bleach , no soft makers etc. I put around 10 diapers per routine. We have here in Holland average hard water.
2. Second round. I wash them on 60 degrees with 125 ml powder for dirty laundry(not more then 5% soap, no bleach , no soft makers etc). Also 10 diapers and sometimet i add towels.
3. I line dry them
4. What i do wrong? Is the first cycly not good? Not warm enough or do i use to much powder? (I do follow the guidelines on the package).
Ps: i don’t have any other problems with them like leaking, stains etc
Liat on
Hi KT,
There’s a chance you won’t be able to reverse that effect, unfortunately. You can try using Laundry Miracle as it’s a wonderful natural stain remover and laundry booster that keeps fabrics looking fresh.
You can find that here: https://mother-ease.com/collections/cleaning-products/Stain-Remover
Mother ease Cloth Diapers on
My Sandy’s ended up grey after accidentally being washed with new black jeans. What’s the best way to brighten my Sandy’s up again?
KT on
Hello Emma!
We do not recommend constant use of bleach on your PUL covers, however, if you find the need to sanitize your AIO diaper, you can do so once or twice and should not have an issue with your cover.
Mother ease Cloth Diapers on
You say above not to bleach your covers but what if the cover is attached to the diaper – like an uno? Is it safe to use the sanitizing method above – including the bleach – for unos?
Emma on
Hello Tara!
A minimum temperature of 60 is recommended to wash cloth diapers in order to kill the bacteria. You can wash your diapers at 90 degrees.
If your washing machine has a sanitize cycle, you can use that as the water will be the hottest :)
Mother ease Cloth Diapers on
It says a HOT wash cycle. What is the highest recommended. 60 deg? Is 90 deg too hot for sanitise wash?
Tara on