Washing Series, Sanitizing

This document is dedicated to the sanitization of diapers. Sanitization is important if your little one is struggling with yeast infections or other bacterial/ fungal rashes. It can also be important if you just bought used diapers or plan to sell used diapers, you may also want to sanitize. Most of the time just regular washing is enough, but sometimes you just need more. This document will cover that.

There are two basic ways to sanitize, heat and agent.

Heat:
The most common form of heat is boiling which can be dangerous so only use this method with extreme cation and be aware of steam and it's affects on your house and walls. You can boil bamboo hemp and cotton. This works for prefolds, fitteds, flats and inserts. You can not boil Microfiber, silk, wool or PUL without severely damaging and ruining it.

If you decide to boil your items you will need a thick bottomed large pot, 1/2 to 3/4 full of water and bring it to a boil. Add your items and stir with a  wooden spoon, making sure they get fully submerged, DO NOT overfill everything needs to be covered by the water and you need to make sure there is room not to boil over. Boil for ten minutes or so.

This will kill anything in the cloth. Again this works with natural fibers that are heat resistant such as cotton, hemp and bamboo. It may cause some shrinking but should not damage fibers. This is really only practical with very small batches and please boil safely.

Agent:
The other option is agent. Agents are things like peroxide, vinegars, bleaches and so forth. I do not recommend chlorine bleach! You need to use extra caution with bleaches and diapers due to the fact that urine = ammonia. And ammonia and bleach = toxic potentially deadly gases.

You can use sterilizing agents on cotton, bamboo, hemp and micro fiber. You can use sterilizing agents on flats, fitteds, prefolds, and inserts. You can not use sterilizing agents on silk, wool or PUL items. (Vinegar is actually safe on wool, but may strip lanolin, it will not hurt the fiber itself though.)

To use your sanitizing agent of choice run a bucket of cold water, you do not want to use heat for this as heat actually breaks down some sanitizing agents. For instance never use bleach in hot water. Put items into bucket fill 1/2 to 3/4 way full, enough water to cover items, an add agent. Add between 2 tbs and 1/8 cup of agent. Lightly agitate (don't use bare hands) and let soak between 20 minutes and 2 hours.

Rinse very very well before using.

If your cloth has stains vinegar can actually set stains in deeper. Bleach and peroxide will lift stains but can also fade colors.

Vinegar will melt PUL and cause delamination! DO not use on PUL. I am unsure of Vinegars effects on silk, but I always suggest playing it safe. Silk items are not cheap and silk is a delicate fiber sensitive to harsh detergents and heat making fibers brittle.

Vinegar will not damage wool. Vinegar may strip the lanolin from wool requiring a fresh lanolin treatment, but it will not damage the fiber.

Vinegar is safe on cotton, hemp, bamboo and microfiber.

Vinegar also works as a natural fabric softener.

Peroxide is safe on hemp, bamboo, cotton and mf.

I have not tested peroxide on silk, wool or PUL. I suggest erring on the side of safe and not testing it.
How ever, if you really really really need to sanitize something I would use the untested agent over an agent known to damage. I would still use vinegar on wool, but you could tentatively try peroxide on silk and PUL. I would use very small amounts and I would spot treat rather than submerge. I would spot treat by dabbing it onto issue areas with a wash cloth soaked in a peroxide/ water solution. I would avoid putting peroxide directly onto PUL laminate. And I would use very sparingly on silk. I can not guarantee peroxide will not damage but it seems safer to try if you are desperate as other agents have been proven to damage.

Bleach, for bleach I say just don't. If you are going to bleach use a chlorine free oxygenating bleach as it is safer.

Chlorine based bleach is caustic and personally shuts down my lungs, I choose not to use anything that reactive in myself around my child or on items that will be touching my child.

It also causes a caustic chemical reaction when mixed with ammonia. As anyone who has let diapers sit a bit too long can tell you urine turns to ammonia easily.

I prefer not to allow chlorine bleach in my home. Not only do I find it too toxic for comfort but it is also notorious for ruining stuff. It is too easy to end up with bleach spots, weakened fabrics and ruined items. Use bleaches at your own risk and only in diluted quantities! Fill your bucket with cold water, add bleach, stir well, add your fabric.

Never ever bleach wool, silk or PUL items!

Now you will find some who have used bleach or vinegar on PUL with no ill side effects. They may even tell you they do it all the time, and they may well. You will also find others who have tried it just once and had terrible ill effects with ruined and delaminated leaky covers. You of course always have the right to chance it! But be aware it is a chance. The amount of vinegar or bleach and the process will greatly affect the end outcome. I highly caution you against it unless you really have no other option. And my answer to that is you likely do have another option you just haven;t realized it yet.

Now a couple of pointers if dealing with an infection, yeast, bacterial or other.

If using pockets use a liner, or use skin safe inserts between baby in cover. It is far easier to sanitize an insert, prefold, fitted, flat or toss a liner in the trash. It is very very hard to sanitize PUL, wool or silk. So just remember that if dealing with bottom troubles. Many people switch to prefolds or disposables when dealing with bottom infection issues.

Here is an amazing article on the hows and whys of sanitizing. This is a very very good source of information.
http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/disinfectingdiapers.htm

Here is a great article on sanitizing after yeast.
http://www.liverenewed.com/2012/09/disinfecting-cloth-diapers-after-yeast-infection.html