Diaper Stripping Routine

Multiple people asked about my diaper stripping routine.  So here it is!  It's been a trial and error sort of thing, but I've found a routine that works for me and the diapers I have.

It seems  kind of extensive.  It doesn't take much time, but it's a lot of steps/cycles.  We have REALLY hard water, so I have to do it about once a month.  But here's what I did:

1)  I took all of my organic/natural fibers (cotton, hemp, bamboo) and soaked them in the sink with HOT water, baking soda and a little Dawn for an hour (This will help to get rid of any build up deep in the fibers and help with the stink).  Meanwhile I took all of my pocket diapers and all of my microfiber inserts and did a quick cold rinse in the washing machine and then I did a regular cycle with like a tsp of Dawn, and a 1/4 cup of bleach.  I used cold water. (This strips the pocket shells and helps get rid of stains and smells)

2)  After the washing machine was done, I rinsed my natural fibers and added them to the washing machine.  I put in 3/4 tsp of detergent, 1/4 cup Calgon water softener, and a Tablespoon of baking soda.  (This helps make sure there's no hard water build up and it's kind of my double-check to get rid of smells, the ammonia smell will be kicked with this step).  For this cycle, I use my washer's "sanitize" cycle, which gets the water extra hot and is like a 2 hour cycle, letting the diapers soak in the calgon and baking soda.

3) I check the diapers, if there's no more suds and I think the Dawn and calgon are all washed out, I dry them.  Usually I have to run one more rinse and spin cycle first. 

That's all.  They come out smelling great and they're super clean and in perfect condition again!  It's not a lot of labor, but it does take me all morning to do.  I usually do it on a day when we're going to be out of the house for the two hour cycle because I'm impatient :-).