As a former Thirsties user (my kids are now out of diapers) and the former Thirsties return department, I have seen diapers in all states. One issue that is hard to avoid while cloth diapering is staining. The solids that end up in a diaper are organic proteins, and protein stains are one of the hardest to remove. Enzymes are great at removing protein stains, but can irritate the skin if not rinsed thoroughly. Oxygen bleach is great at removing stains, but can be harsh. I love to find solutions that are natural and that may be found in every household, so I experimented with some lemon juice and sunshine.
I took two returned Duo Wraps that were dingy, and washed one with our Thirsties Wash. These were equally dingy and from the same customer. After the wash, there was a slight change in the brightness (diaper on the right). Our Thirsties Super Wash brightens and whitens naturally. It cannot, however, take out set in stains.
I then took a 50/50 solution of lemon juice and water and sprayed the stains left on the leg gussets, and then put in a window to sun for about 3 hours. I then washed the wrap. I did this for a cycle of 5 sprays/washes. The staining left on the leg gusset elastic is very minimal.
The wrap treated with the Thirsties Super Wash and lemon juice/sun is noticeably brighter. The lemon juice treatment is not something that can be done on a normal basis, as the lemon juice is an acid, and can deteriorate the lamination and possibly the elastic over time. This would be done only as needed. We recommend using our Thirsties Pre-Wash and Super Wash to keep staining from setting in, and to keep your diapering products looking brighter longer!
Written by Sonya Choron 1/31/12
Thank you for that piece of advice! I plan on using this technique on some white onesies with spit-up stains. Hope it works as well as on the diapers pictured here.
I will definitely have to give this a try. I have one poor cover that is pretty pitiful. The gussets are stained and the laundry tabs are hanging on for dear life. I really need to give that cover some love
Thank you for this little tid bit .
wow i never thought of using lemon! i love hearing about different natural ways to clean
I’ve used lemon juice to whiten a few things so it makes sense to apply it to diapers, too!
Great tip! I’ll have to remember that for future reference!
Great tip!
Thank you for this post. I have some shadow staining on several of my inner gussets. I will have to try this out.
I’ll have to remember this trick– I sun my diapers when I can, weather permitting, but have never tried lemon juice.
This is so good to know! I’m glad there are other solutions besides sun since that’s not always an option. Thank you thirsties!
What a difference just the Thirsties Super Wash made.
Thank you for the tip. My sister gave me some that she used and I am definitely going to give this a try and see if I can get the stain out
I’ve also been “sunning” our diapers whenever possible (we’re lucky to have a large picture window for sunny but chilly mornings so I can do it inside). No problem stains yet, but I’m going to remember this tip for the future!
Thank you for writing this post!! I TOTALLY have had stains sticking to my Thirsties elastic… this will help A LOT!
This post could not have came at a better time! My little girl has been getting newborn poo all over her diapers…
I can’t wait to get my stains out!! Thank you, thank you
ADORABLE DIAPERS!
I love your blog! I have a new baby boy and I’m new to cloth diapers so this is very helpful! I thought I was doing something wrong when his diapers were staining.
thank you for the great tip! i like the natural non-toxic solution
Thank you! I know what to try now if I ever have set in stains!
good to know
Excellent! I’ve been looking at some stained white trim wondering what I could do.
That’s quite an amazing difference! My covers do have the yucky stains on the gussets, but I guess I figured it wouldn’t be worth the effort to get rid of the stains when they’ll just get more poo on them. I’ll have to keep this in mind when the size one duos go into storage in a month or two.
Thanks so much! I’ll have to try this.
Thanks for the tip! I can’t wait to try it!
Great tip, thanks so much!
I can live with a certain amount of staining (“clean dirt”, as my mom would say!), but I want to make sure our outgrown diapers look nice when we pass them on to the next lucky baby. This’ll help!
Thanks so much for this advice. I’ve been using Thirsties wraps with my son since he was born, and a couple wraps have some stains I’m going to try this with. Good tip!
Great tip! Would this work on stained cotton prefolds as well? Looking forward to sunny weather so I can line dry outside again….it’s snowing here in Oregon today.
This is great. a friend just gave me a white and stained cover and i’ll definitely try this.
Thanks so much!!! This is definitely going to come in handy:))
Such good advise, especially for new cd moms like myself!
This is a great tip! I’m hoping to resell a few covers when my newborn outgrows them, and this will definitely help me freshen them up!
great info. i will try the 50/50 on my next load of liners and pocket diapers. thanks
Wow, huge difference. But washing it 5 times is a bit much no? Or did the baby wear it in between washes (more likely what I’d do).
I will most certainly be trying this! Thanks for the tip!
that really worked! thanks for the advice.
I will have to keep this page bookmarked for next baby’s stains!
Thanks for the tip! Will keep in mind for the future!
thanks will try!
This was really helpful to get the stains out of my covers!!!!!
Great tip I will deffinatly have to try it.
I love using lemon juice for stains. I plan on using this over the summer – too dark and rainy now =)
Awesome reminder for getting out stains!
I’ve got a few thirsties covers to use once the baby arrives. Will be our first time cloth diapering, and Im glad to read posts like this so as to be prepared for situations.
i haven’t received my new thirsties covers yet, but this is a great tip once i start using them!!
Wow, easy enough! I’ll have to try this if we run into problems.
Help! I accidentally washed a navy blue sweater with my diapers and now all my inserts and Thirsties gussets are blue! I have tried vinegar, oxyclean, shout color catchers, lemon juice and LOTS of sun, and now resorting to bleach with no effect! Normally sun is my go-to and has never failed me until now. Any advice?
Thank you for providing a stain solution that doesn’t require sun. Our winters are very long and cloudy where we live and sunning is near impossible for 4 months of the year.
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