Sanitizing cloth diapers

Sanitizing uses chlorine bleach to kill viruses, bacteria, and yeast. It should not be confused with stripping, which is a different process to remove buildup of residue from cleaning products or from minerals (hard water).

You’ll want to sanitize:

  • Second-hand diapers;

  • Before using your own diapers on a second child;

  • Following yeast infections.

How-to

You will need:

  1. A bathtub or large container

  2. Disinfecting bleach such as Clorox Liquid Disinfecting Concentrated Bleach. It is important to verify on the label that the bleach contains at least 5.25% sodium hypochlorite ; regular bleach is not strong enough to sanitize, which means you should not use splashless or Oxy (oxygen/natural) bleach.

Steps:

  1. Mix a sufficient amount of cold water and bleach to completely cover the diapers in the following proportion: 

    • 1/2 cup bleach in a standard bathtub filled halfway with cold water

    • 1 Tbsp bleach per gallon of water, up to 5 gallons

  2. Soak diapers for 30-45 minutes, ensuring that the diapers are completely submerged throughout. You may wish to put a white towel on top of the diapers to keep them underwater. Do not exceed 45 minutes of soak time.

  3. Run a rinse cycle

  4. Run a wash cycle (no detergent)

Following this process, you should not be able to smell bleach on the diapers.