Killing Yeast in Cloth Diapers-- Part Two

I have had more people ask questions about yeast in diapers. So I am writing a new post in hopes that this can answer more questions about yeast. I will also be including information on how to kill yeast with things you should have on hand. (Some people don't have grapefruit seed extract or Tea Tree Oil.)

How to avoid yeast:

 Diaper rashes that last longer than 3 days contain yeast. Whether it turns into a full blown yeast infection may vary. (As a per caution you may want to treat your diapers for yeast after your child has a diaper rash to prevent it coming back.) diapers can carry what they call yeast spores. Yeast spores will harbor in the diaper and wait for the right moment to attack again; Hence, why some children in cloth diapers are more prone to yeast infections. (Parents with babies prone to yeast you will want a REALLY good wash routine 100% of the time.)

With the first sign of any redness on a baby's bottom you will want to start treating immediately with diaper rash creams. If it persists longer than 3 days with no improvement I recommend attending the pediatrician for prescription cream for yeast. Nystatin is a common prescription.

If mama or baby takes antibiotics that can lead to diaper rash and than a yeast infection especially if baby is nursing.

Treating baby for a yeast infection:

Yeast is best dealt with right away. Yeast likes to multiply and feed in the right conditions.

Whoever changes the diapers will want to take extra precautions at washing hands before and after a diaper change.

When using per scripted medication for the baby such as nystatin you will want to either switch to disposables or use a liner in the diaper. These creams are not safe directly on the cloth diaper. Make sure if you use a liner that the liner covers the WHOLE diaper.

You also want to use water or cloth wipes. Disposable wipes have chemicals that feed the yeast. No good!

There are homeopathic remedies to treating yeast at home as well. Such as coconut oil mixed with tea tree oil.

Please note: if not properly treated yeast infection can turn into thrust.

Treating your diapers:

 You can find my wash routine for treating yeast here: http://cupcakecovers.blogspot.com/2013/01/killing-yeast-cloth-diapers.html

There are other ways to kill yeast. Most commonly used is the grapefruit seed extract (GSE) or Tea Tree Oil. What if you don't have those items and are short on cash to purchase some.

Here are some alternative treatments.

Hot water: I mean HOT! Temperatures over 122 degrees F will affective my kill yeast. You will want to use a thermometer. Also double check with my manufacture of the diaper. You do not want to ruin any PUL.

Chlorine Bleach (sodium  hypochlorite): you may use bleach but you need to make sure the bleach contains sodium hypochlorite. Some manufactures don't recommend bleach so again please check with manufacturers.

Stabilizes hydrogen peroxide:Hydrogen peroxide can work and is affective at killing yeast.

I wish you the best of luck at fighting and killing yeast!

 

Shannon

Killing Yeast- Cloth Diapers

After 4 short months of cloth diapering my daughter, I noticed she was starting to get a rash… Or so I thought. After 4-5 days of treating her rash with CJ’s Butter (cloth diaper safe) I realized the rash was not getting any better, it was not getting any worst either but it was still there. I put her back in disposable diapers to try to treat the rash with other ointments (A&D and Butt Paste) neither were helping either. Becoming more desperate I gave my sister a call, she has 4 girls herself and so I often call her for advice. She told me it could be a yeast infection.

Long story short I went to our pediatrician and she prescribed ointment to kill my daughters yeast infection. But the question still remained how I was going to kill the yeast in her diapers? After read and researching several blogs and other cloth diapering sites. I realized I could use a few items I already contained in my house; Tea Tree Oil and Grapefruit Seed Extract. No blog or tutorial told me house to use it or what I could do. So I decided I would “make up my own way.” They yeast infection never came back so I assume it worked. J

 

Follow the steps below:

1.    Cold Rinse the diapers.

2.    Soak the diapers in hot overnight in Tea Tree Oil. The amount will vary based on how many diapers you have.  I used 10-15 drops

3.    I than did another cold rinse.

4.    Hot was with cloth diapering safe Laundry detergent. My favorite is Rockin’ Green.

5.    I than did another hot water soak in grapefruit seed extract. On the bottle of grapefruit seed extract it states that it can be used for killing yeast.

6.    Did more cold rinses.

 

This may have been a little over kill but I would rather it be gone and never return again. Both Tea Tree Oil and Grapefruit seed extract kill bacteria, which is exactly what you want. You can find these at your local health food store. I purchased mine from Sprouts in Arizona.

Strip that Diaper!

Stripping that diaper!

There are many reasons you may want to try to strip your diaper; some want to for stink problems, buying pre owned/pre used diapers, brighten the fabric, detergent build up etc.

Here are different methods of strip the diaper.

1. Hot rinse. Several hot rinses! You want the water as hot as you can. I have been known to add a pot of boiling water to my diaper laundry. You will want to add the boiling water before you add the diapers. (Boiling water is only good if your water doesn't get really hot.) This is great for detergent build up/ killing bacterial. You want to keep rinsing the diapers until you see no more suds in the water.

2. Dawn- many families like to add 2 TBS to liquid BLUE DAWN soap to a wash cycle. When doing this you want to do a cold rinse, hot wash and add only 2 TBS liquid blue dawn soap. After the wash with Dawn you want to rinse, rinse, rinse. Keep rinsing until you see NO more suds. This may take a while...
Note: this is not recommended for front loaders. It will void your warranty.

3. RLR is a wonderful product to use when stripping diapers. Simply add a package to your wash with your diapers. Voila done! Great for whitening, removing build up or just to freshen things up.

Some people have used/recommend bleach and other harsh chemicals. Bleach is NOT Recommended it can damage PUL and break down the fibers I the soaker. Keep in mind you will be placing this material close to sensitive parts on your baby’s body.

Have a different way to strip your diapers. Please share with us! We would love to hear from you!

Shannon

Stink! Stank! Stunk!

Some cloth diapers will begin to have a stink especially inserts with synthetic material (microfleece)

You will notice several cloth diapering families are switching from synthetic material to natural fibers such and bamboo, hemp, cotton or even Zorb. You can find inserts made with different combinations. Referred to as "blends". Natural fibers contain antibacterial properties which help fight against stink, yeast and detergent build up. (you still need a good wash routine and cloth diaper safe detergent.) Other benefit of natural fibers is that they are more absorbent and safe to place directly against the babies skin.

What do you do if your diapers/inserts start to stink?

1. Wash more frequently. If you are waiting 2-3 days to wash try washing every 1-2 days.

2. Try adding a little more laundry detergent to your wash routine. Sometimes you don't have enough detergent to get the load clean.

3. Add some type of additive to your wash routine. Funk rock (made my Rockin' Green), calogn, oxyclean.

4. Sundry your diapers/inserts. The heat from the sun has been known to help kill bacteria. Added bonus is it helps keep them bright white.

5. If all else fails try to strip your diapers.

Cloth Diaper Wash Routine

I want to share my wash routine. Please note that my wash routine may not work for you.

Once the diaper is solid I rinse the diaper off with my diaper sprayer, than place in my hanging wetbag or my pail liner.

Every 2-3 days I empty my wetbag/pail liner into my washer. I do a cold water rinse to rinse any renaming waste.

Once the rinse is complete I do a hot wash with 3 Tbs. Rockin' Green. (Note: my water gets REALLY hot-- it steams as it enters my washer!) if your water doesn't get hot I suggest heating water up in the microwave or on the stove. The heat helps kill the bacteria.

My washing machine allows me to set up my cycle with 2 rinses. Some machines do not have that option, but is recommended to rinse twice.

After my cold rinse/hot wash/2 rinses I remove the diapers from the washer. I separate my inserts, AIO, fitted, covers and pockets. I hang dry my pocket and AIO diapers to help save the PUL and keep the inside from becoming pilly quickly.

My inserts and fitted diapers (anything without PUL) I throw in the dryer and dry for 70 minutes my microfiber inserts are usually dry at this point. However my natural fiber inserts (bamboo, hemp and Zorb) are usually not. I will add an extra 20-30 minutes and dry them again or sometimes I hang them up with my pockets/AIO until dry.

Note: AIO diapers do take a long time to air dry. I loved living in Phoenix Arizona am cloth diapering. I would hang dry everything and it would dry in about 30 minutes during summer