How to Solar Bleach Cloth Diapers

Bleaching Cloth Diapers in the Sun

Don't use chlorine bleach on your cotton diapers, as it oxidizes the fibers and can shred them up, composting them and ruining the cloth forever. Bleaching diapers in the sun, however, doesn't damage the fibers at all and it's environmentally friendly, and imparts the beautiful smell of fresh air and whatever flowers are blooming. Learn how to use solar energy to bleach cloth diapers and remove stains.

Things You'll Need

• Cloth diapers
• Solar energy
• Clothesline
• Clothespins

Instructions

1. Wash all of your cloth diapers thoroughly and do not use fabric softener. Shake them out, so that they are flat and stack in your laundry basket fresh from the machine.

2. Carry the laundry basket and the clothespins outside to the clothesline and begin hanging the diapers on the clothesline. Damp cotton diapers can be very heavy, so you might want to hang the edges of the line first, and then the center to keep them from weighing down the entire clothesline.

3. Allow the cloth diapers to hang in the sun long past the time that they are dry. The oxygen in the air and the solar energy will remove stains on the diapers from foods and natural substances.

4. Remove the diapers from the line when you notice that the sun has bleached all of the diaper stains. Half a day is usually long enough if it's very sunny. In cold weather, even in snow, you can use the sun to bleach diapers, it just takes longer. Try drying them in a machine before hanging them in the sun on a snowy day so they don't freeze.

5. Toss your cloth diapers into a gas or electric dryer to soften them up. If they've dried in the sun they could be crispy. You could also iron them, or even just leave them alone, The crispiness goes away after a few minutes.

6. Repeat every few months or whenever you notice your cloth diapers looking stained or dingy.

Tips & Warnings

• Using vinegar in the rinse water can help remove mineral deposits from hard water.

• Some colorful pocket diapers and all-in-one diapers fabric covers can be bleached in the sun, too and you might not want the colors on the fabric to fade away.