Help with nappy stains

greentomato

Hello everyone, I've searched this forum and can't find anything so wondered if you can help. I am using washable cloth nappies on my baby and the problem I have is that her poos really stain the nappies bright yellow! I know that it shouldn't matter, but I would love to have nice white nappies again!!

I've tried different types of washing powder - biological, non-bio, Vanish in-wash, but nothing seems to shift them. I soak the nappies before washing, and wash them at 60. I'm reluctant to use bleach (eg Napisan) because the nappies are Motherease ones so aren't cheap, and bleach can reduce their lifespan. I use liners with the nappies.

Has anyone else had this problem? My friend uses the same nappies, and has a baby the similar age (4 months), and even she was shocked at how bright yellow my nappies are!

Thank you!

comping_cat

Not sure if this will work, but you can re whiten socks by boiling them in water with some lemons cut up in the water, as lemon is a natural bleach, it might help with the nappies!!!

MATH

I never soaked my nappies in a buckets. I bagged them in the garage and when I had enough for a full load I cold washed them followed by the longest hottest wash the machine would do with bio powder. 60 c isnt hot enough IMO. I always added bleach towards the end of the wash to keep them white (I do this routinely with all my whites and many pastals anyway.) It really does remove a lot of stains washing powder alone won't shift.

Miss MATH has a lime green t shirt that developed a grey stain on the front last summer. Since then she has worn it under tops during the winter and it must have had maybe 10-15 washes but the stain has stayed. Yesterday when emptying my machine I found it hiding under the agitator. I had just done a pale wash with bleach for the last 5 mins. The t shirt is fine and the stain has gone (YAY)

bumpybecky

uv light is the best for nappy stains and it's free and won't damage the fabric

strong sunlight will remove stains from nappies still there after washing. Normally they go before the washing is dry!

trouble is it's winter so not much sun

joannasmum

Have to agree with bumpybecky that sun light works best to remove nappy stains. In the winter I have been putting them on the window ledge and this is helping. The only other thing that I use is occasionally hard fairy soap. I dry pail mine and wash at 60 so that the elastic isnt damaged then give them a extra rinse with the quick wash cycle on the washer.

HTH

halloweenqueen_2

I see in lakeland a dye grabber? Has anyone tried them? apparently its supposed to suck up all the dyes etc in the washing water that would go back into your nice white clothes. Last for a about 300 washes I think?

Anne_Marie_2

greentomato wrote:

Hello everyone, I've searched this forum and can't find anything so wondered if you can help. I am using washable cloth nappies on my baby and the problem I have is that her poos really stain the nappies bright yellow! I know that it shouldn't matter, but I would love to have nice white nappies again!!

I've tried different types of washing powder - biological, non-bio, Vanish in-wash, but nothing seems to shift them. I soak the nappies before washing, and wash them at 60. I'm reluctant to use bleach (eg Napisan) because the nappies are Motherease ones so aren't cheap, and bleach can reduce their lifespan. I use liners with the nappies.

Has anyone else had this problem? My friend uses the same nappies, and has a baby the similar age (4 months), and even she was shocked at how bright yellow my nappies are!

Thank you!

Been a long time since I had to deal with nappies, but from memory..........
I used to rinse the nappies in cold water as soon as practible after removal, otherwise when time pushed, into a bucket of cold water. Then it was a very hot wash, practically a boil wash, hung up outside when possible and they always came out nice and white.
If that doesn't work, you could maybe try after giving them a good rinse out, then putting them in a bucket with something like oxy clean type of powder and soaking in hot water, then washing as normally.
Only time I did have major stains was with red colouring - found out that the wee one had a major overload of beetroot when I wasn't there. Grrrr!!!!
So is there a possibility that your little one is having an excess of food with yellow food colouring, whether it be natural or artificial? Know fine well that I couldn't even eat the mildest curries when breastfeeding, drink orange juice or eat too many grapes - otherwise it ended up in the nappy!

Baileys_Babe

Don't worry about the colour of the nappies.

If it bothers you a lot you could always try dying them a colour that wouldn't show the stains.

Do you use liners in your nappies? these may help.

greentomato

Thanks everyone for your ideas I'll give them a go. I'm looking forward to when the weather is better and I can hang the nappies on the line.

I'm breastfeeding so I don't know if my diet is contributing - but I only occasionally have curry!!

I guess I shouldn't worry about it too much, as its only a nappy, although sometimes when the nappy leaks it goes on her clothes and stains them too and I mind about that a lot more!

Nicki

I inherited some used tots bots nappies yesterday which all have some large yellow stains on them. I do use reusables on my little one and have never had a problem shifting stains but these are proving intractable so far!

Since I got them, I have soaked them in warm water and biological powder for a couple of hours, then done an intensive wash at 60 with prewash with nappisan and Ariel actilift. They have been out on the line in bright sunshine all day (actually put them out before I went to bed last night).

Looking at the stains I suspect they are part poo and part nappy cream, possibly metanium. The previous owner said she washed them in ecover and I suspect as I couldn't see any outdoor space that she either tumble dried them or dried them over a radiator.

I know its just for a baby's bum, but I do like my nappies to look pristine! Does anyone have any other tips to remove these stains that I may not have thought of?

Thanks

Pink.

Hi Nicky,

It's a few years since mine were in nappies, but I soaked them in napisan, washed then dried out in natural sunlight which is great for removing stains like this.

We have some threads that may give you more ideas:

Help with nappy stains

Baby poo stains...

Cleaning newborn baby poo

Please Help Best way to Remove Baby Stains

I'll merge your thread with one of those later to keep the suggestions together.

Pink