How to Sanitize Cloth Diapers using Chlorine Bleach
Facts Chlorine Bleach
- Bleach is a common disinfectant and can be found in stores almost anywhere. It is effective and safe when used correctly. Caution needs to be exercised as it is a caustic substance (able to burn or corrode). Take care to not splash any or directly inhale the fumes.
- Dilute the bleach in the water PRIOR to adding the items you are disinfecting. Use the bleach tray on the machine if it has one.
- You must use bleach that has at least 5.25% sodium hypochlorite. You can find this information on the label.
- Bleach also starts to break down over time and becomes less effective. You can store it for about a year at room temp before that begins to happen. If the bottle is older than a year, purchase a new one. If you are unsure how old the bottle is, locate the production code. It is often stamped on the neck of the bottle. You can then use this article to decode the made on date.
Please note that PUL is colorfast, so it won’t fade. However, any knit or cotton fabrics may fade even in a properly diluted bleach solution. This can include items like cloth wipes, WAHM diapers and fitteds for example. You might want to consider an alternative if you have those sort of things to disinfect.
Directions
This should be done on clean, already washed items. Do not add any other additives such as water softeners or detergent. If you have a front loading machine I recommend sanitizing using a bucket or bathtub instead.
Wear gloves if soaking or rinsing in a tub, sink or bucket. Make sure all items are fully submerged in bleach water. Agitate the diapers around gently before soaking to make sure everything is wet and mixed in properly.
- I recommend using warm or hot water (although cold will work.) You may have read that bleach disinfection must only be done in cold water. That is not the case as it will work in any water temp. Click here for further documentation on this. Dilute your bleach in the water FIRST before adding your cloth diapers. Be careful to not splash the bleach. Use the bleach tray on the machine if it has one.
- Soak for 15 minutes. Longer soak times are unnecessary and can cause premature wear to your diapers.
- Rinse diapers until bleach odor is gone. You can do this with hot rinses in the washing machine or in your tub under the facet. You may have to rinse a few times to get the odor completely out.
Here are the dilution ratios:
How to Sanitize Cloth Diapers using Grapefruit Seed Extract
Facts about Grapefruit Seed Extract
You will often see Grapefruit Seed Extract shortened to GSE. Also, not to be confused with grapeseed extract. GSE is synthesized from the seeds and pulp of the grapefruit, it’s a very broad spectrum microbicide, bactericide, fungicide, antiparasitic, and antiviral.
It is expensive, so the other options on here are far more economical for other disinfecting, but when it comes to yeast – this is the single most effective way to stop it in its tracks on your clothing and cloth diapers. You can buy it at your local health food store or on Amazon.
This is not a natural alternative. There are limited studies, but the existing ones point to the preservatives in GSE and not the actual GSE being the disinfectant. So I will say that this is an effective option, but not a natural one. GSE will not fade non-colorfast knit and cotton fabrics making it a good alternative to bleach.
For more evidence of GSE as a disinfecting agent, please see:
- http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf0514064
Directions
This should be done on clean, already washed items. Do not add any other additives such as water softeners or detergent. May be used in any type of washing machine.
- Use hot water and add 2 tablespoons of GSE for up to a large load of laundry (approximately 28 – 30 cloth diapers. This may be added right to the main wash cycle with whatever detergent you are using.
- Run longest heavy duty cycle.
How to Sanitize Cloth Diapers using Hydrogen Peroxide
Facts about Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen Peroxide is a liquid oxygen bleach and breaks down into water and oxygen.
Use a 3 % solution (what is normally available at most drugstores).
Be aware that hydrogen peroxide can damage fabrics the same way bleach can, so test for colorfastness and never pour directly on your clothes or cloth diapers.
Directions
This should be done on clean, already washed items. Do not add any other additives such as softeners or detergent.
- Use hot water and a wash cycle that is at least 30 minutes. If you don’t have a cycle long enough you can either stop the cycle or soak in another vessel such as a bathtub (1/2 regular bathtub is equal to a large load).
- Add 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide in bleach cup of your laundry machine for medium loads and 2 cups for large loads. If you have no bleach tray, add directly to water BEFORE adding cloth diapers.
- Rinse with hot water. If you don’t have his option and you are using your washing machine, run additional hot wash for the rinse.
Final Thoughts
Why I do not recommend using Lysol Laundry Sanitizer
The Lysol Laundry Sanitizer label says it “Kills 99.9% of bacteria detergents leave behind”. What you won’t find on the label is that “It only kills bacteria and is not effect against viruses or any fungi , including yeast.” I received this information after contacting Lysol directly via email.
Yeast and thrush are often reasons people are disinfecting cloth diapers in the first place. Buyer beware. This product won’t work on them.
Why I do not recommend bleach washes
A bleach wash means you add bleach to a regular wash cycle versus soaking them. I want to make sure I am recommending methods that cover you in the majority of cases. For a bleach wash to be the most effective you’d need the appropriate amount of water covering all the diapers for a specific amount of time. That is VERY hard to control in many machines. HE machines for example use small amounts of water. And for some machines, even the longest cycle isn’t all that long.
Because of these variables, I highly suggest you take the safe route when you are wanting to disinfect your laundry. This can mean more effort and time, but your outcome is often better.
You can find additional information about washing and troubleshooting cloth diapers by using the search feature.
Jenn is a long-time cloth diaper educator and a passionate small business advocate. She has worked in the reusable diaper industry for over a decade, helping millions of families via her websites All About Cloth Diapers, Thinking About Cloth Diapers and Cloth Diaper Geek as well as hundreds of small businesses during that time. Her goal always to provide simple, reliable information.
Kayla Martin says
Okay I’m confused! Can you help? Can I use the hydrogen peroxide method for my whirlpool duet ? It’s an he front loader. I put 1 cup hydrogen peroxide in the bleach cup and put it on a wash cycle of 59 minutes? Is this not going to work. Please help asap I dont want to ruin my just bought (used) diapers.
Jennifer Reinhardt says
Yes, you have the right idea!
Agnes Lopez says
I’m trying to disinfect my diapers using hydrogen peroxide , if I’m understanding this correctly i soak for 30 minutes? how much water how much peroxide?
I read somewhere i needed borax but you don’t mention it, it’s not necessary. Lastly will this get rid of it? I’m going to sanitize and put away and use disposables.
My son has balanitis
Jennifer Reinhardt says
Hi Agnes, My understanding is that borax converts some of the water molecules to hydrogen peroxide. So I guess it’s a way to add more hydrogen peroxide without adding hydrogen peroxide. I think you’d treat it like you would yeast. So if you plan on using disposables while treating it you just treat the diapers once. If you choose to stay in cloth, be sure you are using a liner with the treatment cream if it’s a prescription or not otherwise CD safe. A cut up t-shirt will work as a liner. You can also purchase a disposable liner that is something like this. You will have to treat cloth diapers each time they are washed while treating the yeast on your baby. Depending how often you are washing and how long the treatment lasts, this could be 2-3 times. Continue to treat diapers for at least 1 week after yeast rash has completely healed to prevent a recurrence.
Jennifer Reinhardt says
The bleach wouldn’t be in contact with the items for a sufficient amount of time to guarantee that they were disinfected. Another product you might try is the Lysol Sanitizer. It’s only downfall is that the company won’t release a full list of what it disinfects and what it doesn’t.
Nicole says
I absolutely love all your advice, recommendations, and information! I’ve come to this page a few times in the years since I’ve started using cloth to disinfect. First my granddaughter cloth and a few times after that, to disinfect our first adopted lo’s cloth. And recently another lo’s (soon to be adopted) cloth after a mild yeast rash.
Thank you for everything you do for families like us who love our cloth and keeping lo’s skin healthy and happy.
Genie says
I am a long-time theatrical costumer mostly in dance and academic theater and we commonly use cheap vodka in an spray bottle to spray down costumes that cannot be washed or dry cleaned because the Vodka kills bacteria and as it evaporates it removes odor. Wood soaking diapers in vodka periodically be a safe solution? My god daughter is having a baby in October and is planning on using cloth.
Jennifer Reinhardt says
To be honest Genie, I haven’t ever heard of anyone else doing this with diapers. So I’m not really sure how it would work. What I would worry about if anything is the elastics and PUL covers.
Kristine says
I have 2 topics I have questions for. 1: when you made your table of machine/method to bleach amount ratio, I noticed you only mentioned top loaders being He or non He. The was no mention of front load washers. Is this information someone else in a unit? Also 2: is there a way to save the units or information as a PDF in iBook? I don’t know the equivalent in android sorry. Usually when you click on the three lines for more viewing options it’ll ask if you’d like to open in Safari or open in iBook. These don’t have that option. Any input on how to accomplish this? I understand the info is always changing so people could have an old version saved but for non internet access and needing the info it would be a lifesaver.
Jennifer Reinhardt says
I’ll update the post to include more detail. You can’t soak in a front loader at all. So you must do it in a basin or tub. As far as the info the only version that is offered in a pdf format is my Ultimate Guide to Cloth Diapers. That has to be purchased. Otherwise you could take screenshots of the info and save for later use that way. Sorry to not be more of a help on that! lol
Lindsey says
You can’t soak in a front loader even if it has a soak option
Leigh says
Just an FYI – hot water neutralizes bleach. It is best to use warm or cold water. They are equally effective when using bleach.
Also, sunlight actually intensifies the effects of bleach (and most other disinfectants like citrus juices). So, if you have a clothesline, it’s best to hang dry anything you’ve used bleach on to get the maximum effect
Jennifer Reinhardt says
Hi Leigh, Thanks for commenting. I covered water temps in the article. Clorox must test their product required by lay to ensure efficacy. Their tests confirmed that it does in fact disinfect in any temp of water. They could be held liable if they labeled it falsely.
Cara says
Please correct me if I am wrong. To disinfect using GSE you say to use 2 teaspoons which is the entire bottle of the gse you link to. The GSE you link to, however, is 2 ounces which would 12 teaspoons. Which is the correct amount for disinfecting?
Jennifer Reinhardt says
The 2 teaspoons is correct. The product linked probably changed sizes. You can still use that product with the 2 teaspoon amount. Thanks for letting me know the link no longer matched.
Starla says
When sanitizing with tea tree oil do i do a normal wash with just the TTO or a soak?
Jennifer Reinhardt says
Do it on clean diapers and use the longest available cycle.
Jaime Gonzales says
Glad to know I can use something other than bleach to sanitize my diapers.
anon says
Nope, essential oils and vinegar, etc. do not sanitize, especially when diluted by wash or rinse water. Do some homework.
Jennifer Reinhardt says
Hello, Thank you for taking the time to comment. You will have to forgive me, but where in my post do you see me indicating anything works without providing proper scientific, evidence based information. Perhaps you are referring to the Tea tree oil? I included a link from the Canadian Gov’t and a study they did that does show it does indeed disinfect. Also, the evidence of the GSE from US Gov’t site. Please look over the info I provided and then get back to me.
Luisa Aviles says
Hello, just read the article, says TTO is hydrophobic, how can a proper dilution be ensured in water? it does not mix with water. on the other hand, it claims 5% dilution is required, in a 20 l load a liter of TTO would be required for the given purpose in accordance to the article you are quoting.
thanks for your reply
Jennifer Reinhardt says
My documentation was linked to that post regarding TTO about two years ago. Obviously, I had read it at that time and it aligned with what I shared here. I believe at some point between when I originally linked the page and now, it was updated. I will be updating my post accordingly. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
Reagan says
I know this is an older post and I’ve read and read and read it multiple times. But in still looking for some help.
I’m a Germaphobe. And my stash is 99.99% new, but I bought a retired/exclusive print that is EUC. I’m determined to get over my germaphobic ways and use it!
I’d like to do a bleach, GSE and Tea Oil wash. My question is: how would I go about doing this? Throw everything in all at once or do each treatment separately ?
Jennifer Reinhardt says
This isn’t an older post. You can see right at the top that it’s been updated this last May :) There is absolutely no need to do all three. Each one, if done correctly, with get rid of all the yuckies. If you must do them all, then they would ideally be done separately. You could probably combine the GSE and the TTO together. But I don’t have scientific links as to the effectiveness when done like that.
Reagan says
Oh! Look at that! lol
I guess I just read through the comments and assumed it was an older post because of the dates! Obviously I read just the title and jumped right into the article! Haha. Didn’t even see that it was updated.
Thank you for the advice! IF decide to do the three treatments will it ruin the diaper???
Jennifer Reinhardt says
There are never any guarantees. But doing any unnecessary to a fabric can wear it out faster. I just recommend using common sense and going with what you feel works best for you and your family. <3
Erica says
Hey when you are adding the gse to the load for yeast treatment do you add it to wash without soap and then wash with soap or do both in the same wash cycle?
Jennifer Reinhardt says
Run your prewash. Then add it to your main wash with the detergent.
Amanda says
I have a question. I have recently started working in a cafeteria. We use bleach to disinfect our counters, tables and other work surfaces. We are told to use the bleach in cold water. They told us that cold water is better for disinfecting. They even tell us that if you mix bleach in hot water then the bleach can no longer disinfect. I don’t know the science behind it. I have not taken my serve safe certification yet but Im told it is in the book about the bleach and cold water. Thoughts?
Cheryl says
Yes I thought the same thing as I read this article.. I have been told by many people to use bleach with COLD only!!!
Virginia says
New to me also + clorox not killing yeast spores. Plan to wash yeast from bras and summer tops in front load washer w/1 tsp. tea tree oil + 1/4C water in dispenser. Read to wash and rinse as usual. Does that mean without detergent? Will keep water hot and rinse 2x.
Jennifer Reinhardt says
I usually will wash dirties first and then do a soak with what ever I am adding. Depending on what you are adding you may to actually wash again instead of just rinse.
marie22 says
What!?
Bleach absoLUTEly kills yeast spores.
In fact recent studies proved it’s just about the ONLY thing that kills the (now) superbug, C. Difficile.
The thing she got right is its bleach — it lightens colors. So buy white and use it on whites.
Eunice says
Is grapefruit seed extract the same as grapefruit oil?
Ray the Juicer says
As a former laundry owner, I wouldn’t advice anyone to wash cloth diaper in a public laundry facility. The amount of germs in those public machines cannot be cured with the ingredients you mentioned. For your kids sake, just wash the cloth diapers in a small bucket at home and all would be fine.
Also stay away from bleach as it is a degrading agent. It will slowly eat up the fiber of the cloths and also damage the texture!
Rachael says
This is also an interesting discussion from a chemistry/regulatory point of view re: “sanitizer”, “sanitizing” labels and GSE:
Kelly says
Hey everyone
We are so totally new to CDs and I’m determined to use them, I just had a question…we have a septic tank and I try not to use bleach in the washer at all because of it. If I have to bleach something I usually run to the laundromat. Can someone help me figure out if I can use CDs without any bleach at all? I’m pretty sure the laundromat would not like to see me washing the CDs there, although I haven’t asked about it. I’m a bit concerned about killing germs not only in the diapers themselves but also keeping the washer and dryer germ-free so that when I do the rest of the laundry I can feel confident that I’m not spreading germs around to the rest of the clothes. We also have a local diaper service that will deliver/pick up CDs, not sure how much it costs but could I hear some input/opinons on that as well? Thanks guys!
Autumn Beck says
Absolutely you can use cloth diapers and never use bleach. If you need to disinfect Tea Tree Oil and Grapefruit Seed Extract are great alternatives.
Luisa Aviles says
you dont have to bleach every time, only if you have skin problems due to fungus or bacteria. or if you are using preloved diapers.
Stacey says
I am new to cloth diapering, and only do it part time. So, the last time I went to dump my dirty cloth diaper bucket into the washer I was disgusted to find that they were covered in a white mold! Apparently it had been longer then I thought since I washed last, but still….gross! I use Charlie’s laundry soap from Amazon that it supposed to be for cloth diapers. Aside from washing them on hot 8 times…what do I do? Do I have to throw these away…?
Autumn Beck says
I’d use some bleach.
Jen says
Would Apple Cider Vinegar work the same as White Vinegar?
Kathie says
Where is a good place to buy tea tree oil? All the places I normally buy my herbs and essential oils seem to carry only the aromatherapy quality. None seem to list the levels of terpinen or ceneole either. Any suggestions?
Autumn Beck says
Have you checked Amazon? I buy practically everything from there lol
Lori Thomson says
I just picked up some good quality tea tree oil from Whole Foods ($9.99 for a small bottle). Trying it on some used diapers I just picked up today.
Marie says
This is so helpful. I have a question about disinfecting/yeast/wool. I just recently bought some wool diaper covers new for the first time (going to see if using wool will get me back to loving cloth after my NatureBabycare disposables stint), brand new. I also recently bought a pair of Lana wool breast pads at a children’s consignment sale. They looked brand new, came with all the literature, looked unworn unwashed un-everything, and even the plastic bag they were in was the original bag with the Danish labeling. Also the sale rules were it had to be new, so I’m 98% sure they were unworn and new. Anyway, yesterday I set about to lanolize everything and I just threw all the covers and the pads all in together. Then I realize, wait a minute, I don’t know absolutely without a doubt for sure for sure if the pads were new, what if they somehow weren’t and now I’ve infected a hundred dollars worth of wool covers as well??? So I boiled the covers and the pads per Lana’s instructions, with fresh lanolin, and when it cooled down I added GFSE after reading on here. I feel like it should be fine but the thing that freaks me out is the whole single-user thing, you’re not supposed to re-use stuff like pumps, pads, etc. It’s just I was quite certain that they were new, and I also felt like, how bad could it be? The issue with pumps seems to be that you can’t guarantee sufficient sterilization because of the pump design, and that makes sense to me. But it seems to me that you ought to be able to sterilize a breast pad just as much as you can sterilize a cloth diaper, and it’s considered acceptable to buy used diapers. Is there any reason that used diapers would be okay but breast pads not if I’m going to the trouble of sterilizing both? The bacteria of concern all die on surfaces within two days or less, and are killed by boiling. Any yeast of concern is killed by boiling, and the spores by the GFSE. Still my anxious nature says, “but what if??” Should I just give up on the pads but the covers really should be fine still? Is everything fine? Or is everything ruined now? I guess I just keep thinking, if I had bought used wool covers from someone, they could easily have washed the covers together with their wool breast pads and I would never know, so is this any worse than that?
Autumn Beck says
I’ll give you the answer I would give myself. Have I done everything I can to properly sterilize these items? Can I prevent every what-if possible? When I have thoroughly cleansed something I let it go at that.
Bethany says
Hi Autumn,
I am fairly new to cloth diapering and I have a dilemma. My LO just got diagnosed with a bacterial infection today, and the majority of the rash is in the diaper area. How do I go about disinfecting these diapers? Are they able to be saved or am I going to have to start over? She is in disposables right now because of the antibiotic cream she gets on her diaper area. Please HELP!!!!!!
Autumn Beck says
bleach will kill the bacteria. whether you have a fl or tl you can add bleach safely to your diapers. also, lay the diapers out in the sun in the middle of the day to dry and really add to the disinfection.
Michelle Barber says
Wow. What great information! I have a lemon tree – I’m going to start using lemons. I have GSE too! Wonderful post!
Samantha says
We have been battling yeast on the baby’s diapers so I went and bought some GSE. How am I to use this in a front-load HE washer? Should I put the GSE into the prewash dispenser or in the detergent dispenser, wash and then re-wash normally. OR should I add the GSE directly into the wash drum and then wash like normal? Thank you for any help, we need this month-long battle over with!
Anastasia says
I would add it the same way you would bleach. You want it to dilute EVENLY into the load. Most fronties have a separate bleach tray. In lieu of that you can add it to the fabric softener tray. Since you may want to do a 2nd wash to make sure the oils are gone, after the first wash is probably ok. Still waiting for Autumn to write back. Maybe she can think of something else. But I would want the gunk off before using it to ensure it’s getting all the dipes and their parts evenly. Hope that makes sense@!
Luisa says
Hello!
How much GSE should be used in an HE FL? What would be the best approach? Using it during the normal wash with detergent or during the rinse cycle? I always do double rinse.
Thanks!
Autumn Beck says
I add it to the detergent. There is a recommended amount on the side of my bottle and I know I have reds on the blog somewhere…I’m typing this on a mobile device so my ability to look it up is hindered. Run a search for grapefruit seed extract.
Anastasia says
For a NORMAL washing I would add it to the load like you would bleach. So with the wash. In fact my biokleen has it as part of the detergent) But for serious problems I would risk doing a separate wash with the GFSE and then make sure the oils are washed out and rinsed well. Keeping in mind I use the laundromat and maybe this makes more sense. Hope this helps!
Heather says
I am so sorry if this is in the wrong place!!!
I have a question that I can’t quiet find the answer to, so I figured I’d go to the expert! I just started CDs a week ago, and it has been a steep learning curve for me! My LO is 16 months old, and I decided to start with flip( SD and organic), BG 4.0’s, and some good ole prefolds + econobum. For starters, he HATES the diapers. Esp the prefolds. I think it just feels so different to him. Next battle, He got a moderate red bumpy rash all over his boy parts and in the creases. So, after reading your website a while, I decided to get another detergent and do an extra rinse (3 total). This hasn’t helped either. My novice thoughts… When I change him (whether he’s wet or dry) his diaper area is sweaty/ sticky. And the bumps/ rash is also on his upper legs, where the diaper doesn’t come in contact at all, like a heat rash type thing. So I started using the cotton prefolds in the 4.0’s, thinking this might be more ‘breathable’, and this has helped, but not solved the problem. What do you think? Maybe he needs a more breathable diaper cover? I ordered a SBish wool cover and the ‘magic’ diaper, but really wanted your opinion (or anyone else who has an idea) before I ordered anything else! Thank you so much in advance! I have learned SO much from your website!
Autumn Beck says
Do you have a Snappi? Try putting the prefold on with it and see if that helps. For a breathable, non wool cover check out MotherEase airflow covers. Wool is great but there is a slight learning curve with it as well.
Heather says
Thanks for the suggestions! I have ordered a snappi to try ( a week ago!) so hopefully it’ll be here soon. And I have seen the motherease covers in scanning but haven’t paid them any attention. So that’s what I’m about to do! Thank you so much again for all the great advice!
Anastasia says
How are you doing on this? Are things getting better for you and your sweetie?
Brandi says
Heather, I deal with that with my 8 month old ALL the time! He had the exact same rash and I use my pockets with him 24/7! His rash is actually a yeast infection! He gets them on and off all the time, especially after antibiotics! I have to feed him yogurts and such so it fights the infections constantly!
Carolena says
I could have sworn that bleach was killed by hot water, or at least degraded… I was always told to use bleach in cool water. Like in washing dishes, you wash in hot, rinse, then dunk in cool bleach water… why do you recommend to use it with hot water?
Anastasia says
Most people I know use bleach and hot water. And I was always taught to rinse in PLAIN water, hence the point in rinsing, to use the bleach in the hot with the soap. I’ve washed both ways and for some reason hot seems to work better. Eats the clothes more over time as well. Maybe this is like the toilet paper, which end do you leave the loose part out on, lol!
Kristle says
Carolena ~ you are correct. I took a safety class for certification for child care and bleach IS degraded in hot water AND it is used in rinsing dishes (with COLD water), it’s done this way in restaurants, bars and daycare facilities that don’t use high temperature dishwashes. It’s actually required by law in the state of California. Therefore, washing with bleach in hot water WILL reduce the bleaches ability to disinfect.
Jackie says
Thank you so much for sharing this!
crystal says
and you are correct in stating that it does not kill mold unless on hard non- porous surfaces. in the hospital people always foam their hands to clean them after seeing a patient. however if the patient has “c-difficile” which is a simple name for “the unconrollable runs” after being on antibiotics normally (bc the good bacteria in gut is killed as well as the bad. which is where probiotics are very beneficial to help reestablish good bacteria in the gut!!) —the foam is alcohol based which does NOT kill spores. so it is ineffective with killing cdiff. wait why am i talking abouyt this LOL i heard bleach and thought alcohol LOL sorry. point of story. bleach doesnt kill spores and neither does alcohol
Lauran says
Thanks for sharing. That’s awesome information to know!
MCS says
Also, when you run out to the store make sure you’re getting GrapeFRUIT Seed Extract and not just Grapeseed Extract. They are different! :)
Autumn Beck says
Exactly!
Anastasia says
VERY true, I had a hard time at my natural store today when I checked. Oddly enough (or maybe not) the right stuff was next to the vinegar, lol!
Cara says
I have been washing my diapers with warm water should I be using hot? I put them in our front loader with a TBS of lil outlaws detergent and do a prewash with a couple squirts of Bac Out and an extra rinse. We also spray our poopy diapers with bac out when we take them off her. Also is the prewash on the washer with cold water?
Autumn Beck says
It isn’t necessary to regularly use hot water.
Anastasia says
Most newer front loaders will warm the water a bit when it enters the machine. In the colder months (When water can be almost freezing) you may want to use warm water IF the water from a nearby sink is very cold. Sometimes machines won’t work or soap doesn’t dissolve in super cold water. But otherwise no you don’t need to use hot water all the time or even the sanitize setting. (It wears your precious dipes down faster)
MCS says
“Color safe bleach does not disinfect, either.”
I’m not sure that’s accurate… most color safe bleaches have the main ingredient of hydrogen peroxide, so yes they do disinfect to some degree
Autumn Beck says
I agree there is some disinfecting occurring but is it enough to feel confident the viruses and bacteria are killed??
Rachel says
According to the Clorox website, their color safe bleach doesn’t disinfect.
Autumn Beck says
Thank you!
Anastasia says
WoW, needed this years ago, and next payday. ok, gotta go find the grape seed now, hum!
Sherry says
Anastasia, make sure you buy “GRAPEFRUIT”seed extract as I accidentally purchased grape seed extract. It is not the same thing.
Anastasia says
Yep that actually happened when I went to the store today, lol! They had the little “aroma therapy” bottles and the larger bottle (a full liter) of the right stuff, next to the vinegar of course, lol, AND I check the biokleen and the purple box and bottle BOTH have grapefruit and orange extract (I’m shortening here, lol) and the clerk was PREGNANT so she got a Demo and a few web links. Not to mention actually getting her hand on the clean Flip in my bag and seeing my weehuggers and bag, lol! (note to self, go back with a list of links and such for the store to keep on hand, since a family runs it) 2nd time this week, lol! Last time my angel’s DOLL was wearing a stripped down Bitti Tutto (on a bitti baby no less, lol) and another pregnant mom asked after watching another sposie blow out at the park, lol! But apparently biokleen has it and I WILL be picking up an emergency box and rewashing all dipes and undies in it! (hey we need clean stuff too)
Karen says
I’m curious about the vinegar and tea tree oil in the wash… I have researched this a bit myself and couldn’t find any references that they had been tested for disinfection properties when diluted in water. They have been tested and proven effective when used full strength (think for use on countertops or cutting boards). But they haven’t been tested when significantly diluted in water. This makes a huge difference, I’d love to know if the original author has managed to find such tests…
And not to seem argumentative but I disagree with the original author on a couple of other points as well. Oxygen bleaches will fade clothing if used in too heavy a concentration and/or left to soak for too long. I have had this happen myself… It works by chemically reacting with water to form hydrogen peroxide so whatever warnings apply to peroxide apply to oxygen bleaches as well.
And finally the sun… It is indeed a great disinfectant but only when the sun’s UV rays can actually reach ALL the layers of fabric. If you’re talking flats then yes, they’re probably being disinfected effectively. But if you’re talking prefolds or fitteds with 6-8 layers then probably only the first layer (maybe parts of the second if it’s a loose weave) is actually exposed to the disinfecting UV rays.
Just a few things to keep in mind…
Rachael says
What your latitude is will make a difference. Down south, I have regularly burned under my clothes (usually a t-shirt or other light fabric), because the sun was so strong. But, up in WI, I’ve been able to stay out for an hour before burning.
Here, in Central Texas, in the summer, I’m guessing even the inside layer s of multi-layer items does get some good disinfection — also via the amount of heat and dryness imposed upon the drying item!
Autumn Beck says
Karen, thank you for your input!
Anastasia says
Same here, in FL, burned at a christmas party, lol! (so definitely fully dressed, it was cold) and YES the longer you let something soak in oxygen bleach the MORE likely it is to fall apart. I washed a load recently and found that out the hard way! All the towels I disinfected were gone (Literally shredded) but the dipes (which I never leave more then a few hours) were fine. I soaked them separately, and cuz the towels were extra nasty I left them longer and repeatedly resoaked them. OOPS, will never do that again…..Washed all together but soaked separately.
Rachael says
This is interesting in the context of sanitizing food surfaces. They tested diluted TTO, vinegar, borax, and bleach and only the bleach was good enough for I will keep hunting for more appropriate articles, I’m missing out on my unlimited scholarly journal access!
Stephanie says
What a great post! Such good information. Thanks for sharing! I’ve used some of the disinfectant treatments listed above but not in the manner she had suggested, so my way probably wasn’t very effective.
Chanda says
Borax works great! I use it all the time. I just stripped my sons cd’s yesterday and I used borax and it worked awesome!
Jackie says
I may be mistaken, but I believe Biokleen utilises (or maybe did in the past) GSE in its Plus laundry powder and possibly its oxygen bleach as well.
Anastasia says
Both the purple box and bottle have grape and orange in them, lol! (I’m shortening the names) I even compared them to the bottles so the clerk at the natural food store could see the difference.
Sabrina Radke says
Great information! My little one had c-diff and the Dr’s were clueless about treating our cloth to kill the bacteria and we ended up losing our entire stash (diapers, wipes, wet bags) even after double bleach washing! Yikes! This is great info! Thanks!
Yara says
I’d forgotten about GSE. I had to use it on my second daughter when she got a horrible rash that wouldn’t go away (ironically, she got it when I’d washed her diapers with econuts.)