Stripping Diapers Using Rockin' Green Soap

See also: What is Diaper Stripping?

If your diapers need stripping and you've already tried stripping with plain old hot water, then you might want to turn to a product you may already have around your house--good old, cloth-diaper safe Rockin' Green Soap. Many people use Rockin' Green already for their normal diaper wash routine, or, if you're like me, you may have a couple of sample packs laying around from prizes you've won, or from loot bags from events such as The Great Cloth Diaper Change. If you've simply been saving them for a rainy day, these sample packs are perfect for diaper stripping! If you don't have any sample packs just laying around, you can quickly order a few at only 75 cents each from Rockin' Green directly.

To remove built up minerals and detergent residues from your diapers, you can "Rock the Soak" and have great results with very little effort! The steps are simple (and are included on every pack of Rockin' Green):

In a top-loader:

1. Dissolve 3 Tbsp of Rockin' Green soap (whichever formula/scent works best for your home) in a washer full of your hottest water
2. Add all the diapers and inserts that you are concerned about (or simply do your whole stash, to freshen it up!)
3. Allow to sit and soak, fully submersed, for 30-60 minutes at a minimum. If buildup is bad, leave diapers soaking for several hours or even overnight.
4. Once the soak is finished, then launder your diapers as usual, but do not add any extra detergent.
5. Add a few extra rinses to get rid of any extra suds and gunk.

In a front-loader:

1. Dissolve 3 Tbsp of Rockin' Green soap (whichever formula/scent works best for your home) in a basin or bathtub full of your hottest water. Alternately, you can dissolve about 1-2 Tbsp of the soap in your front-loader and attempt to get it to soak manually by adding extra water, selecting a "soak" function if you have one, or hitting the pause button. However, I have NEVER gotten a good soak in my front loader and definitely recommend using the bathtub. Especially if you are using your bathtub, I would recommend starting with 'clean' diapers (i.e. ones that have already been washed free of urine & feces).
2. Add all the diapers and inserts that you are concerned about (or simply do your whole stash, to freshen it up!)
3. Allow to sit and soak, fully submersed, for 30-60 minutes at a minimum. If buildup is bad, leave diapers soaking for several hours or even overnight.
4. Once the soak is finished, then launder your diapers as usual in your washing machine, but do not add any extra detergent.
5. Add a few extra rinses to get rid of any extra suds and gunk.

A couple things to keep in mind is that Rockin' Green has special formulas for different types of water (soft, classic & hard), so you should try to select a formula that will work best for your type of water. Also keep in mind that soft water will create more suds, so you may not need the full 3 Tbsp of soap if your water is extremely soft.

When rinsing, be sure to continue rinsing (even on warm or hot) until NO SUDS remain at all. If you leave suds in there, even Rockin' Green suds, your buildup problems will remain or even get worse.

If ammonia is your problem, Rockin' Green even has a special formula called Funk Rock, which is an ammonia bouncer to remove strong ammonia residues from your dipes and inserts.

I did a superhot overnight soak in my bathtub on our entire diaper stash, and even though they weren't having any major problems, I couldn't believe just how fluffy the diapers came out (the microfibre inserts that had begun to get quite matted came out looking brand new again!). So, this is great to do every few months when you think problems might be cropping up (i.e. before things get really bad!), but you can also do it routinely or preventatively from time to time, especially if you have hard water or are prone to diaper buildup for other reasons. Rocking a Soak is especially easy to do in top loaders before each and every wash routine (for a quick 30-60 minute soak).

And also, don't forget, in order to prevent buildup problems from happening again,

- always wash diapers in hot water and high water levels
- always rinse diapers several times (possibly even in warmer water) after laundering with soap
- use the least amount of detergent possible
- use only cloth diaper approved detergents
- never add fabric softener or use dryer sheets
- avoid the use of thick, non cloth diaper approved creams

Photo credit: via Rockin' Green Soap