How to Deep-Clean Cloth Diapers on the Cheap

This process will take a few days to get your diapers "nearly new" but is worth it when prepping for a new baby or for retiring your diapers. (See post about retiring diapers).

Gather a batch of clean and repaired diapers, covers, and inserts that you want to get back to some dignity. Treat all stains (Stain treatment post) and wash in cold water with laundry detergent and the homemade oxi-clean alternative.

Removing Stains/Spots

Spray a mix of 2 parts hydrogen peroxide and 1 part homemade dish soap. Sprinkle the stain with dry baking soda and lightly scrub the stain. Let sit overnight. Wash the baking soda mixture out thoroughly with lukewarm water in the morning. Then, soak in undiluted white vinegar for 15 minutes. Gently squeeze out the extra vinegar and rinse just the bucket out (leaving the vinegar on the wool covers).

For Deep Cleaning All Diapers, Covers, and Inserts

Soak the diapers, covers, and inserts in warm water and a squirt of homemade dish soap for 30 minutes. This will allow you to see the stains more clearly and provide a moist base for scrubbing out those stains.

Then apply a bar of castile soap directly onto the diaper/cover/insert and scrub using an old toothbrush.

To clean your diapers, covers, and inserts, concentrate primarily on each stain first, moving to the edges of the insert and repeating the process on the other side.

For diapers, covers, or inserts with cloth diaper cream buildup, it may take several scrubbing sessions but you should be able to remove the majority of the crusty diaper cream buildup.

Once the diaper/cover/insert is thoroughly scrubbed, fully rinse with warm water, wringing it out and re-rinsing 3 to 4 times.

It’s important to fully rinse your diapers, covers, and inserts to wash out the castile soap, which suds a lot and can create problems in a washing machine.

Whitening the Diapers, Covers, and Inserts (Optional)

In a container, soak the diapers, covers, and inserts you would like whitened in one cup of bleach alternative overnight with enough water to cover them and wash with detergent in cold water in the morning. Dry the diapers, covers, and inserts in sunlight if possible, being sure to lay wool covers flat to dry.

For the whitest diapers, alternate the methods found in this post after getting out stains and stripping diapers. This gives them the "brand-new" look that you get with storebought white clothing or diapers.

Deep Cleaning with Oxi-Clean Alternative

Next, soak all of the diapers, covers, and inserts with the homemade oxi-clean alternative and enough water to cover in a container for 1/2 hour to an hour. Then, carry the cloth diaper bucket to the clothes washer and wash them in a warm regular wash cycle with detergent. Dry the diapers, covers, and inserts in sunlight if possible, being sure to lay wool covers flat to dry.

If there are still stains

Make a paste of Barkeeper's Friend with water and leave on the stain for 5 minutes before washing with detergent and cold water. See the safety of Barkeeper's ingredients here.

For That Extra Oomph with Wool Covers and Velcro on Covers

For wool covers, this is a great time to lanolize before putting them away. It only takes 2-4 minutes, besides soaking and drying time!

To lanolize wool diaper covers

1. Wash your wool diaper covers in lukewarm to warm water with a wool wash or soap nuts.


2. While your covers are soaking in their wash (for at least 15 minutes), boil about 1 cup of water. Add a pea-sized drop of lanolin.


3. Rinse your covers in lukewarm water.


4. Turn your covers inside out and put them in a bowl with lukewarm water. Add the lanolin mixture. Massage your covers to get them coated. Leave your  covers to soak for about 30 minutes.


5. After about 30 minutes, gently squeeze the water out, and roll covers in a towel; stand on it two or three times. Lay or hang them to dry inside out in the sunshine. This takes up to 24 to 48 hours, depending on if you lay them in the sunshine to dry or not. (Sometimes it's not sunny outside or you don't have a place to lay flat outside.)

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To clear pilling on wool

Use a razor blade pushed away from your fingers to remove little balls of wool and keep your wool covers looking as spiffy as possible.

To clean diaper cover velcro and make it work better

1. Use a Snappi, a fine tooth comb or the tines of tape dispenser to clean out any threads or other junk stuck in the velcro.


2. Use a dry old wooden toothbrush (harder bristles than plastic ones) to clean finer particles of dust and lint out of the velcro.


3. Use a reusable lint roller to get the finest particles of dust and lint out of the velcro.


4. Use a razor blade pushed away from your fingers to clear pilling (unsightly balls of the softer velcro).


5. Lightly and quickly go over the soft side of the Velcro with a lighter, not burning it, just going over it lightly to get it working better.


6. To keep velcro lasting as long as possible: buy your own velcro and cut into pieces for attaching to your covers laundry tabs, instead of using the soft laundry tabs that come with them. This prevents diaper covers being folded over and keeps them flat. It also prevents covers from sticking to pretty much everything else in the laundry, i.e. laundry chains.

The Results Are: A "Nearly New" Diaper Stash

Once sun-dried, my diapers, covers, and inserts came out "nearly new"! Since I repaired them before deep-cleaning and made a few upcycled covers and "one-size" fitted diapers from clothing I had, my whole stash feels brand new. I didn't have to buy any more diapers. A few spots remain, but nothing like the stained mess they were.

I recommend doing this process for deep cleaning cloth diapers when passing on diapers to a new baby or retiring your diapers. (See post about retiring diapers). If you would like to keep your diapers neater looking, you would repeat this process every 6 months to a year when in use. Personally, I just don't have the time or moxie to do this except when I'm nesting.