“Stripping” the Ol’ Fuzzibunzs’

I started using Fuzzibunz cloth pocket diapers when Ryan was about 18 months old.  I absolutely LOVE them!  They are so easy to use, and it is great being able to customize the amount of protection needed, by simply inserting another insert, or even wrapping the inserts with a cloth (I use one insert and then wrap that in a microfiber cloth.)

Most of the Fuzzibunz I got for Ryan were size large, but as soon as I found out I was having another baby, I started buying the size smalls and mediums.  Cole has been in Fuzzibunz since he was born, and while I still use disposables on occasion, I can only imagine how much money we have saved by using cloth the majority of the time.  At first I thought I would hate doing the extra laundry, and how do you get the solids off the diaper, it was gross, etc.

I started using flushable diaper liners with Ryan in the Fuzzibunz, and those work great for me.  I just set a liner in each diaper, and then when it is soiled, I can just pick the liner out, and dispose of it.  I have enough diapers that I only have to wash them every two or three days (if I push it), so it hasn’t been that big of a deal.  We also invested in a front-loading washing machine, and with the exception of about two cold months in the winter, I hang them up outside to line dry, so it is VERY economical for us to launder the diapers.

The only downside I have had with the Fuzzibunz, is sometimes they seem to hold in the unpleasant smells, despite several washings and hanging them out in the sun to dry.  I have heard that using too much detergent can cause this, and heard you could “strip” the diapers to get rid of this.  I wasn’t sure how to do it, but looked it up yesterday and did it last night. 

I am pleased to report that I have my clean smelling Fuzzibunzs’ back!  With a front-loading washing machine, you really have to cut down on the amount of detergent used, so I think I was using too much.  I’ll have to use about half of what I was using so this doesn’t happen again.  Here is what I did that worked so well:

1.  Wash all diapers, inserts, and anything else you stuff in the diaper on a hot wash (no detergent).

2.  Wash everything again in a hot wash with detergent (Allen’s Natural was suggested, but I used my high efficiency natural wash for front-loaders from Costco, and it worked fine).

3.  Run a cold-water rinse.  If smells still linger, repeat the cold-water rinse.

4. Line dry, or tumble dry in dryer.

I only did the cold water rinse once, and noticed just a faint, faint smell in a few diapers, after they had dried, so if I had to do it again, I would have run one more cold-water rinse.  Also, this took about three hours just to wash them, (not counting the time it took to line dry), so make sure you have enough time.  I think you will be pleased with the results if you have a need to do this. 

Happy diapering!!!  🙂