To sun or not to sun, that is the question. In almost two years of cloth diapering, I’ve rarely sunned my diapers because a.) we used prefolds almost exclusively for the first 8 months (no muss, no fuss diapering), b.) we were without a clothesline, and c.) I just didn’t have much of a need to because of using diaper liners. We’ve installed a clothesline, here at our new home, and I’ve quickly taken to it. My current record? Three loads of laundry dried on the line in one day, not too shabby, eh? The best part is that my cloth diapers are looking and smelling fabulous.
Sunlight as a natural disinfectant
Well, technically, the UV rays the sun emits serve as to disinfect, and many third world countries use solar treatment to disinfect their drinking water. The disinfectant properties of sunning diapers are the most likely reason why my son’s diapers are smelling fresh as a daisy (not that we had a stink problem, but they do tend to carry a bit of a…smell after a while).
Sunlight as a natural bleaching agent
I love that WikiHow has this informative graphic with detailed instructions for solar bleaching cloth diapers. I’m here to show you that you need not use lemon juice or vinegar to get results from sun bleaching your diapers; simply wash your cloth diapers, hang or lay out in the sun, and let UV rays do the rest. I am, however, interested in using lemon juice and vinegar to tackle some stubborn stains.
My little guy’s recent bout with norovirus rendered our cloth diaper liners useless and stained our organic cotton diapers. While I knew that the diapers were clean, I hated the fact that they didn’t look clean, despite my diaper lining diligence. I hung the diapers on the line and eagerly waited for the sun to do it’s job. Here are the impressive results after 6 hours:
Stained bumGenius Elemental Cloth Diaper
I’ve been delighted with the impressive results from sunning my cloth diapers, and can’t wait to see some of my organic cotton diapers looking pristine. I love purchasing used cloth diapers as an economic way to try a lot of different styles and brands, and often the diapers have stains. Used cloth diaper stains don’t bother me, but I’m happy to report that even the most stubborn of stains have disappeared from my used diapers and inserts (my organic cotton diapers and inserts stain the easiest).
Do you sun your cloth diapers? Have you been able to eliminate pesky stains from your cloth diapers with sunning?
I don’t, but like you, I line my white interior diapers. I’ll keep this in mind for when they inevitably get stained!
It works like a charm!
I haven’t sunned but I want to. We aren’t allowed to hang clothes outside at our apartment complex. 🙁 which makes it tougher
Are you able to hang in a window or set on a window sill? You can still grab those UV rays indoors!
I tried sunning once, but dragging my laundry upstairs and outside was too much work. I do notn’t care about the stains, and I do not have a problem with odors, so I just dry my fluff in the basement laundry room. But, yes, sunning can do wonders if needed!
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Can you tell that I was new to sunning diapers? The awe and amazement I experienced when I first began hanging them outside on the line is unparalleled! 😉
The first time I tried it I couldn’t believe the results! We now have a clothes line but it keeps raining! Mine are in need of a serious sunning!
Is that (what’s pictured) the best way to hang smart bottoms to dry? I’m amazed every time I’ve sunned diapers, it’s amazing what the sun can do!
Hi Chantel,
That’s how I hang them to sun them. Over the winter, when I hang dry inside, I use the octopus from IKEA and clip them where the ‘tongue’ is sewn to the liner.