If properly prepared, second-hand cloth diapers do not pose a sanitary concern. If you know and trust the source of the diapers, a good washing is enough. But if you are unsure about the seller or the diapers are not in the best of shape, you should disinfect them.

Use make-shift diapers Create a sumo-style diaper back-up by putting a dish cloths, flour sack, burp cloth, or cotton diaper prefold in between baby’s legs, held in place with a make-shift diaper belt (make your own here or cut off the waistband of a pair of elastic baby pants – I’ve even used a larger hair scrunchie).

If you find that your baby’s skin is sensitive you may want to look for diapers that are chlorine-free, fragrance-free and dye-free. Most cloth diapers fasten without sharp pins. If the thought of fastening a squirmy little one’s diaper with a safety pin makes you nervous, you’re not alone.

Diapers can hold bacteria and yeast in them from one baby to another. I always recommend doing a bleach (preferably oxygen bleach) soak with your diapers prior to putting used diapers on your baby. Soak your diapers in a bucket, bathtub or in your washing machine overnight with water and 1/2 to 1 cup of bleach.

Process: Soak diapers in the bleach solution for at least 30 minutes, but no longer than an hour. Rinse the diapers with hot water, followed by a regular (warm water) cycle in the washing machine, complete with detergent to completely break down the bleach. Dry as normal.

Going more than a couple of days can result in mildew stains, or more washes to get the diapers clean. It’s best to do cloth diaper laundry every two or three days.

Bleach will not harm your cloth diapers or the PUL. The amount of bleach we recommend is very small after it is diluted by the water from your wash machine. Bleach can also help remove stains. ALWAYS add an extra rinse to your wash load after using bleach.

Soak (to sanitize used diapers or after stripping): 4 cups of hydrogen peroxide + 1 cup of borax : 1/2 bathtub of COLD water (or a medium load in a non-HE washing machine). Wash (during treatment of a yeast or other bacterial/fungal infection): 4 cups of hydrogen peroxide + 1 cup of borax + detergent to each wash load.

Sanitize & Disinfect Laundry in HE Washing Machines OxiClean™ Laundry & Home Sanitizer is formulated to disinfect viruses†, sanitize laundry and disinfect bacteria in High-Efficiency machines. Wash 15 minutes in warm water.

But cloth diapers can hold onto the yeast for longer than anything and every time you put it back on your baby’s bum the yeast will be in contact with the skin and the infection will continue to thrive.It is advisable to use disposables for the duration of the rash and for 2 weeks after it has cleared.

So while oxygen bleach isn’t as powerful as chlorine bleach and probably isn’t enough on its own to kill yeast, it can’t hurt to add it while trying to rid your diapers of yeast and other bacteria.

According to Clorox, chlorine bleach will kill yeast in the laundry. Vinegar may also be effective in killing yeast in laundry and will not harm or discolor fabrics. Color-safe bleaches that contain hydrogen peroxide do not possess the disinfecting power of regular bleach.

“I encourage my patients to use unscented soap like Dove bar soap, and to use the least amount of soap possible,” she says. It’s fragrance-free….Langdon recommends other fragrance-free, gentle soaps, too:

• Eucerin.
• Aveeno. Fragrance-Free Bar Soap.
• Basis. Sensitive Skin Bar.
• Dial. Basics.
• Neutrogena. Liquid Cleanser.

“You can take wadded up newspaper or paper towels and spray them down with Lysol and stuff them in the shoes and just leave them there overnight. That’ll kill the fungus in there. It is effective against gram positive/negative bacteria, fungi, yeast, mildew and even the frightening “super-bug” MRSA.

Stores can’t restock them fast enough. Lysol and Clorox cleaning supplies sell out as quickly as they appear. Since then, Lysol products were approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for protecting against coronavirus, so that put them in even higher demand.

“Lysol spray is a disinfectant — it’s designed for use on surfaces,” said Joe Rubino, director of research and development for microbiology at Reckitt Benckiser, Lysol’s parent company. “It is not meant to be used on the body, whether it be humans or pets. By no means should you do that.”

While surface cleaners will remove dirt and grime, disinfectants kill germs and sanitize your surfaces. Most disinfectants state that you should let the product sit before wiping the surface down. Not letting the product sit long enough can limit the product’s effectiveness.

Disinfectant Sprays Versus Wipes According to the American Journal of Infection Control, disinfectant wipes produced much better results when compared to spray-based disinfectants. It has been demonstrated that wipes are more effective and better for gym equipment.

2 years