Cloth 201: Cloth diapers and mold

I know it's a holiday, but quick... did you grab that wet bag out of the trunk of the car when you came home last night? If not, go run and grab it before you get distracted. It's so easy to get distracted and lose track of a diaper or two, or even worse, your whole stash.

It's sad, but we often hear stories of a cloth diapering parent's worst nightmare... losing part or all of their cloth diaper stash due to mold, mildew or worse. Mold will look like little black dots scattered in the fibers of your cloth diapers. Mildew looks more like a rash and is usually a brown or rust color, often found in patches. Both are easily preventable issues, as long as you know how to manage your wet and dirty cloth diapers.

To prevent mold at home, always make sure to clean out your diaper pail. Give it a quick wipe with your favorite cleaner each time you empty it. You could also use a pail liner and just toss it into your washer with your cloth diaper laundry. Same rule goes for wet bags - just add it to your cloth diaper laundry each time you empty it. Getting rid of those germs will help to keep mold away.

Using a vented pail or a wet bag will also help to prevent mold. Air flow reduces the chance of mold, so using a diaper pail that is completely closed or storing a dirty cloth diaper in a plastic bag increases your risk of mold and how quickly it can happen.

Do you use cloth wipes? If you pre-wet them, make sure to only wet enough for a day or two at a time and to also clean your wipe container regularly, just like your diaper pail. Pre-moistened cloth wipes can potentially grow mold, which could potentially contaminate your cloth diapers during laundry cycles.

If you do happen to leave a diaper in a plastic bag a little too long, don't worry. Wash the diaper with mold or mildew with the recommend 1/4 cup of bleach in the hot water cycle. This should kill off any growing microbes. However, mold and mildew will often stain. The stain may remain, but will usually fade in time with additional washes.

One other way to prevent mold - make sure you to check your diaper pail, wet bags, washer and dryer before you leave home for a long weekend or vacation. An ounce of prevention will save you a lot of time and trouble later.

If you have further questions about how to prevent mold and mildew or to treat it, give our experienced team a call at 1-888-332-2243. We are always glad to assist.