Cleaning factors: removing soiling, stains and smells

The more soiled and stained an item, the more detergent and stain removal products (chemicals) are needed to clean it. Learn how to adjust the detergent dose to achieve stain and smell-free washing.

Each wash cycle is different, the level of soiling is never identical. You might have the same cycle length and water temperature but the the soiling and staining of each load is different. This means you need to be mindful of when to adjust the detergent dose (and chemical factors).

~ Anastasia, Environmental Scientist and founding Facebook group admin

The difference between stains and soiling

We often use the words ‘stains’ and ‘soiling’ interchangeably, in reality, they are two different things. With cloth nappies, soiling is remaining bodily fluids. Staining is an area of discolouration that remains after washing after the soiling has been removed.

Removing soiling

Using enough quality detergent (chemical), improving machine loading (mechanical action) and increasing water temperature are the first options for removing soiling.

Your water hardness also determines how much detergent your laundry needs. Harder water requires more detergent. If you have very hard water, it may be more economical to use water-softening agents in addition to increasing the detergent dose.

In soft water, increasing the amount of detergent or using a laundry booster is likely to cause excess suds. Consider using a liquid detergent or adjusting the other cleaning factors in this case.

A bar of soap is a very effective method of removing soiling when softened and applied directly to the soiling. Chemically speaking, soap doesn’t remove stains, but with the mechanical action of the washing machine and friction against other items, it assists in the physical removal of dirt, food and poo.

Removing staining

Residual food stains (such as tomato sauce) on clothing or sorbitol stains on nappies are different from soiling. These are oxidisable stains, which are caused by leftover pigment. This distinction is important as even though the items are stained they aren’t necessarily dirty. 

Non-oxidisable stains 

A non-oxidisable stain is one that cannot be removed with chlorine bleach or oxygen bleach (laundry booster). A common non-oxidisable stain is pen or marker ink. These types of stains require specific solvents to be removed. 

Another common non-oxidisable stain which appears as grey or white marks on nappies, is embedded rash cream. Applying a bar of soap to the stain, increasing the wash temperature to 60°C and the cycle length is the best method to remove this type of stain. 

Choosing a stain removal product

Some stains will remain, even after adjusting the wash cycle length, water temperature, loading and detergent. This is when additional laundry stain removers help.  

Everyone has different priorities for time, effort, and cost so each method meets different needs. 

Effective stain removal products include: 

• Stain removal spray
• Laundry booster
• Chlorine bleach

Adding bleach to the first wash (prewash) is my number one tip for reliably clean nappies each and every time. It is the easiest, cheapest and most sustainable way to prevent stains, smells and ammonia. This simple addition solves the vast majority of issues that CCN members come to us with.

~ Anastasia, Environmental Scientist and founding Facebook group admin

Chlorine bleach works for all water hardness and machine types. It is the most effective and efficient way to remove biological stains such as poo and food. 

Pretreating soiled items with a softened bar of soap, and then adding diluted chlorine bleach to the wash cycles, removes both soiling and staining.

Preventing smells and stains checklist

If you are getting soiling or smells on your cloth nappies make sure to:

• Rinse poo within 24 hours
• Run a separate prewash cycle using detergent
• Use enough quality detergent in prewash and main wash
• Wash in warm-hot water (40⁰- 60⁰) for prewash and main wash
• Load the machine correctly for main wash
  • Front Loader
  • Traditional Top Loader
  • High-Efficiency (HE) Top Loader

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