Single-cycle routine (daycare protocol) for cloth nappies
Oxidise stains, break down ammonia and remove the fungal load from nappies. Developed for use in early childhood education and family daycare centres.
Sanitise and stain removal for modern cloth nappies and textiles
Our sanitise methods cover ammonia, stain removal, mouldy textiles, prams and wool. We have helped tens of thousands of users worldwide.
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We have helped thousands of users worldwide remove stains, smells and ammonia. Our sanitise and stain removal information covers modern cloth nappies, PUL, mouldy textiles, prams and wool. Our team of qualified chemists developed and tested these methods, and we are constantly improving them.
Say goodbye to strip-washing
Stripping, strip washes, and strip soaksāno matter what you call themāare not effective cleaning methods. All in all, a āstrip washā is either just washing or soaking. You can get the same, or better, results using a long warm/ hot wash with detergent and laundry booster in your washing machine.
We no longer recommend strip washing prior to sanitising nappies or textiles. Instead, we recommend a short wash to remove soiling (poo, wee, blood, food).
If you are sanitising your own nappies, wash them first. A nappy first wash is sufficient. If you are sanitising second-hand nappies and they are not visibly physically soiled there is no need to wash them first.
Reasons to Sanitiseā¢ cloth nappies
Sanitisation removes ammonia and any microbes that can cause problems like redness, rashes and fabric degradation.
Even with the best wash routine and washing machine, cloth nappies and diapers can smell and get stained (after all, their job is to catch poo and urine). The good news is it is easy to fix and get them back to stain-free, and smelling great.
Reasons to sanitise include:
- Second-hand purchases
- Washing nappies in cold water
- Using a less-than-great detergent
- Smells, stinks and stains
- Mould
- Nappy rash or redness
- Fungal infections
- Bacterial infections
Sanitising within an early childhood education centre
You may also need to sanitise cloth nappies and diapers shared among non-siblings, such as in an early childhood education centre or family daycare setting. Learn more about our single-cycle protocol.
Our sanitise methods
Our original chlorine bleach calculator has 26 31 different options to choose from, including ammonia smells (mild, moderate, significant), cold water washes, mould (minor, moderate and significant), single cycle nappy washes, second-hand nappies, minor stains, major stains, bacterial infections (Staphylococcus, Impetigo, Salmonella, Listeria), fungal infections and more.
After we launched our revolutionary sanitise calculator in 2020 our members asked for specialist advice on mouldy textiles and cleaning prams. We created stand-alone calculators to cater to these situations.
Bleach in-wash stain removal (bleach in prewash calculator)
Adding bleach to your nappy first wash is the most economical, effective and sustainable way to improve your nappy routine.
Chlorine bleach sanitise for cloth nappies
Remove stains and smells from cloth nappies, diapers, clothes and general laundry with our chlorine bleach calculator.
Treating and sanitising mouldy textiles
Learn how to effectively and safely remove mould from textiles using our chlorine bleach sanitise method.
Cleaning and sanitising prams and strollers
Learn how to clean prams and strollers. Remove mould and make it safe to use. Save yourself money and prevent landfill.
90/95Ā°C heat sanitise cycle for cloth nappies and textiles
Most Front Loader washing machines have a 90/95Ā°C sanitise cycle. This is an effective method for sanitising nappies and bouncing ammonia.
Stovetop sanitise
Stovetop sanitising is appropriate for delicate items that need sanitising but cannot tolerate high heat or chlorine bleach.
Remove mould from textiles
Sanitise quick reference tables
Use these quick reference tables to determine which method (or methods) is suitable to sanitise your items.
Note: some options output the same bleach concentration. In this situation there is no need to run separate wash cycles. For example, the Second-hand nappies (unstained/ donāt smell) option is suitable for PUL covers, AIOs and inserts.
| Sanitise method | Colours | PUL | Whites |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90/95°C sanitise cycle | Not suitable for PUL | ||
| Front loader chlorine bleach | Not suitable for coloured and noncolourfast fabrics | ||
| Top loader chlorine bleach | Not suitable for coloured and noncolourfast fabrics | ||
| Small scale chlorine bleach |
*Fabric may fade or shrink, and prints and decals may crack or peel during a 90/95°C sanitise cycle. If you are unsure how the item will react to heat use the Small Scale chlorine bleach method instead.
| Sanitise application | Coloursā | PUL | Whites |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ammonia (mild) | |||
| Ammonia (moderate) | |||
| Ammonia (significant) | |||
| Ammonia (moderate-significant PUL limit) | |||
| Bacterial infection: Impetigo | |||
| Bacterial infection: Listeria | |||
| Bacterial infection: Salmonella | |||
| Bacterial infection: Staphylococcus | |||
| Cold wash (first wash) | |||
| Cold wash (main wash) | |||
| First wash (prewash) stain removal | |||
| Fungal infections: Candida species | |||
| Fungal infection: Tinea/ Ringworm | |||
| Fungal infection (non-colourfast safe) | |||
| Mould (minor) | |||
| Mould (moderate) | |||
| Mould (significant) | |||
| Mould (non-colourfast safe) | |||
| Mould (moderate-significant – PUL limit) | |||
| Nuke everything (I have no fear) | |||
| Second-hand nappies (unstained/ donāt smell) | |||
| Second-hand nappies (minor stains) | |||
| Second-hand nappies (moderately stained/smelly) | |||
| Second-hand nappies (significantly stained/ smelly) | |||
| Second-hand nappies (moderate-significantly stained/ smelly PUL limit) | |||
| Single-cycle routine | |||
| Stains (minor) | |||
| Stains (moderate) | |||
| Stains (significant) | |||
| Stains (non-colourfast safe) | |||
| Stains (moderate-significant PUL limit) |
ā Use the non-colourfast option for natural fibres, or natural fibre blends, that are coloured or dyed (for example cotton or bamboo). Other options use a higher concentration of chlorine bleach and may result in those fabrics fading.
References and further reading
- W Rutala, D Weber, and the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC), Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities, 2008 (September 26, 2024) <https://www.cdc.gov/infection-control/media/pdfs/guideline-disinfection-h.pdf>.
- K Reynolds, S Boone, K Bright, C Gerba, Occurrence of Household Mold and Efficacy of Sodium Hypochlorite Disinfectant (September 26, 2024) <https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23016564/>.
- S. Wilson, C Wu, L Andriychuk, J Martin, T Brasel, C Jumper, D Straus, Effect of Chlorine Dioxide Gas on Fungi and Mycotoxins Associated with Sick Building Syndrome (September 26, 2024) <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1214660/>.
- M Korukluoglu, Y Sahan, A Yigit, The fungicidal efficacy of various commercial disinfectants used in the food industry (September 26, 2024) <https://annalsmicrobiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1007/BF03175025>.
- Z Mohamad, Stachybotrys chartarum: its identification and response to antimicrobial treatment and prevention, 2018 (September 26, 2024) <https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10053763/>.
- Jennifer L. Cadnum, Aaron A. Shaikh, Christina T. Piedrahita, Thriveen Sankar, Annette L. Jencson, Emily L. Larkin, Mahmoud A. Ghannoum, Curtis J. Donskey, Effectiveness of Disinfectants Against Candida auris and Other Candida Species (September 26, 2024) <https://www.chicagohan.org/documents/14171/427345/Effectiveness+of+Disinfectants+against+C.+auris+ICHE+2017.pdf>.
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