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 soaksā€”no matter what you call themā€”are not effective cleaning methods. All in all, a ā€˜strip 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.

Stovetop sanitise

Stovetop sanitising is appropriate for delicate items which need sanitising but cannot be put through high heat or chlorine bleach.

Before and after of a white t-shirt with a fruit stain. The stain was removed using the Clean Cloth NappiesĀ Chlorine Bleach SanitiseĀ®Ā method
Stains removed from a cloth nappy insert using Clean Cloth Nappies Chlorine Bleach SanitiseĀ® method

Remove mould from textiles

Bugaboo Cameleon stroller, close up of seat and straps showing mould and stains
Bugaboo Cameleon stroller, close up of seat and straps showing mould and stains
Bugaboo Cameleon stroller, clean and mould free
An amazing before and after transformation of a mould-covered pram, by a Clean Cloth Nappies Facebook group member.
Before and after of a Jamie Kay dress that was covered in mould by a Clean Cloth Nappies Facebook group member using the Clean Cloth Nappies Chlorine bleach SanitiseĀ® method

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/ donā€™t smell) option is suitable for PUL covers, AIOs and inserts.

Suitability by fabric
Sanitise method Colours PUL Whites
90/95°C sanitise cycle
Front loader chlorine bleach
Top loader chlorine bleach
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.

Suitability by application
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/ donā€™t 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 Coloured/non colourfast option for fabrics 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
  1. 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>.
  2. 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/>.
  3. 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/>.
  4. 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>.
  5. 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/>.
  6. 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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