Stain Removal

[quantumleap]

I have a great diaper stash, and basically everything is stained. I wouldn't care at all, but most of the dipes are loaners from a friend, and they came to me in immaculate condition despite having been through two children already. DD is starting to grow out of them, so I need to get them back to her. Ergo, I need to get the stains out. I've tried baking soda, vinegar, hot washes, cold washes, warm washes, I even, in desperation, resorted to an oxygen stain remover. Nothing has really made a difference. DD is only 2.5 months old, and nothing but breastmilk has ever passed her lips. Everyone told me ebf poop doesn't stain!!!!
What can I do??! Oh, we're getting some sun these days, but it's still -40C. I haven't tried sunning them cause, well, it's -40, but I could go brush the snow off the clothesline and hang them out there. Would that make any sort of difference? Please help!
Thanks.

[lab80]

i'd definatly give sunning them a try. what kind of diapers are they? you might want to try Bac-Out or Simple Green (it's in the auto section here). both need to be rinsed out really well.

[jocelynr]

Breastmilk poo definitely stains! Try sunning--I think that's what will make the most difference!

[quantumleap]

Ok, I'll go dust the snow off of the clothesline! It's mostly the kissaluvs that are stained. For some reason the synthetic fibers seem to not hold the stain (why?).
Bah! I hope it comes out. I feel terrible.

[rightkindofme]

Sun them and it should all come out. My Kissaluvs look all new and perty.

[EmmalinesMom]

Good luck! Sunning (even with somewhat mild sun) has helped staining here.

[baileyann3]

Do you hang them wet to dry? Sorry "sun" as a verb, is new to me.

[painefaria]

I have actually seen recommendation to lay them flat on the ground so they get more direct sun. (obviously not in a mud puddle )

[DevaMajka]

From what I've read, it's much better to hang them wet. Also, I've read that it also works (maybe not as well?) to sun them inside, where they would get a lot of sun.

[quantumleap]

You're supposed to hang them wet?! What happens when it's -50C?! Obviously, they're going to freeze, but if the sun will work it's magic anyway...
Maybe I'll hang some wet and some dry, and report back.

[felix23]

I've had diapers frozen with icecicles hanging off of them, but when the sun came out, the stains faded. So IME, sunning does work in freezing weather. Good luck with your stains!

[messy mama]

I've sunned them when they were completely dry before and it works. It just takes a longer.

I think sunning w/ the snow would be great, it would be reflecting those UV rays all over the place.

[syd'smom]

If you want to avoid the cold (and yes I too am sick of the snow), try sunning them inside by a south facing window. Probably not as good as outside, but you could try. Otherwise wait until srping - I just set mine outside on the table (dry) and the sun did magic in usually a day (sometimes too if they were really stained. I didn't believe the sun would work until I tried it!

[ChetMC]

If Sunning Doesn't Work

If sunning them doesn't work, or you're in a hurry, soaking six hours in Oxyclean should do it (it could take less time, but I believe that the Oxyclean is active for six hours so there's no point in soaking longer).

I put a healthy sprinkle of Oxyclean on each stain, stack them up in a 5 gallon pail, fill with hot water, stir the pail occasionally, and then do a wash with lots of rinsing after they soak. Oxyclean eats organic based stains.

However, with anything coloured, I've found that the Oxyclean will remove the colour in the spot where the stain was. This hasn't been an issue for us though, because we only have white diapers.

[quantumleap]

I just put the two diapers we're fininshed with out on the front porch (wet) this morning. DD and I walked to the grocery tore, and when we came back an hour or two later, the diapers were weapons (seriously. rock hard. I'm sure you could knock a person unconscious with one). But, they're also much less stained! I didn't honestly think it would work, but it is! I don't know that they'll be completely unblemished by the time I need to return them, but I do think it'll be a lot better.
I'm still baffled at how my friend kept them stain free through two childrem though. She says she uses the same soap I do, and doesn't do anything special to them. It's a puzzle.