BG elementals stripping ?

elittler

I was just given quite a few BG elemental diapers, but they need to be stripped. What's the easiest way to do this? I've heard dawn, but another person told me that wasn't a good idea.

Also, these feel super crunchy, despite them being clean. Is there a way I can prevent this? Maybe dry them in the dryer?

TJ1979

Why do you say they need to be stripped?

elittler

The lady said they needed to be stripped for stink? I haven't smelled them... and I've never encountered stink with the diapers we use currently.

freezorburn

Do you know if they were previously washed in hard water? Or what detergent the previous owner used?

TJ1979

Okay, if they stink and they are crunchy, my first thought would be detergent buildup.  I would do 4-5 hot water washes.  Or maybe start with 2-3 hot water washes, then throw in 1/4 cup bleach, and do 2-3 more hot water washes.  I always bleach used dipes, but would want to get some of the buildup out first.
Just my guesses.  Anyone else?

lookame3639

I'd start with 3 or 4 hot water strips (so run your usual wash cycle without any detergent)

elittler

Oh wow, sounds like an all day ordeal! Are these worth salvaging then, or is this a common problem? I don't know what her wash routine was, though she did say that she line dried them (so maybe that's why they're so crunchy?)

TJ1979

Elementals are expensive.  I'd say it's worth trying, if you aren't using a laundromat to wash.  Maybe do the first hot water rinse and look for bubbles.  If there are absolutely no bubbles, then my theory is washed out.  (Get it?  Washed out?  I'm so funny!)
Then you could skip straight to bleach and see how they smell.
I'm surprised she would sell diapers that she said herself stink.  That has me curious.

elittler

Haha!
They look pretty pricey. I have only used the 4.0s, and those are not cheap either.
I'll start with that, thanks!

And she was giving them away, so maybe the stink was her reason for just passing them along? I don't personally know the woman, I was just excited to try new diapers!

elittler

Oh, and should I do just a hot water rinse, or a hot water wash without detergent?

TJ1979

If you did a full hot water wash without detergent, you could probably get away with less number of cycles than if you just did rinses.  So I'd do a full cycle.  I've never actually stripped before though... so take that as you will.

Also, elementals are a natural fiber, not synthetic.  So they will be more prone to being crunchy if they aren't machine dried.  If you throw them in the dryer, they won't last as long, but they will be soft.  Or you can put them in the dryer for 15 minutes before putting them on the line.  Or you can line dry then fluff.

elittler

Can I take advantage of washing these and just do my regular diaper load with them? Or should I do these separately?

TJ1979

Oh no, I would definitely not wash your normal dipes with used dipes until you have the used dipes under control.  You don't want to mess up your good dipes.

jcwinsto

I was going to say that crunch+stink (after using I assume?) = possible mineral buildup. Maybe try a full hot wash without detergent. See if there are bubbles in any part of the cycle that would indicate detergent buildup. If not maybe try RLR in a full hot cycle. I would definately bleach them at some point before you use them on your kid or put them in with your other dipes.

CLLDLL

Just wanted to chime in that I agree with the concensus.  One hot water rinse to see if you see bubbles.  If not, then do an RLR or washing soda soak (1 hour soak in hot water with 1 packet of RLR or 1/4 cup of washing soda), followed by a hot wash cycle or two.  Then use 1/4 bleach in a hot wash cycle and rinse several times until the bleach smell is out of your diapers.  (Your washer may still smell a bit like bleach, but you want to diapers to not smell like bleach anymore.)

Using the RLR/washing soda should soften them up a bit if they do in fact have mineral buildup.  But I also agree that drying them in a dryer occasionally will also help keep them softer.

Unknown

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elittler

So these didn't smell bad (that is what "stink" means for cd, right?) when I took them out of the bag. And after checking periodically during the initial hot water wash, there were very minimal bubbles. Like , nothing worth writing home for. So after the extra rinses and bleach wash, and rinses after that, they seem fine. I even ran them through the dryer for a few minutes and they seem to be softer.

I wonder why she made a point to mention stink when they didn't smell bad?

TJ1979

They coul still have ammonia buildup that doesn't present until they are peed in. Or maybe they just weren't clean.

elittler

Gotcha. Well thanks for your help ladies!! I'll be back if we have more problems after using them!

YellowLily2013

I use Elementals almost exclusively and all the ladies gave great advice.

Lots of hot washes! (It's amazing how well this works to get them softer).

Bleach - it's good stuff.

And 15 minutes in the dryer then hang dry the best of both worlds. (Drying in the dryer AFTER line drying... Does not work as well).

And yes, stink is usually when the kiddo pees in the diaper. So there's some under lying issue. But they should stink right out of the wash.