How do I manage to keep my Blümchen diapers beautiful for as long as possible?

Store the dirty cloth nappies for as short a time as possible in a cool and dry cloth nappy bucket (no added water) or in a bag. This will reduce the outgassing of ammonia, which can attack the fabrics and elastic finishes.

Wash the cloth diapers only with a suitable detergent and at the lowest possible temperature.

Make sure that the Velcro fastener is always closed when washing (use laundry tabs).

Incorrect care, on the other hand, can lead to the following problems:

Defective and perforated fabrics. This is mainly due to soaking before washing, stain salts, sharp bleaching, colour detergents with the enzyme cellulase, excessive rubbing on stains, baking powder, open hooks, washing and drying balls due to constant rubbing on the fibre, ammonia vapours in the warm cloth diaper bucket.

Destroyed elastics: The main causes are prolonged storage in a warm diaper bucket, but also incorrect detergents, constant use of oxygen bleach or stain remover, excessive rubbing against the fabric and thus overstretching or tearing, citric acid or vinegar, chlorine bleach, overheating in a washing machine or dryer.

Ripped out snaps and fabric damage around the snaps. Causes are primarily too long storage in the warm nappy bucket or soaking, but also enzyme-containing detergents or stain removers, excessive rubbing on the fabric and thus overstretching or tearing, citric acid or vinegar, overheating in washing machine or dryer.

Broken waterproof membrane. Through improper detergents or overheating of the diaper, excessive overstretching when not used as intended or sharp objects that have been forgotten in the wetbag and thus get into the washing machine. Chlorine bleach and oxygen bleach also attack PUL. Please do not use a dm-combi (contains a lot of oxygen bleach), this will ruin the membrane (recognisable by the transparent waterproof coating discolouring and becoming matt). Do not wash the waterproof fabrics constantly with oxygen bleach, if possible not at all (if the covers can be separated from the absorbent). Soaking of covers leads after some time to seperation of the waterproof membrane from the polyester fabric = delamination.

Rolled-up Velcro. With the wonder climbers of the XL covers and the adult pants, the velcro will roll up if you do not attach the laundry tab over the entire surface when washing. If this happens, you can fix the problem by cleaning the climbers of fibre residues, then dipping them in hot water and kneading them flat again (against the rolling direction). Then staple the flat velcro to the fleece tape and let them air-dry.

My Blümchen cloth diapers are leaking. What am I doing wrong?

Adjust the diapering intervals to your baby's needs or increase the absorbency of the nappy with additional inserts. Keep in mind that the absorbency of the nappy is measured in the same way as with disposable nappies, i.e. by immersing the nappy in water and then reading off the difference. Of course, cloth nappies do not chemically convert moisture into gel, which means that this moisture can leak out again. This is why cloth nappies absorb just as much as disposable nappies, but are only leak-proof up to a smaller volume.
Therefore, add absorbent pads if the millilitre limit has not yet been reached, or change your baby more often than with disposable nappies.

Make sure that no paper fleece or absorbent material protrudes from the diaper cover.

Make sure that the nappy fits flush all over without constricting. Check the fit of the nappy when the baby is moving. If the nappy sticks out when the baby is moving, it is too loose.

If this does not lead to success, you must clarify where the diapers leak. When leakage occurs over the front bib, please check the fit of the absorbant pad. If this is too high in the pocket, the lining is pushed out and leaks moisture. If the diaper leaks over the leg elastics, it is not flush. The diaper should sit exactly in the baby's waistline and be flush with the legs and belly everywhere. If the diaper is put on too high, it slips into the waistline while being worn and becomes too loose around the legs. However, all All-in-One diapers are not recommended for the night, since the changing intervals at night are very long. You'd better use a 2-pants system at night.

If the absorbent core does not absorb or only absorbs very slowly, please check the soap content of your detergent or check the dosage. Also think about residues of a barrier cream. Strip your diapers if necessary (see instructions below). Never use a barrier cream without disposable liners, as this will also block the absorbency of the diapers and the stains will stay in the fabric. If microfibre diapers have been treated with high-dose soda cures, the absorbency may be blocked by over-alcalisation. Buffer them by soaking the diapers in slightly acidic water for half an hour (e.g. with a tablespoon of citric acid in a bucket of water).

Ifthe nappy draws moisture at the leg cuffs without really being wet, you must always think of detergent residues on the outer membrane. In such a case, wash the nappies 3 times at 60°C without detergent and rinse them at least 3-5 times thoroughly with clear water. Reduce the amount of detergent and make sure that the washing machine is only 60% full. If possible, dry the nappies in a tumble dryer or outdoors in the wind. Incorrect detergents also lead to such a problem (optical brighteners, long-lasting perfumes, ...). Unfortunately, the dm Ultra Sensitiv detergent also leads to such problems without declaring the corresponding ingredient. Please do not use this detergent.

Ifwater beads up on the Stay-Dry surface instead of being passed through, then the function of the nappy is blocked by residues. In this case, treat the Stay-Dry surface with Ulrich stain remover with panama bark extract or with another fat-dissolving stain remover (soda) and then soak the nappies in a little water for some time. Then wash the nappies with very little detergent without soap or oil content and check the function of the membrane again after drying. Check your detergent for soap/oil content and change your washing habits accordingly - if in doubt, ask the detergent manufacturer about re-fatting ingredients and compatibility with polyester functional fabrics. Only use grease creams or wound protection creams with sufficient paper fleece.

My Blümchen diapers aren't as soft as they used to be. What can I do? I don't know.

Of course, nappies, like any fabric, are subject to a certain amount of ageing. This also means that they become grippier and rougher. To prevent hardening, it is important to shake out the nappies after washing to loosen the layers of fabric that have become stuck together from spinning. This makes the nappy feel much softer and airier after drying.

However, if the nappies become really hard and scratchy, then this can have 2 reasons:

  • Hard water
  • detergent residues

With hard water, limescale is deposited in the nappies and crystallises on detergent residues.
You can descale/soap the nappies by soaking them for half an hour in a bucket of lukewarm water and a little citric acid or KLAR descaler. Then wash them in the washing machine. As a preventive measure, do not overfill the washing machine and spin it well. A load of 60-70% is ideal to achieve a good washing result. Please do not soak the nappies constantly, this reduces the life of the soft fibres and elastic finishes.

 

My cloth diapers stink. How do I get rid of the smell?

The first question, of course, is what the diapers smell is like.

If they smell of urine/ ammonia, then they have not been rinsed sufficiently. This often happens when waterproof casings and absorbent diapers are washed together. The waterproof casings are an obstacle to rinsing, which is why the diapers then often have residues of urine or detergent. If they smell musty, putrid, then the diapers should be disinfected first and foremost.

First decalcify the absorbent diapers (see above) to wash out residues. Then wash the diapers at 60°C with a mild oxygen bleach (e.g. Ulrich Stain Remover, KLAR Stain Remover) to the detergent and set a program as long and intensive as possible. Rinse the diapers well afterwards. Wash the waterproof covers separately with a color detergent.

Now always dry the diapers completely. A foul odor always occurs in connection with residues and moisture in the diaper. So rinsing well, spinning and drying thoroughly is the most important hygienic requirement. If possible dry in the sun, because UV radiation disinfects naturally. If you wash kitchen towels with the diapers, add a measuring spoonful of oxygen bleach to each laundry for disinfection (then please wash PUL covers separately).

Unfortunately, stinky diapers are often associated with ineffective washing machines, overcrowded washing machines or the use of water-saving ECO programs. These often do not rinse properly despite rinsing 2 times and water plus buttons. Also pay attention to the fill quantities in kg for certain fabrics given in the instructions for use. For functional fabrics, such as waterproof fabrics, this is often a maximum of half the load of cotton. If you mix absorbent and waterproof fabrics in one wash, then you must take into account the fill quantity for polyester/functional fibers and fill the machine with correspondingly little.

How can I clean my cloth diapers thouroughly (also called "stripping")?

Stripping means washing out all residues from the diapers.

When do you have to do that?

  • the diapers smell rotten or hot of ammonia
  • the diapers leak, although they have worked perfectly for months
  • the absorbant materials do not work properly
  • the PUL leaks because it pulls up moisture

Problems are caused by:

  • overfilled washing machines
  • poor  performance of washing machines
  • overdosed or underdosed detergents, optical brighteners, water softeners or long-term fragrances
  • incorrect detergents
  • Fat creams or barrier creams
  • simple after prolonged use without intensive cleaning

Polyester is particularly sensitive to residues (especially of zeolites, cationic surfactants and grease).

You can now try the following procedure to remove the coating of the polyester /Stay-Dry or microfiber or deposits in the diaper. This treatment is only possible for polyester inlays. Never soak bamboo inlays or waterproof fabrics, they will be damaged!

To do this, soak the absorbent pads in a solution of a few splashes of grease-dissolving hand dishwashing detergent (e.g. Ecover detergent, Ulrich soapwort detergent, etc...) or washing soda and water. Leave the treated inserts overnight in a bucket of water or soaked in a bathtub so that the detergent can slowly dissolve the fat/soap. Then wash the diapers intensively at 60°C.
Then let the inserts dry and check the microfibre. To do this, drop a few drops of water on the fabric and observe whether the water is absorbed immediately, which corresponds to the normal function of the microfibre. If the drop stops on the fabric or pearls off, treat the affected surfaces with the Ulrich stain spray with panamarind extract. Let the spray soak in the wet diaper and then wash the diaper with a powder detergent.

If the problem with the water-repellent dry membrane occurs again and again, check the detergent thoroughly and, if in doubt, switch to a classic powder detergent.

If the diapers stink strongly of ammonia/ urine after washing despite machine washing, it is advantageous to bind and buffer the ammonia beforehand. Citric acid (one tablespoon on a bucket of water) or the Ulrich descaler is suitable for this. Soak the diapers or inserts in it for about half an hour, then wash. That removes sharp ammonia odors.

Since stripping is an emergency measure that can reduce the life of your diapers, this treatment should not be part of your washing routine.