Tips to reduce staining

The odd, occasional stain happens. But regular staining could be a sign that your wash routine isn’t quite right.

Common causes of staining include:
🧺 Some medicines (Calpol but there are others).
🧺 Some foods (blueberries and bananas are major culprits, but again there are others).
🧺 Leaving solids too long before removing (life happens, I get that).
🧺 Wash routine issues, no pre-wash, overloading, or insufficient detergent are common causes.

Bear Bott Rainbows.

Natural fibre nappies are more prone to staining, especially if solids are left.

So how can you prevent stains? Obviously I’m not saying don’t give medicines or certain foods. But removing solids quickly can really help. This stops the nappy having chance to absorb more of the solid. Not always possible when you’re out, but if you’re at home with your hands full then just taking the liner off the nappy to deal with later can make a difference. Or if you’re using pocket nappies then pull the inserts out if you can.

If you suspect your wash routine needs a tweak then start with a strip wash to reset them. I always follow The Nappy Lady strip wash.

To remove any occasional stains you can let the sun remove them. It’s free, easy and environmentally-friendly. Hang outside or even place on a windowsill. I’m always amazed how well the sun works, especially on baby clothes now we’re on solids. Even a few hours on a cloudy day can remove big stains.

Or just continue to use and wash, the stain should be gone after a few more washes.