# Can washing in bleach burn a bum????



## cinnamama (Feb 3, 2006)

Help Help Help! My baby had a G-I bug and after it was over I noticed the dipes (prefolds and kissaluvs) smelling faintly of the foul-smelling poo she had had. I washed them a few times and ended up using ONE tablespoon of that gentler clorox bleach in the bleach dispenser. I did do 2 extra rinses. The next day she was in a diaper longer than normal b/c we were out and she got a terrible rash, almost like a burn. I immediately suspected either the bleach or the fact that she wore a diaper for 4 hours (but she does that at night now...) so I put her in sposies and rewashed the dipes and did a long soak in hot water, extra rinses. I have been using Purex FC without any problems - she got a bad rash to Tide FC. We do have a Front loader machine.

The diaper rash was getting much better but she is still red, now getting red everywhere the diaper touches her skin - just like when we used Tide. I would think the bleach (if that was even the problem in the first place) should have washed out by now. Could she have developped a reaction to the Purex now?

I am really getting tired of the laundry game.







I don't want to stop using cloth, I really don't, but I can't have her getting rashes like this! Any suggestions? When we switched to Purex I wanted to use Country Save but couldn't find it anywhere.


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## lanamommyphd07 (Feb 14, 2007)

A friend had the same worry and after the bleaching (she's now switched to baking soda instead for that), she rewashed all the dipes in Dr. Bronner's with a vinegar rinse and hung them out. She did this 10 times (like what's recommended for brand new dipes), and all was well. oh--and when baby has a rash or whatever she lets the kid go commando as much as possible (with zinc oxide on the rash when it's in a dipe). Sometimes a little bit to clean up but the kid's bum gets air.


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## octobermom (Aug 31, 2005)

My guess its a acid burn from her own urine, if shes been sick lately even if shes "better" now her bodys likely not 100% back to normal and that icky bug does nasty things. I'd try a barrier cream even vasaline if thats all you have (be careful of fleece or other stay dry inner diapers doingthis though) Since illiness throw off PH balances bleach or baking soda might not be the best to use as they can add more acid. I'd try taking instead adding a cup of white vinger to the start of the wash this can help restore the PH balance and i find adding to the start rather than the end helps more with the acid burns.
We are regular bleach users but it really depends on what works for you child. FWIW we actually use a touch of "real" bleach after illiness but use the ultimatecare normally. With illiness though or if an allergy hits sometimes nothing really makes it go away we can just treat, and ride it out. Barrier creams frequent changes air time good hot hot washes I've found the best. Good luck hope everyone better soon.


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## cinnamama (Feb 3, 2006)

Ok, I let the diapers soak all day and then rewashed them, still in the Purex. She was in disposables all day and kept getting the redness so now I wonder if it wasn't the cloth diapers at all? Anyway, spent the night in a kissaluvs and no extra redness. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Thanks


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## lolo'smom (Dec 30, 2006)

I would think the bleach isn't the problem as well. I use one teaspoon to tablespoon per load and my ds has never had a rash from cloth. He did get the GI bug too and for almost a week had runny, if not watery, poo (sorry if that's gross). He did get a red bum but it was simply from being irritated by the bug and all that pooping. As soon as it was over he was back to normal. Sounds like yours is from the bug, too? Hope she feels better soon!


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## octobermom (Aug 31, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cinnamama* 
Ok, I let the diapers soak all day and then rewashed them, still in the Purex. She was in disposables all day and kept getting the redness so now I wonder if it wasn't the cloth diapers at all? Anyway, spent the night in a kissaluvs and no extra redness. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Thanks

Yea sounds like its from the illiness. keep her in breathable cloth and try to give some nakie time change often and wipe down her bum even if shes just wet. Hope shes better soon. rashes suck.


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## cinnamama (Feb 3, 2006)

Thank you everyone. I don't know why I freak out like that. I am still new to this and really like CDing so I get so upset when I think I may have ruined the diapers or caused a rash, etc. This is what I think happened - I used the bleach to kill any leftover germs (not for stain removal) and then blamed the CDs when she got a rash. I forgot that I was kind of going back and forth between the CDs and the sposies when she got the rash - the G-I bug is gone but she is till pooping quite frequently. I left her in sposies yesterday but the redness still continued. When I used cloth diapers again last night and today - tadaaaa - redness gone! I guess it was the disposables after all. I need to relax a little


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## octobermom (Aug 31, 2005)

We have battled major rashes both cloth and sposies and I get the frustration. We actually find we need to use "both" my DD needs natural fibers against her skin so cotton diapers buy day but she also needs to be changed often so during the day thats not a bigg deal with cloth. However at night the urine quickly irritates her skin but we can't do pockets or other poly lined cloth and in the end over night does better in a sposie. I'd like to say yes were 100% cloth but in the end we do whats best for our children and cloth by day sposie by night simpily works best for us. Realizing this was major stress I wasn't sosposed to use disposables but once I realized I just needed to do what worked best that I wasn't admitting defeat cause it wasn't a contest things feel into place. Relaxing helps.


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