Are cloth diapers leak proof? Tips & anti-leak cloth diaper features.

Leaking is one of the biggest problems people have with the idea of cloth diapering, if not the biggest.

And truth be told, I have had problems with my cloth diapers leaking, but all that ever really needed done was a little research and we were good to go.

No diaper is “leak-proof” whether you are using disposable diapers or cloth diapers, you will get leaks, but if you buy high quality and do some research on absorbency you can greatly reduce the leaks.

If you want to learn about overnight cloth diapering check out my article ” Good overnight cloth diapers: How to stop leaks for dry jammies”

Which cloth diapers prevent leaks the best?

Cloth diapers with double gussets

I personally love cloth diapers that have double gussets, double gussets help make sure that the cloth diaper fits well around baby’s legs.

And in my experience double gussets help the cloth diaper accommodate more absorbency.

Cloth diapers that can hold more absorbency are way easier to make leak proof.

Also, since the double gusset makes the cloth diaper fit better around the legs, it also helps keep poo-splosions in, which is just about as awesome as it gets.

Cloth diapers with a double layer of PUL/TPU

Another feature that can help make cloth diapers more leak proof is having a double layer of PUL/TPU which is the water-resistant outer layer of the cloth diaper.

Most of the time I see double layer PUL/TPU in just cloth diaper covers like Best Bottoms, Buttons, Diaper Rite and Nuggles.

I personally have never seen a pocket diaper or an all-in-one that had a double layer of PUL/TPU, that doesn’t mean they aren’t out there, I’ve just never any.

Having a double layer of PUL/TPU means the there is a whole additional layer that the pee has to work through before it can get on baby’s clothes.

Why are my cloth diapers leaking?

Not enough absorbency in your cloth diapers

The vast majority of the time, cloth diapers are probably leaking because they don’t have enough absorbency in them.

You buy a cloth diaper that comes with 2 microfiber inserts and you assume that should be enough absorbency but then it isn’t, and you just didn’t see that coming.

Luckily this problem is very easy to fix, so this shouldn’t be a long-term issue.

All you have to do is add some more absorbency.

If you want to learn more about cloth diaper absorbency, check out my article ” Cloth diaper inserts: What are they & which are best?”

Buildup in your cloth diapers

There are two different kinds of buildup that could potentially be your problem.

There is buildup in your cloth diapers and there is buildup on your cloth diapers.

Buildup in your cloth diapers could be either detergent that isn’t getting rinsed out, or mineral buildup from washing your cloth diapers in hard water.

There is a lot of debate about whether or not detergent buildup is a real thing or not, but if you stop and think about it for a minute it does make sense that detergent buildup would be a real thing.

The little molecules that make up laundry detergent have 2 ends, one end is attracted to dirt and the other end is attracted to water.

A bunch of the dirt ends attach themselves to a particle of dirt and surround it, then the water ends try their best to go with the water when it drains out, carrying the dirt particle with them.

Now there is a limit as to how much detergent you can add before there just isn’t enough water to remove it all.

Once you reach that limit and detergent starts getting left behind in your cloth diapers and you can start to see problems like stink and diaper rashes.

As for buildup on your cloth diapers, that’s a little different.

When you use fabric softener, petroleum-based diaper creams or even dryer sheets, you can get a buildup on the surface of your cloth diapers that prevents them from absorbing.

Some laundry detergents have fabric softener in them which will also create a waxy layer on the surface of your cloth diapers and will prevent them from absorbing.

I believe scent beads will also cause a waxy layer to buildup on your cloth diapers.

Your cloth diapers are delaminating

What makes a cloth diaper water resistant is an outer layer of either PUL (polyurethane laminate) or TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane laminate), when either of these start to degrade it is called “delaminating”.

Like all things PUL/TPU won’t last forever, I believe they are usually good for around 300 washes, but this would vary depending on the quality of the PUL/TPU.

There are also things that can harm your cloth diaper’s PUL/TPU and make it start to degrade sooner than it normally would.

Such as putting your PUL/TPU in the dryer, especially on high heat, hanging cloth diaper covers or any other exposed PUL/TPU in full sun on super-hot days (I may or may not be guilty of this one 😉 ).

Also, if you are stripping your cloth diapers or just doing bleach soaks all the time.

A lot of people like to do a full strip on their cloth diapers about once a month or so.

While that might be okay, the stripping process is very hard on your cloth diapers, therefore the more your strip your cloth diapers the faster they will breakdown.

How to stop your cloth diapers leaking?

Because there are many different reasons your cloth diapers could be leaking, there are also many different ways to fix these problems.

Not enough absorbency in your cloth diapers

I feel this is probably the most common reason your cloth diapers would be leaking, but it is super easy to fix.

Just add more absorbency.

Yep, that’s it, just add more absorbency and problem solved.

If you are getting really big leaks, maybe try doubling whatever you are putting in your cloth diapers.

If it’s a small leak, you could use a small cotton booster or what I really like are small terry baby washcloths, I fold them in half and put them in all my kids cloth diapers when I need just a little extra absorbency.

Buildup in your cloth diapers

There are two different kinds of buildup that could potentially be your problem.

If you are dealing with detergent buildup you can most likely just run a few extra wash cycles without adding any more detergent to wash all that built-up detergent out.

Just run your cloth diapers through the washer with just water until you don’t see any suds or only a very small amount of suds.

Also, you got detergent buildup in the first place because you are using way too much detergent and then not rinsing it out.

So, to actually fix the real problem you need to adjust how much detergent you are using or how many rinses you have in your wash routine, you either need less detergent or more rinses or both.

Now if you are having problems with mineral buildup, that is going to require you to strip your cloth diapers.

Stripping your cloth diapers is a process where you soak your cloth diapers in different laundry additives that remove different minerals.

Then typically you do a bleach soak to kill any bacteria that was trapped in your cloth diapers by the mineral buildup.

So basically, this process “strips” your cloth diapers of anything that isn’t, ya know, cloth diaper.

You can either strip your cloth diapers in a homemade solution of Borax, Calgon and Washing Soda or you can buy a premade laundry treatment like RLR or Grovia Mighty Bubbles.

I personally prefer the Grovia Mighty Bubbles because they aren’t super expensive and all you have to do is 1 really long hot wash cycle with 1-2 of the Mighty Bubble pods, then rinse, then bleach soak, then done.

Whereas with the homemade solution, you soak your cloth diapers in the solution for 4-6 hours or until the water cools, then run a water only wash, then bleach soak, then done.

So, with the homemade solution it’s more of an all-day process.

Buildup on your cloth diapers

Buildup on the surface of your cloth diapers is a little more difficult to deal with, especially if it is a buildup of petroleum.

To remove petroleum, you need a degreaser and unfortunately none of the regular stripping techniques contain a degreaser.

The most common solution is to hand scrub your cloth diapers with Dawn dish soap since Dawn has a very good degreaser.

It will be a complete and total pain in the butt, that will involve lots of really aggressive hand scrubbing, but your cloth diapers should be back in working order once you’re done.

Now the waxy buildup from fabric softener is a little easier to deal with.

While I have personally never dealt with this particular problem, word on the street is that you can do a vinegar rinse on your cloth diapers and that will remove the buildup.

Your cloth diapers are delaminating

Unfortunately, to my knowledge there isn’t anything that can be done to save your cloth diapers once they start to delaminate.

I’m pretty sure even the manufacturer can’t do anything about it.

So, you can either replace the delaminating cloth diapers, change your baby way more often or add a ton more absorbency, to try and just prevent the pee from reaching the outer layer as much as possible

Resources

Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning I receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) from qualifying purchases made through those links. * Indicates an affiliate link

Link to stripping instructions on fluffloveuniversity.com

Link to bleach soak instruction on fluffloveuniversity.com

Link to Grovia Mighty Bubbles on thenaturalbabycompany.com *

Link to RLR on amazon.com

Link to my favorite cloth diaper with double gussets Thirsties pocket diapers on greenmountaindiapers.com