If you use wool....

[mama2be11]

What is your washing routine? I started using wool a couple of months ago and so far everything is going great. I am looking for ways to streamline my washing routine though so I wanted to see what other mamas do. I'll go first.

Washing
I clean out our bathroom sink.
Add water to the sink w/ Eucalan.
Submerge cover and let soak for 15 min.
Squeeze excess water out.

Lanolizing
Dissolve lanolin in very hot water (Lansinoh brand).
Add more water so it's not too hot.
Submerge cover and let soak for 15 min.
Squeeze excess water out.
Place in between a dry towel to absorb excess moisture.
Let dry overnight on drying rack.

My questions are:
1. Do I need to wash and lanolize separately? It is kind of a pain because each time takes 15 min. for soaking. I usually wash the covers together but lanolize them one at a time.

2. How much lanolin do you use? I think I am OD'ing on it but I am paranoid about them not being waterproofed enough.

3. Do you lanolize every time you wash? I lanolize every time I wash and I know a lot of people don't but I feel like when I wash them and don't relanolize they don't have enough lanolin. Needless to say, I go through my lanolin pretty quickly.

Feel free to critique!

[tsfairy]

I used to wash and then lanolize but then I realized Eucalan adds plenty of lanolin just in the wash. I usually just wash each piece one at a time let soak for 15 or so min and then spin them in the washing machine (just the spin cycle!) and they dry very quickly. If I feel they need a bit more lanolin I like to use a lanolin sray.

[poppan]

Here's what I do:

I have a plastic basin that I wash my wool in, so I don't have to clean the sink first. I save up several pieces to wash together for time + lanolin savings.

Fill basin with tepid water and put wool in, squeeze it a bit and let it soak while I go do something else. This is to get any pee out because I usually don't wash/relanolize until there is no lanolin left and the wool is saturated with pee when I take it off. Then I go, oh, time to wash that one.

Drain and refill basin. Add baby shampoo and again squeeze it a bit, let soak while I go do something else. If I"m using a wool bar or liquid wool wash then this is the final step and I just let it sit for a few hours to overnight.

If I'm using baby shampoo + lanolin -- then I again drain and refill basin. Shake up the lanolin in a little jar with hot water and a bit of shampoo. Take the wool out and add the lanolin mixture, make sure it's well combined then add wool back in and let soak a few hours to overnight.

Lastly I spin out the water in my washer on the "drain & spin" cycle -- dries a lot quicker that way.

Your questions:
1. Do I need to wash and lanolize separately? It is kind of a pain because each time takes 15 min. for soaking. I usually wash the covers together but lanolize them one at a time.
I don't think you need to lanolize one at a time. I've always lanolized them all at the same time and they lanolize well and you use less lanolin this way. Just make sure they aren't going to bleed on each other.

2. How much lanolin do you use? I think I am OD'ing on it but I am paranoid about them not being waterproofed enough.
I use about an inch or so -- but I'm lanolizing at least 4 soakers at a time and sometimes longies too. I do use more if I have more than 4 pieces in there, I don't know if it makes a difference or not.

3. Do you lanolize every time you wash? I lanolize every time I wash and I know a lot of people don't but I feel like when I wash them and don't relanolize they don't have enough lanolin. Needless to say, I go through my lanolin pretty quickly.
I do, but I usually don't wash until they need to be relanolized so that's why. If I have to wash only because it got dirty, I do not re-lanolize. I wash my covers maybe once very few weeks? I have around seven in rotation between two kids.

[Adasmommy]

When dd was in dipes I washed with Eucalan much like you are and lanolized with lanisoh. Sometimes I skipped the lanolin, but mostly it needed it.

With my coming baby, I plan to streamline by using SudzNDudz products which I haven't tried yet, but have great reviews on diaperpin.

I plan to use her wool wash bar to spot wash poop or dirt when the cover is still mostly clean and lanolized. Then I will also use it for routine washing. She says that the bar is so rich in lanolin you will not have to lanolize as often.

I want to get some of her lanolin balm to pat onto the covers so that I can do dry lanolizing separately from the washing, and also to touch up the spots that I spot wash as per above. I expect this to be easier and faster than the melting and soaking lanolin routine. Also, you can touch up lanolin without washing first if you ever need to.

Somewhere on her site I saw that she recommended when you lanolize in water to let the water drain out through the cover, so all the lanolin in the water lands on your wool. Just a tip that may be helpful.

I'm curious about the PPs who spin their wool in the washer. Is this pretty harmless for wool? If I buy pricey wool pieces, is it a bad idea to use this method? Sounds awfully handy!

[SuzyLee]

I don't do anything complitcated.

Wash in warm water with CA baby unscented baby soap.
Rinse a few times
Fill sink with hot water, and add lansinoh, swish around for a few minutes
sqeeze excess water out and hang to dry.

I am not sure why you would need to let it soak. I never have and I don't have any problem getting them clean. If I had to let things soak multiple times and have special wool soap, I wouldn't bother with wool.

[heidirk]

Originally Posted by SuzyLee

I don't do anything complitcated.

Wash in warm water with CA baby unscented baby soap.
Rinse a few times
Fill sink with hot water, and add lansinoh, swish around for a few minutes
sqeeze excess water out and hang to dry.

I am not sure why you would need to let it soak. I never have and I don't have any problem getting them clean. If I had to let things soak multiple times and have special wool soap, I wouldn't bother with wool.

This is pretty much what I do too.

[Dreamer]

I wash & lanolinize everything together in the bathtub (we have a ton of wool). I usetbe sink to scrub spots/stains (usually food stains) out with a wool wash bar, turn the garment inside out & chunk it in the bathtub with about 3" of water & 3 capfulls of eucalan. Let everything soak fir about 20 minutes and then make my lanolin mixture (I just use more lanolin since i have more garments to lanolinize). Give each garment a few quick swishes in the lanolin bath & let it sit for another 1/2 hour. Then I clear out my washer, put a heavytowel in the bottom of a big laundry basket, drain the tub full of wool, move it to the basket & then chink all the wool in the washer for a spin cycle ONLY. Get out wool & block each piece to dry!