Need to strip...have cold water/no dryer/small pot

[Mamato3wild ponnie]

I am limited to what i can use to strip my diapers...i've had them since April..and they are getting stinky and causing a red raised rash...were in sposy until i can strip these diapers....i have 12 prefolds and one fuzzy bun....a small pot..enough to fit about 2-3 diapers in at a time...any suggestions on a quick fast stripping routine?
I used to boil the diapers outside over an open fire.....but were in the city and i'm with out a fire pit and dont have a large stock pot.
Oh and we only have cold water and hang to dry.
I'm using All free and Clear as detergant.

[lifeguard]

Do you have a toploader washing machine? You could always poor your boiling water into the machine & then run the machine - it will fill up the remainder with your cold water.

[poppan]

I think I would soak in the bath tub or large kitchen sink with hot tap water (I'm assuming you have hot water in the house, just not in the washer) and a generous amount of oxyclean. Then wash as usual in the washer and follow up with a few more wash cycles without detergent to rinse out all the detergent and oxyclean.

[Mamato3wild ponnie]

No hot water in the house at all, any hot water would come from a pot on the stove.

[Gabes Mommy]

Hmmm... that's a toughie. Do you have a big bucket or sink that you could dump a few pot loads of hot water in before it goes cold? You could do some oxyclean and hot water and possiby fit your diapers. I think the tub would be too big to get enough water before it goes cold. The washer may work.

[alfabetsoup]

Is the hot water going to be fixed? Would it be possible to wait until then?

[Mamato3wild ponnie]

No, the hot water will not be fixed...we live in Mexico. We could have hot water in the house, if we hook up a propane gas tank....but it doesnt run to the washer. It's so hot outside...to the tune of 120 degrees with the heat index...that when we take a shower...the water is already heated a bit and it doesnt bother us.
So if i boil some water and pour it in the sink with the diapers...will this help get the stink and prevent rash?
I just always boiled the diapers for a few min each...but if their is a simpler way...i'm all for it.
I may be able to find oxiclean....i'll be on the look out for it.

[Gabes Mommy]

You may also be able to handwash the diapers. Wash them with some detergent (or oxyclean if you can find it!) in the hot water in the sink, then do a cold rinse in the washer. That should help. Good luck!

[poppan]

You know, I'm thinking that boiling 2-3 at a time might be the way to go for you after all, if you don't have the oxyclean handy and no hot water in the house. You could just boil them in batches, each batch for a few minutes and then fish them out with tongs and add the next batch -- I don't think you need to change out the water so it would already be at a boil and you're not wasting water or energy. You'd be done in an hour and you don't have to look for oxyclean or boil multiple pots of water to add to your sink/washer, and it's what worked for you before.

[lifeguard]

If you can't fine oxiclean there I just read on someone's blog (sorry don't remember which one) that you can make your own: 1/2 a bottle of hydrogen peroxide & 1 tablespoon of washing soda. Might be worth a try.

[Mamato3wild ponnie]

What's washing soda? That sounds like a great idea to make my own...i like making things...lol

[lifeguard]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_carbonate

I can get it at the grocery store here but was never able to find it in Costa Rica - I'm thinking because I could never figure out what it is called in spanish (my spanish is not so great).

[Mamato3wild ponnie]

Whats the deal with stripping with Dawn? I dont get how using more soap can rid of old soap buildup?

[mommajb]

dawn cuts the grease that is the residue on your diapers

anytime oil/grease is the problem dawn has been the answer - diapers and stinky old basset hounds and rank kitchen cabinets in a college rental all included

[Mamato3wild ponnie]

I've got Dawn with bleach alternative....will that work? If so how much to 12 prefolds?....is cold water ok?

[Mamato3wild ponnie]

I've decided to boil the diapers, it just takes all the guessing out of the whole process. Only thing is my pot is only big enough to hold one diaper at a time....so it's taking some time...plus i feel yucky...we have a gas stove and standing over the stove with the burner on high...is not good for you at all!!!!
Now i know why i dont like to cook with a gas stove....it makes me feel bad.
So i'm back and forth checking the diapers every few min.....dont want to stand there and get sick. Hopefully this will work. I plan on putting the diapers through a rinse cycle to get all the hot water out of them and hang to dry. This should do it.

[onelilguysmommy]

Yep, boil them each. You can wash by hand and rub them together too. Especially the prefolds. Don't boil the Fuzzi Bunz.
Using a big something of water and swish around really hard. That will help get any urine or extra soap out that could be causing build up.
Good luck!

[Mamato3wild ponnie]

While i was boiling the prefolds....i put the fuzzi bun with a insert on the baby....and the stink when he went pepeee was awful. Now what do i do with the fuzzibum?

[poppan]

With the Fuzzi Bunz -- the insert is OK to boil. The pocket itself, I agree not to boil it, but I think you can soak it in hot hot water (but just not boiling hot). You only have to get up to 150F or so to kill most bacteria and strip old detergent. Let your boiled water cool down a bit and then put the pocket in, swish it around with a wooden spoon and let it soak. I think that should do it.

[Michigan Mama]

I know you've posted about stripping dipes before - it's a pain to have to strip when you have all the modern conveniences - and more of a pain without them, I see!

I'm wondering what your normal wash routine is...I'm wondering if the F&C just isn't getting rinsed out all the way and that is why you are getting build-up? I'm thinking it's gotta be hard to find detergent without all the color and fragrance, etc, in it, but I'm not sure what would be available... Then again, some people here just use normal Tide and have great success with that.

Are you still in S.L.P.? Or did you move to another city?