explain wool to me, please

[Rose-Roget]

Forgive me - I am a complete novice to this, and I have no background in sewing/knitting/crocheting or qualities of different materials. I've seen again and again that wool is great for covers, and I've seen some super cute ones on Etsy that are really tempting me!

I've read that you don't need to wash wool covers everytime, but I'm wondering why this is. If Baby wets, I understand that the wool cover can help create a barrier, but why isn't it getting dirty? With a PUL cover, I would expect to at least wipe it down between washes if a dipe gets soaked, but how can a wool liner stay clean (can't wipe them down) if they've gotten pee on them?

I'm sorry for my ignorance. Thanks to all for their patience and guidance.

[tinyblackdot]

Originally Posted by Rose-Roget

Forgive me - I am a complete novice to this, and I have no background in sewing/knitting/crocheting or qualities of different materials. I've seen again and again that wool is great for covers, and I've seen some super cute ones on Etsy that are really tempting me!

I've read that you don't need to wash wool covers everytime, but I'm wondering why this is. If Baby wets, I understand that the wool cover can help create a barrier, but why isn't it getting dirty? With a PUL cover, I would expect to at least wipe it down between washes if a dipe gets soaked, but how can a wool liner stay clean (can't wipe them down) if they've gotten pee on them?

I'm sorry for my ignorance. Thanks to all for their patience and guidance.

Wool has natural antibacterial properties, so it isnt necessary to wash every time. I only washed like every 2 weeks, or if there was poo, or food on them. And if you washed them constantly they would loose the natural oils and lanolin that the wool needs to stay "healthy" and a barrier. Not to mention you can just throw them in a washer, they have to be hand washed, so its kida a pita.

If you feel more comfortable using something you can wash every time, maybe fleece would work out better?

[Kirstyandgirls]

If you have a wool diaper cover you will need to lanolize it, once this is done it will only need to be washed after several weeks (or if it gets poo on it) I knitted one wool cover and I use it at night, almost every night. In the morning it smells really bad but after 1 or 2 hrs of hanging on my washing line it smells as good as new. (it is time to wash if it doesn't smell clean after airing)

I am in the process of knitting another - I love them

Kirsty x

[veedeepee]

How are the babies not itchy all the time in wool covers (they're touching them around the waistline and leg openings, right?)? I have looked at 4-5 different brands of wool covers in stores, and they all feel itchy to me. If I hold them up to my neck they itch like crazy, and even if I hold them against my arm they feel itchy. Am I just crazy sensitive to wool?

[poppan]

Lanolized wool does not need to be washed after every use because of a chemical reaction called saponification. Basically lanolin (a fat) + pee (a base) makes soap. So you just need to let it air dry (time for the saponification to occur) and you do not need to wash unless it gets food/dirt/poop on it. You will need to re-lanolize when it runs out of lanolin (and at that point, since you're getting it wet anyway, most people give it a wash then).

[Rose-Roget]

Originally Posted by poppan

Basically lanolin (a fat) + pee (a base) makes soap. So you just need to let it air dry (time for the saponification to occur) and you do not need to wash unless it gets food/dirt/poop on it.

Soap - really???! That's crazy, but really cool! I need to look up the specific directions for wool care, so that I would know how to lanolize properly. If I got just a few wool covers, maybe I wouldn't find it such a pita.

[poppan]

I thought wool would be a pita too but once I tried it I was hooked. My soakers usually dry fairly quickly -- definitely by the next change -- so you can give it a good try just by buying one or two. The first few I bought in uh, pretty used condition so they were only $10-12 each.