newbie with a couple of questions. help! and thanks :)

[barcelona]

so, ladies, i am another newbie with a few questions.
i've done searches online and here, but still am not 100% clear or sure about a few things.

my order came in today from greenmountaindiapers.com, and my baby is coming soon! (i'm almost 37 weeks).
i understand i'm supposed to wash the prefolds in hot water and dry them 5 times or something until they are ready.

question #1: my washer has a hot wash/cold rinse. is this okay? or should i opt for warm wash/warm rinse? hot/hot isn't an option.

question #2: should i be using my charlie's soap detergent with each wash? (as i prepare them for use)

once my diapers come, GMD.com suggests doing a cold wash and then a hot wash, plus extra rinse...does that mean that i should

question #3: wash them cold/cold, then wash them hot/cold with extra rinse, and then dry them?

question #4: i have a little beetles and a lanacare wool cover. do i need to lanolize them before using, or do i assume they have their first coat for my first use?

and last but not least...
the diaper pail.
i ordered an XL diaper bag, and need to pick up a cheap tall kitchen trash can.

question #5: am i most likely going to be okay odor-wise, or should i look into solutions to make sure we don't get hit with an odor? when people say "use a few drops of tea tree oil", does that mean dropping tea tree oil into the pile of dirty diapers every now and then, or something else?


these questions must seem so silly, and are so specific, but i just want to be sure i am doing this correctly, so this whole CD thing will go smoothly and wonderfully for us. i am so excited, and a little intimated/overwhelmed, to do CD this time.

thanks so much in advance for all of your help, wise mamas of the CD-world!

[octobermom]

unbleached prefolds will need to be washed at least 5 times before first use you don't have to dry between each cycle but they will quilt up more as you do. Bleached prefolds 3 times.

1)Hot wash cold rinse is perfectly fine and totally normal. Hot water activates soap and helps to disinfect cold rinse helps rinse it away.

2) Yes use a tiny amount of soap (any detergent of choice) with each wash it will help strip the natural oils that will prevent the fabric from assorbing.
as for latter wash its a decent rountinue. Hot water can set protein stains so a cold short wash or prerinse is often reccomended Hot wash cleans and disinfects and extra rinse to ensure all soap is out.

3) I personally do cold prerinse Hot wash with cold rinse using my washers second rinse option and dry.

4) I'd consider lanolizing all covers before use.. but I'm not a wool user

5) I found a covered trash can and pail liner fine for CD and odor controll TT oil really helps just add a few drops to a cloth wipe and toss in the pail.

HTH

Deanna

[barcelona]

yes, that helps so much, deanna! thank you, thank you.

[barcelona]

for all the wool-using mamas:

i will wash the wool dipes with eucalan (which has lanolin) to prep them.
then, is it true that i was them with eucalan every two weeks, and in addition, lanolize them with lansinoh once a month? i'm assuming the eucalan wash does not count as a lanolizing treatment..??

[Juliacat]

Congratulations on your baby!

1. Hot wash/cold rinse is fine.

2. I've never used Charlie's Soap, but I've heard that if you use it, you have to use it exclusively, or buildup from other detergents will cause problems with both clothes and diapers.

3. While prepping diapers for use, you should only have to run them through one washing cycle. The cold prerinse or short prewash is to get the gross stuff out after the baby starts using them.

4. You might want to e-mail Green Mountain Diapers with any of your wool questions. They're experts, especially on the stuff they sell, and very friendly and helpful. Some wool comes prelanolized and some doesn't.

5. If you wash every other day and let the pail air out some (don't use an airtight lid), the odors shouldn't be too bad. You can cross that bridge when you come to it. I've never had to use anything.

[barcelona]

Thank you, Juliacat!

I took you up on your suggestion and emailed the greenmountaindiapers people about my wool covers. Thanks! Didn't realize I could do that.

And yes, we are using Charlie's exclusively...so hopefully won't have any problems with that.

And it's great to know that odor wasn't a problem for you...I'll just see how it goes!

I am so excited to do this/try this.
Washed my diapers today, and am all giddy.