Ummm... Laundry Burn-out

[cagnew]

I'm sorry if this has already been asked'posted, but I have been sitting at the computer looking at all the cd options and I am too tired to thread-search.

How in the world do cd mamas not burn out when it comes to washing these things!!! Doesn't it drive your water bill up?

I currently have about 18 bg 3.0 diapers that a friend gave me. She used them for a year and got tired of washing them. I didn't understand why until I started using them. Good grief! I thought I would give prefolds a try, thinking they would require less washing... but the websites say they need anywhere from 5-10 rinses! No way!

I have two kids in diapers, and I wanted to save money buy switching to cd. That was my only reason for wanting to switch. I thought the intial investment would pay off. BUT... the cost of water and the amount of time I would have to put into this kind of makes me think I'm better off with sposies. Not to mention the pee dipes stink to high heaven if you don't wash them everyday.... I could be storing them wrong though (do you rinse pee dipes?)

Is there anything that helps? Something I am missing? How do you mamas do it?!

[woodchick]

We use prefolds and a mish-mash collection of covers. Here's my washing strategy. Put wet/dirty diapers in a wetbag. On wash day put prefold and covers in washer. Cold wash/cold rinse. Hang dry in sun (or indoors). Fold. I'd say diapers are the easiest of my laundry tasks.

Diapers did stress me out for a little while until I set a laundry schedule. I now wash diapers on MWF with the option of a weekend load if things get hairy. I do regular laundry on Tuesday and Friday. Laundry is always into the washer before 8am. I realized that most of my laundry stress came from not knowing when it would get done. Now that I have a schedule I am much more at peace with it.

[leavemealone]

Keep the wash as simple as possible. Have enough diaper to last 2-3 days. I find that having one type of diaper works best for me and have recently switched to using only pocket diapers. If I run out, I have a few backups of other kinds but I use pockets on a daily basis. I have a basic pail liner that I throw into the machine when I'm washing the diapers. All my diapers go into the pail liner dry unless they are really poopy and then I'll swish it around and wring it out before putting it into the pail. I don't find that the diapers (even poopy ones) stink that much as long as I don't go more than 2-3 days between washings.

I do one cold rinse cycle and then do a hot wash cycle. My machine follows the hot wash with a cold rinse so I don't have to do separately. I then throw them into the dryer on low for one cycle. I have found that my water bill has gone up about $5 every two months and I haven't noticed anything significant in terms of electricity.

[myfairbabies]

I've NEVER done 5 rinses, not even when stripping. I do a cold soak/rinse (sometimes with vinegar), wash on hot, extra rinse. Dry everything on high that can (inserts, prefolds, flats), hang dry everything else on an inside rack (covers, pockets). If your dipes stink that bad, you might not be using enough detergent. That was my problem. Or you might need a different kind of detergent. I switch around occasionally and just use the leftovers for dd's clothes laundry. For one baby, I also only do laundry every 3 days (I try to do it more often, but generally just don't get around to it). And I don't rinse dipes at all yet since dd is ebf. And if you're interested- Flats are the easiest to wash, fastest to dry, and the cheapest! You can even use old receiving blankets, those are my favorite!

[inkedmamajama]

i am one of those wierdos that always enjoyed washing cloth diapers. it always gave me some odd sense of satisfaction to do diaper laundry, and i loved pulling them out the dryer and sorting and folding them. and if it was an outside laundry day then i got doubly excited about seeing my cloth dipes on the line!

i dont know why.

on the otherhand i have two mountains of regular laundry waiting for me and im doing everything i can to postpone doing it!

[chel]

was it that you have to wash 5-10 times when new to get the oils out, especially with unbleached?

[octobermom]

Prefolds so do not need 5-10 rinses minus there intial prepping. Our water bill never increased with CD nor did our electricity.

Deanna

[cyncyn]

A simple laundry routine can help! Natural fiber diapers take more prewashing to prep them, but in general require fewer extra rinses or stripping than synthetic diapers. Using a laundry product with fewer extra ingredients will get your diapers clean and not require extra rinses to remove buildup etc. Charlie's laundry powder contains only 3 ingredients and no extras.

To reduce your personal water use, try reducing the time spent in the shower. A 5 minute shower uses about 8 gallons of water (with a low flow shower head). Most people take about 10 minutes, possibly more if you wash and condition your hair each time. Showering every other day or skipping hair washing every time can easily save the approx. 10-24 gallons of water used per load by an energy efficient washing machine. Here are some more tips for saving water.

To reduce global water use, skip a meat meal. To produce 1 lb. of beef requires 50,000 liters of water!

[DevaMajka]

Originally Posted by myfairbabies

If your dipes stink that bad, you might not be using enough detergent. That was my problem.

Same here. It took a little trial and error to find good detergent and the ideal amount. But I found that if I use less than 3/4 to the 1 line, I get the stinkies fast!



My wash routine is this:
*cold rinse to get the pee/poo off
*NatureClean detergent about 3/4 to the 1 line (I have very soft water, I've heard), hot wash/cold rinse cycle
*wash/rinse cycle with no detergent (I do warm wash, but not sure it matters)

That's pretty much it. When I do this I don't check for suds. It doesn't take much time for me. Then I line dry my pockets, and put everything else in the dryer for 1 cycle.

If I get even the tiniest bit of odor, I do this:
*cold rinse
*Tide to the 1 line, hot wash/cold rinse cycle
*Cycle (wash/rinse) with no detergent
*If there are suds, another wash/rinse cycle with no detergent.

My diapers don't smell at all, even after all night- unless I put my nose very close right after he pees. Even then, its a normal pee smell and not like ammonia. (Ds is only 3 mos, no sure if that matters.)

[Ifluffedthree]

laundry routine was always kept as easy as I could get it. Prefolds were the bulk of my diaper stash for several reasons, one being simplicity of washing and no stuffing or prep. If I were burned out they stayed in the basket and that was fine with me. We changed the boys in the laundry room most of the time anyway.
in addition to general laundry and diapering two boys, my late husband was a Union Journeyman Bricklayer -- which meant 5 loads of his work clothes a week alone.

prefolds -- easy peasey

[Blueone]

I use gro baby and they have all cotton diapers and a shell. I wash every other day and store them in a dry bag between.

Cold Rinse
Remove shells (wash on gentle warm after diaper inserts)
Wash on hot
Extra rinse
Toss in dryer

Diapers shells and dry bag get wash on a warm gentle cycle
Bag gets tossed in dryer with inserts
Shells sit on dryer to dry

That's it really. I use Arm and Hammer sensitive skin in half the amount or a little less than recommended for normal use.

I heard that synthetic fiber diapers can get more complicated when being washed and sometimes require stripping and special laundry detergent etc. I wanted to avoid that and hope I won't have to strip my cotton ones anytime soon.

[cagnew]

Thanks everyone! I must have been seeing the prep wash or something when I saw 5-10 washes on prefolds. Still learning all this....

I guess I just need to get some more and develop a routine so that I can limit washing to every other day. Maybe I will try prefolds and covers. I was against that idea before b/c they seemed like they would be a hassle and very bulky and leaky, but so many of you on here love them, that I think I'll try.

Thanks again!

[Alohamelly]

Originally Posted by inkedmamajama

i am one of those wierdos that always enjoyed washing cloth diapers. it always gave me some odd sense of satisfaction to do diaper laundry, and i loved pulling them out the dryer and sorting and folding them. and if it was an outside laundry day then i got doubly excited about seeing my cloth dipes on the line!

i dont know why.

on the otherhand i have two mountains of regular laundry waiting for me and im doing everything i can to postpone doing it!

Same here. Washing diapers is so satisfying. But regular laundry? Eh. I let it pile up.