handwashing - how to do it?

[leaves]

we haven't started cloth diapering yet, but are intending to by the end of december. we're probably going to get a combination of prefolds and flats. how do you handwash? in the tub? how do you make sure the diapers get clean enough? what is your handwashing routine? please help!

[leaves]

anyone?

[inky leeuhhh]

i hand wash our pockets and mf inserts sometimes. obviously thats quite different than flats and covers (covers are easy! just not sure about the flats- assmuing they cant be muc harder than microfiber). anyway, i fill up the bathroom sink and rinse everything and ring it out really well. a bathtub would work better but we dont have one. then i fill the sink again with hot water (as hot as my hands can stand) and add some dawn. just a little does it. i swish everything around and squish it all with my hands so the water and soap can saturate everything. then i rinse again really well and wring it all out as best i can. i boil the inserts at least once a month to make sure they dont get stinky. i have a huge pot and can do them all at one time so its really easy (this pot is big enough to fit a toddler in! lol). the covers wash up really fast, especially pul ones. id think the flats would be super easy too. i hated hand washing prefolds because they were so thick and i felt like i could never get them clean enough. that might just be me tho. good luck and maybe someone else can be more helpful .

[octobermom]

I hand washed diaper for several months when we lived some place with no washer/dryer...
messy diapers got dunked and rinsed at the toliet when removed from baby so no super ickies went into the pail
on wash day I filled bath tub as needed with cold water and about 1/2 cup or so vinager added dirty diaper (combo of flats prefolds and fuzzi bunz and a few odds and end fitted) let those jsut soak some I'd go like watch TV have breakfast go groccery shopping whatever
drain fill with hot water and a bit of detergent I used liquid cause I hated the feel of non disolved powder jsut a little and what ever was basically on sale..
then using a toliet plunger (bought JUST for this use) I'd aggitate the diapers for basically as long as I could stand it I made it my work out
rinse add cold swish aggite again rinse some time rinsing dirrectly under a running facuet..
wrung out
hung on clothes line..
I actually never had pocket repelling issues doingthis but did when I machine washed..
on the flip side my prefolds were never really fluffy and soft..
covers I jsut handwashed in bathroom sink as needed..

Deanna

[Gremco]

When I had to hand wash our laundry, I bought two large rubbermaid tubs. One I filled with detergent water the other was just water. the "load" was dumped into the detergent and I agitated with my hands. Then I would take each piece and dunk into the clean water tub to remove the soap and hang to dry. For diapers, I might add a second round of rinsing.

[leaves]

thanks ladies. this helps a lot and shows me my options.

[justmama]

Originally Posted by Gremco

When I had to hand wash our laundry, I bought two large rubbermaid tubs. One I filled with detergent water the other was just water. the "load" was dumped into the detergent and I agitated with my hands. Then I would take each piece and dunk into the clean water tub to remove the soap and hang to dry. For diapers, I might add a second round of rinsing.

oh i like this method! and the rubbermaid tub could be the diaper pail for double duty use. i never liked the idea of washing in the bathtub. just creeped me out.(i know it's stupid. we wash our clothing in the same washer as the diapers, but still. . . . . . ). this idea i could do though! thanks! don't know why it didn't occur to me.