Washing CDs

[Annie Mac]

Another question I feel silly asking, but it needs to be answered:

I was talking to my mom the other day and she mentioned when I washed CDs I needed some natural soap & bleach. I try not to use bleach for anything, I usually use vinegar instead.

Do I NEED bleach to properly disinfect the diapers? Will vinegar do? Or should I use something else? What about borax? Does that have any place in the diaper washing process?

Also, do I need to soak the diapers in anything in particular? Some websites say diapers should soak, others say just taking out the solid matter and throwing them "dry" into the bucket is the way to go. Opinions?

[My3guys]

No, you don't need bleach. In fact, many manufacturers specifically advise against it. It can corrode snaps and damage the fibers in the fabric.

Generally, the heat of the water and the heat in the dryer are sufficient to disinfect anything that needs disinfecting.

You don't NEED any special detergent. Many people wash with Tide and do just fine. However, others swear by various all natural detergents. It really is what works best with your wash routine. There are so many variables there (hard water? soft water? front loader? baby with sensitive skin?) that it is impossible to recommend one detergent that might work best for you. What works really well for one person, can leave another's baby with with a rash.

Follow the manufacturers guidelines for washing. Make sure you use the appropriate amount of detergent (too much can cause issues). Rinse until there are no suds. Those are really the only rules.

Good luck figuring out what works best for you.

[moxygirl]

This is what works for us (I'm using flats - which I love - and PUL wraps at the moment). Flats are the easiest diaper to wash and dry so this might not apply to heavier items like AIOs or even prefolds. I use a dry pail system. Wet diapers go straight into the pail. For dirty diapers I rinse/scrape off the poo, wring, and toss in the pail. Once a week (we live in an apartment with no washer/dryer and use a laundromat) we run the diapers through a cold cycle with no detergent, then a hot cycle with an extra rinse, adding 1/4 the usual amount of detergent. We use All Free Clear, which seems to be working fine. One week I'll add 1/4 scoop of Oxiclean Baby to the hot wash cycle to get rid of stains/disinfect. The next week I add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the first rinse cycle. Also disinfects as well as neutralizing ammonia from the urine. Then I dry on hot one hour. That also disinfects. Occasionally there will be a diaper that still smells of poo or urine. I throw that one in a separate pile to soak in an oxiclean solution for a few hours before it goes in the wash. That always does the trick.

[Mom2SammyJoe]

I saw from another post that you have some BG's. Cotton Babies recommends bleaching BG's once a month. Use 1/4 c. in with your detergent. This will take care of any stink issues. rinse well.

We use a dry pail, scraping/rinsing poos now that baby is on solids. breast fed poo does not need to be pre rinsed. it will come right out in the wash.
cold rinse with a dot of detergent
hot wash/cold rinse with about 2 Tbsp detergent
extra cold rinse
We use Purex free and clear for dipes

[schreiberwriter]

Cottonbabies.com probably has some good washing instructions and info for washing BumGenius.

I've tried Charlie's, Allen's, Nellie's, Rockin' Green Soap. But I like Country Save best for diapers and laundry. It seems to work great and a large box lasts a couple months so it's cost effective.

You want to avoid dryer sheets for both diaper and other laundry. You can use dryer balls. You can buy fragrant wool balls from Buddha Bunz.

High five for CD'ing! I'm so glad I did.

[Annie Mac]

Thanks guys! Very clear concise advice. I appreciate it. The baby's not here quite yet, but she will be soon & I need to be ready I have a dozen of the BG all-in-ones, plus another 3 dozen of prefolds, so I think I'm set.

I've been using Seventh Generation Free and Clear (or something like that) for our laundry, so I think I'll stick with it and see how it works for her. And nope, no dryer sheets for me!