Tips for hand washing fuzzibuns?

[Flower of Bliss]

We're on a long vacation in Hong Kong, and I planned to use disposables for the first time in DD1s 4 year life. She only wears a night time diaper. We tried them out at home, selected 7th Generation pull ups, and bought enough for the trip. I packed a handful of fuzzibuns outers and prefolds for inserts, just in case. By night 3 of the trip, she was refusing the paper diapers, so she's been wearing the fuzzibuns since. There are coin laundry facilities here, but they have automatic detergent and only have two settings - hot or cold. So, I'm throwing the prefolds in with other laundry on hot, but I was handwashing the fuzzibunz in the tub.

So, I filled the tub with water and a squirt or two of Method brand detergent (4 squirts = 1 load), swished the diapers around for awhile, drained the soapy water, and then held them individually under the water as I filled the tub with clean water, and let them sit, swishing them around some. Then I've hung them to dry in the bathroom.

I'm not pleased with how clean they seem to be coming. There's a yellow tint at the seams (though they're old old and perhaps I'd just never noticed that before). They don't smell clean.

They take FOREVER to dry in the hotel bathroom, and last night while still waiting for them to dry from the day before, we tried to put DD1 in a paper diaper. She threw the fit of all fits. I'm certain that the whole hall of the hotel could hear there screaming, "I DON'T WANT A PAAAAAAPEEEEER DIAPER. I DON'T WANT A THROW AWAY DIAPER. JUST CLOTH." Clearly we'll be going back to cloth full time when we get home

So, we have 4 pocket diapers, and 10 nights left here... as well as the plane ride when I think she'll have to wear a disposable....

Any suggestions?

[e_roehm23]

You could test the 'hotness' of the washer. If they're energy star, the "hot" water may not really be that hot. I was told this is part of how they use less energy- don't use as much hot water, so they don't use as much gas/electric to heat it.

If the water isn't too hot you could throw them in, and if you're concerned with the automatic detergent, just strip them when you get home....just an idea...

[MayasMama88]

Well I used to wash our FBs by hand every night because when we first started CDing we didn't have a washing machine. The best route to go is to put them in cold water and squish them a bunch to get a lot of the pee/poo out. Drain the water and then fill with hot and a little detergent and squish again, and then let them soak for a half-hour to an hour. Rinse with cold to cut the detergent. As far as drying goes, do you have a fan in your room? You could always try laying the diaper (with a plastic bag or something under it) over a chair in your room with the fan on, or if you happen to blow-dry your hair you could spend a few minutes blow-drying the diaper too, lol! FuzziBunz outers don't take long to dry at all, so any sort of air that you can get to them will really speed up the process.

[Flower of Bliss]

Thanks for the tips. My concern with the hotel washer was the unknown detergent. I wash my fuzzibunz on hot at home, and then hang them to dry. In my laundry room at home they dry in a matter of hours. I've been shocked at how long things are taking to dry here. We don't have a fan, but I may try the hair dryer.

[kriket]

No advice about hand washing, but be sure to turn on the bathroom fan while you are drying! It makes the difference between dry dipes and damp messes!

We dried all of our clothes in the bathroom for a long while, and this was the only way they would actually get dry.