CDing through a (possibly long) power outage?

[chilliepepper]

I'm assuming that mamas up and down the East Coast are in the same boat as me. With Hurricane Irene on her way, the power could be out for who knows how long. If your power comes from the infamous Pepco (Washington D.C. area), experience tells us that even if we don't get a full blown hurricane / tropical storm, all it takes is one healthy gust, and *poof* buh bye electricity, see you in a week or more.

So...who here is switching to paper? I'm washing a load tonight, and wondering if I want to go buy a pack or two of Pampers to use until the power comes back on. Otherwise, it could be stink city.

There's always hand washing...

So what are your plans?

[PatioGardener]

Thanks for posting - I would have forgotten to add "wash all CDs and wipes" to my Prepare for the Storm list of things to do tomorrow!

Much appreciated!

(I have enough dipes and wipes to get us through 5-6 days, but I will likely buy a small pack of disposables in case we go longer without power.)

[chilliepepper]

Originally Posted by PatioGardener 

(I have enough dipes and wipes to get us through 5-6 days, but I will likely buy a small pack of disposables in case we go longer without power.)

Yeah...I'm not worried about running out of diapers. I mean, just about any piece of fabric can be a diaper---so I feel like the supply won't be an issue. But how long can you can go without washing, before the dipes are so disgusting that it's just not worth it? Can they still come clean, no matter how long they've been sitting around? That's my concern, more than running out of dipes before the power is restored.

[ZakareyasMama]

If I were you I'd get some backup plastics in the house... Just in case! You should do all your laundry before a storm anyway. Then fill up your washer w cold water and baking soda. You can use that to store dirty diapers for a few days if your power is out. The other option would be to make sur you have quarters for the laundromat. It looks like the storm is weakening a bit so hopefully we should not get it too bad. I lived all my life on the Gulf Coast before moving up here so I've been through a few of these! Stay safe!

[PatioGardener]

Originally Posted by chilliepepper 

Yeah...I'm not worried about running out of diapers. I mean, just about any piece of fabric can be a diaper---so I feel like the supply won't be an issue. But how long can you can go without washing, before the dipes are so disgusting that it's just not worth it? Can they still come clean, no matter how long they've been sitting around? That's my concern, more than running out of dipes before the power is restored.

Mine are OK for 5 days, as DS uses EC for almost all poops, and about 1/2 his pees. So the inserts get a really strong urine smell after 5 days, but it does come out with a good hot wash, Country Save detergent and a vinegar rinse. And drying in the sun. I only left them for 5 days once (because of illness) - hopefully they won't have to sit any longer this time!

[Lovesong]

I think flats definitely, but perhaps also prefolds, should be okay if you just rinse and hand wash and hang to dry. I would invest in some long rubber gloves, a big plastic bucket and some hand washing detergent if you don't already have some at hand. Oh, and watch a hand washing tutorial before the storm hits in case you've never done proper, old fashioned hand washing of truly dirty things before. Because you might freshen up a bra or your wool socks by just soaking, swishing and rinsing but to get dirty things clean it takes a LOT of working the laundry actively by rubbing,

I would definitely not even consider using any AIO. Better to use disposables for a week then ruin them from not being able to wash them in time, right?

I'm hoping Irene will not hit any of you that badly.

[chilliepepper]

Thanks all for the replies! I especially appreciate the hand washing advice---that may come in handy sometime. As it turned out, we barely even got a tropical storm where I live and we never lost power. I was so ready this time, LOL!

I don't have many flats and the ones I do have are the sorta junky Gerber ones...but that's something else I'll remember for the future. I could always double them up for sufficient absorbency.

Thanks again!

[AnkaJones]

Hi,

Our family had the same thoughts... we use prefolds + covers.  We had two options.  First, we have a Wonder Wash (a hand crank non-electric washer), which we use now as a prewash pretty much on a daily basis with our diapers (takes about 10-15 minutes), then we do "real laundry" every three days or so.  Given our experience Wonder Washing the diapers, prefolds really don't get as clean as you would like before re-using, unless there isn't any poop.  So, we ran out and got a small package of sposies.  Which we didn't use.  And are now sitting on mydresser staring me down :(

Sigh.

Anka

[chilliepepper]

You could probably return the sposies. I bought a couple of packages on Saturday, which I didn't end up using, and I'll probably return them. Depending on the store, they might not even require a receipt.

[Lovesong]

Originally Posted by AnkaJones 

Hi,

Our family had the same thoughts... we use prefolds + covers.  We had two options.  First, we have a Wonder Wash (a hand crank non-electric washer), which we use now as a prewash pretty much on a daily basis with our diapers (takes about 10-15 minutes), then we do "real laundry" every three days or so.  Given our experience Wonder Washing the diapers, prefolds really don't get as clean as you would like before re-using, unless there isn't any poop.  So, we ran out and got a small package of sposies.  Which we didn't use.  And are now sitting on mydresser staring me down :(

Sigh.

Anka

I'm sure as long as the package is unopened, it will be okay to return it. :)

Anyhow, as for the Wonder Wash not making your prefolds clean enough, it isn't surprising. Considering it takes an ordinary washing machine, with higher spin power and better agitation of the clothes, closer to an hour to clean dirty things properly. There's a reason that they had wash days in the old days. Because really, it takes LOTS of time to clean laundry properly by hand when really cleaning them, and not just freshening them up.

p.s. I'm glad non of you had to worry about it other than theoretically.