What do you put used mama cloth in?

[mercy589]

I just got a stash of mama cloth for postpartum use - I'm so excited about having comfy cloth instead of plastic sposies ripping at my stitches. Anyway... what exactly do you store the used cloth in? DH doesn't want to see them or know about it, lol, and I do have a toddler at home so I dont want it to be something she would get into.... most people store them in water though right? I do use cloth diapers, so I'm thinking of washing them with the diapers. My diaper washing includes a cold rinse then hot wash w cold rinse, that should work, right? Also, what do you put in the water with the mama cloth while you're waiting for them to be washed? In my case it has to be something that will be ok once I throw it in the wash with the cloth diapers. Thanks for the help! I'm excited to try this out, but want to know what I'm doing.

Christy

[PGNPORTLAND]

I just started using mama cloth last month and I love it

My dp does not want to see or hear of it either

I use a large (ish) sold colored tuperwear container with a top. I stuff it sort of behind my bathtub where there is a space. I wait until the first pad is "used" and then I put it in the tupperware and add cold water from the sink enought to cover the pad and a little Biokleen Bac-out. Then when the next one goes in I add a little more water. I find I have to wash them every other day. (because my stash is a bit smaller than I thought it would be for my needs). I have heard of people washing with the diapers and we use cloth diapers to but I guess I just feel better washing them seperately. I use the same wash routine as with diapers. Cold Soak, then hot Super wash with Biokleen with extra rinses. (the super wash has extra rinses). That's it. Oh I pour out the water from the tupperware before I put them in the wash.

[zeldabee]

I, uh, maybe give mine a rinse if they're heavily soiled, but generally I just throw 'em in the laundry and wash with everything else. I don't really worry about stains, because, well, they are what they are. Still, they aren't really very stained. PP bleeding would probably be more of an issue, so I'd probably use a covered plastic container for that.

I don't have a partner who'd be squicked out by them, but I also wouldn't want them lying around inviting comments and questions from Sprogly.

[dealic]

I have a shelf in the bathroom that I store clean ones on, and a small happy face garbage can for used ones. I started off filling it with water, but now I put them in dry. They stain a bit that way, but are less likely to smell if I forget to change the water. The container has a lid on it, and is opaque, but I need a new one as it is small, and doesn't fit many pads in it.

And I have a wonderful DH who washes them for me (laundry being his self appointed job). But that's easy, because I just tuck the container, lid on, into the laundry basket, and he just has to take the lid off and dump. Because they are dry, and wrapped up, he wouldn't see anything, even if he did care, other than a pile of cloth.

[Siennaflower]

I use a small drawstring wet bag that I got off the TP. I used it for diapers back when dd wore them, now I hang it on the back of the bathroom door to toss pads into. I run a quick rinse on them in the washer before I add a load of towels or whatever needs to be washed on hot. I have dark colored pads so stains aren't noticeable anyway.

[eden/averymum]

I throw them in with whatever is being washed at the time. if nothing is on the go I toss them in the diaper pail.

[starry_mama]

I have a small bin in our bathroom that is for mama cloth, family cloth, and diapers that get changed upstairs. I was mama cloth with diapers, mostly because they get washed more often than any other laundry in our house. :

[J-Max]

Originally Posted by eden/averymum

I throw them in with whatever is being washed at the time. if nothing is on the go I toss them in the diaper pail.

Originally Posted by starry_mama

I have a small bin in our bathroom that is for mama cloth, family cloth, and diapers that get changed upstairs. I was mama cloth with diapers, mostly because they get washed more often than any other laundry in our house. :

[KariM]

I store them in a little plastic wastebasket with a lid. I put them in the basket dry with our family cloth and then wash them together about every other day.

I used to soak them, but found that actually set the stains in and the current method works better at having them come through the wash stain-free.

Here's a pic of the set-up in our bathroom.:

http://tinyurl.com/2hnsxm

[Broken Butterfly]

I started by putting the to soak, but they got stiiiiiinky!!! Now, I have a large container, the type that restaurants get condiments in, and I cover the bottom with baking soda, and toss the pads in. There's no way DS's pudgy toddler hands could get that lid off! When it's full, I just shake them out into the washing machine - I might have to tug out a few larger ones, but no big deal, there's never any smell. Actually, I got sick once, right as I was ending AF, and totally forgot the container stashed in a corner of the bathroom. *ducking and blushing* It was there for a couple of weeks when I remembered, and put them in the wash. I was shocked, no stink, no mould, nothing!

[Naturalyst]

I put them (dry) into a cloth bag by the washing machine. When I run a wash (anything but whites), they get put in first and I run a rinse with cold water and then I load the clothes and run a regular wash. If I don't have enough to justify a machine rinse, I rinse them in cold water at the sink and then put them in the wash with the clothes. I run wash every other day.

Throwing them into water (even with additives) and letting them sit for days never seemed hygienic to me. For the same reason, I don't think it's a good idea to put them in with diapers (not that anyone is in diapers here, anyhow). But, that's just my opinion and a lot of others here think differently.

Forgot to mention ... I throw the cloth bag in with the wash too.

[mamimapster]

I just toss mine in a wetbag next to the tub-they get washed with towels/wipes anyway. if they are stained I pour some peroxide over to release the stains,but i've not had bad staining with mine since they are backup for a diva anyway.

[snanna]

I've used the same set of cloth pads for about nine years now (wow!), and stopped soaking them after the first couple of months because it was summer and... really gross. I watered my houseplants with the water, like people recommend, and my living room smelled like rotting meat. Mmmmmm.

Now I rinse them and throw them in with the diapers. I used to put them in with the whites that I washed on hot. I don't mind the toddler seeing them-- she'll get me out a clean one if she sees me needing one in the bathroom-- and dh is in favor of such things, but I bet a cute little wetbag of your own would solve both problems. I want one myself, for out and about, but just keep using the big diaper one, so far.

[EnviroBecca]

Old family-size yogurt tub with plain cold water. When I change pads, I take out the one that's soaking, wring it, and hang it on the edge of my laundry hamper inside the closet; dump the water; then put the next pad in to soak. Letting them dry prevents them from getting yucky while waiting to be washed. I put them in a zippered nylon mesh bag and wash with my clothes in cold water.

My partner does his own laundry and doesn't look at my hamper, so this works out for us. Actually, I don't think he'd mind seeing rinsed pads drying--he doesn't mind seeing clean ones on the clothesline--but he DID object when I first started using cloth and would soak my pads in the sink.

[pumpkin]

I don't wet pail.

I just have a small trash can under the sink. In our old place it had a lid, but it was a pedastal sink. In the new place its just a small open trash can in the cabinet.

On washing day I do a really long cold soak. That gets everything resaturated and the stains start to release. Much easier than changing pail water every day and I've found it works just as well.

[michaelasmommy]

I just throw mine in with the diapers. Most of my pads are dyed red, so I have no idea if they hold stains or not! The couple cream colored ones I have only have very light stains. I do a cold soak and rinse with the dipes before the regular wash cycle to prevent stains, and it seems to keep my stuff stain-free pretty well too.

[Twinklefae]

I put mine to soak in salt water. This has kept down staining, and actually removed some old stains from mine. (Can you call it mama cloth if the pads were bought years before you got pregnant??? ) Not that I'm fussy, and this may change when I'm doing diaper laundry too, but when I was living on my own laundry happened only once every two weeks and soaking the pads worked way better than leaving them for that long!

[Taedareth]

I toss mine in the diaper bin. It's right there in the bathroom.

[roostery]

I stick them in the wet-pail with DD's diapers. At least I did, before she potty trained and I got pregnant. I will probably do that again just for convenience. Before I had a wet pail though I just stuck them in with the regular laundry. I never had much staining.

After DD #2 potty trains I will probably stick a container in the bathroom for them. It is really nice not having to trot through the halls to the bedroom laundry bin with a used pad in my hand.

[reducereuserecycle]

just throw them in the water soak buckets w/ your diaper-easy as that, then just wash them w/ the dipes