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FB:whats your diaper washing rountine

915 views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  delphiniumpansy 
#1 ·
I use FBs with 1 micro and 1 joeybunz insert. Currently when I change him I pull out the inserts, put them into one hanging diaper pail and put the FB and wipes into another hanging pail. (when I'm out and about I just shove them into a bag unseparated and wait til I get home..stinky). That way when I wash them they are already separated. When I wash I use cold prewash, then allens naturally for a full Hot wash with a couple of rinses after that. Then I dry them in the dryer - high heat for inserts and low for FBs (not much sun in MD these days). It seems like I waste a lot of water but I was having repelling/stink issues before. Whats your rountine? Just wondering what you ladies do. Any tips or ideas?
 
#2 ·
I have been trying abunch of different stuff lately becuase I have a buildup problem as well. Usually I use a dry pail, then soak diapers over night in washer with shaklee laundry booster, them wash on warm with tide free and add white vinegar in a downy ball for the rinse, if it still a little stinky after that I will do a just water rinse again, if it is really stinky I will do a whole wash again, just water.
My DH has refused to use CD anymore becuase of our leaky/stinky diapers, I am doing my best to troubleshoot right now, the extra bad part is that we are using alot less diapers so it seems like a bigger waste of water in each wash, Hopefully it will be temporary and we will be using only CD soon.
 
#3 ·
when i had build up/repell issues I eventually got rid of it by using a little dawn in the washing machine with lots of rinses and then I also turned up my hot water heater extra hot and one of those things worked. I hear ladies do the dishwasher...goodluck momma
Also whats a dry pail....just a XL wetbag in a trash can with a lid? Sorry, i'm new to this.
 
#4 ·
We use a dry pail; we throw everything into it and we don't remove the inserts first. The inserts always come out in the washer so we don't bother to take them out. I do a load of diapers every day. I've found that washing more than 10-12 diapers doesn't get them clean enough (we use a HE machine).

I do a short, cold wash with a Tbs of Country Save and a squirt of Bac-Out in the rinse tray. I then do a long, hot wash with 1/2 Tbs of Country Save and an extra rinse. Then, everything goes into the dryer on HOT for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes the pockets and microfiber inserts are dry, so I pull those out and then let the joeybunz and prefolds dry for another 30 minutes.

This has been working great so far!
 
#6 ·
when im home and my washer is down in my scary basement where i dont take dd, i wash all the wipes, inserts, pfs and other things that i stuff my pockets with in the washer on hot with a half dose of detergent and an extra rinse at the end and sometimes a splash of vinegar. i wash the actual pocket diapers (fb, hh, pc) in a bucket in my bathroom. i wait til 3-4 are dirty and fill the bucket with super hot water and a squirt of 50/50 natural dishsoap and vinegar. then i let them sit in the bucket for however long til i get back and ring them out and hang to dry on a little octopus thingy i got at ikea. this allows me to not have to do laundry every single day as i only have 9 pocket diapers. when im at my moms and her washer is right in the bathroom, i do a wash everyday and just wash everything together on hot with the same half dose of det and the extra rinse. i still dont dry the pockets (i figure they will last longer that way) - i always dry the inserts, wipes and such though.
 
#8 ·
I take the inserts out (the microfiber FB ones) and put dipe and inserts into dry bag. When bag is full, I turn it inside out and put it all in washer. If there are a few poopy dipes, I do a prewash on warm with bacout, then extra rinse on cold. Then, I was the whole load on hot with tidehe and do another extra rinse. If there are only wet dipes (baby does not poop daily) then I just do a cold rinse before the hot wash with tide and an extra cold rinse afterward. I dry the whole thing on low for 30 mins and then remove the dipes and bag and continue to dry the inserts on med for another 30 mins. They don't stink.

I am switching to charlies as soon as my current bottle of tide is finished as I want to try something different.
 
#9 ·
We use FB, as well as HP and BG pockets. I shake the insert out and the insert and pocket go into the pail (a pail liner in a flip top trash can). I wash on hot and do two cold rinses. I dry the inserts in the dryer and the pockets usually get put on a drying rack. I've been using Arm&Hammer for sensitive skin. I've been CDing for a few months now and have only had stink issues once, and it was resolved with an extra wash cycle and a few extra rinses.
 
#10 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by jenjenl18 View Post
how does the vinegar help? Maybe I should start using it....how much? right into the water or into the bleach thingy? thanks ladies
when using it in the washer i just turn the dial to the extra cold rinse and as its filling i just pour a slash in right on the clothes. i suppose if you have a nice washer that will do the extra rinse without your having to go turn it back on yourself you could use one of those fabric softener balls since they are designed to open at the right time.

i think the vinegar helps in a number of ways. i know that in the rinse it helps to get the residue of the soap all rinsed out. i also clean my house with it - floors, counters, mirrors, even the toilet. so i just naturally thought of it when i was trying to figure out what i was going to use to hand wash the covers and pockets. i feel like it really helps them not to be stinky, my dipes never smell bad. ppl ask me all the time if everything we have smells like vinegar and even my snobbiest, most judgemental friend admits that neither the house or dd smells like vinegar
 
#11 ·
I separate the dipes/insert from the pockets and covers, put into a dry pail with my wipes. I wash on cold first with 1/2 purex f&c, then a hot wash with 1/4 purex f&c, and a final rinse with tto. I dry the pfs and wipes, hang the covers and pockets to dry. So far no stink issues with this Babe. I wash ever day and 1/2 or so.
Stink issues in the past I've dealt with extra rinses, vinegar, sun, even stripped a couple times.
 
#12 ·
Why do I keep reading about mamas using free and clear detergents when every washing instruction I've ever read says that free and clear detergents are a major cause of stink and buildup and leaking?

here is just one example of many, many I have read:
http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/resou...thdiapers.html

Quote:
A Note on "Free and Clear": We get calls daily about leaking cloth diapers
(especially pocket diapers and all in ones), and the Free and Clear detergents listed below are the culprits 99% of the time. Free and Clear detergents contain microbiostats, which control the growth of microorganisms, such as dust mites. This is beneficial to those with allergies, but may be the common ingredient that causes the fleece in your pocket diapers to repel. Now, many parents use Free and Clear detergents with great success (it really depends on your local water mineral content and washer), but if you begin to have leaks or smells after a few weeks or months, try stripping your diapers and then switching detergents.
 
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