[scheelimama]

I think this would be the right forum for this subject so here I go. AF returned today

and dd is only 5 months. Well, we are c'ding, and I've been thinking about switching to cloth for myself as well, but I haven't given too much thought until today. Now, I'm wondering, does anyone have experience with how to care for cloth pads. Do you use a dry or wet soak system? Do you just wash and dry them like dipes and sun them to get stains out? I really have no idea how to go about this, and it seems a little gross, but I think it would be so much more comfortable, so I thought I would ask. Thanks.

 

[1jooj]

I have rinsed mine and thrown them in with dipes...or rinsed them and washed them with other laundry. I don't leave mine soaking, but a lot of other women do. They have soaker pots in their bathrooms just for this purpose.

I find dealing with poopy diapers far, far far worse.

 

[kate42]

I just rinse mine and toss in with whatever laundry I'm doing at the time. I don't find cloth pads to be gross at all. Trust me, if you're cd'ing, you've dealt with worse!

 

[Mallory]

I usually just throw them into the tub -dry- and wash them by hand when I get in the shower the next time.

But when I washed a lot more diapers I often just threw them in there or I sometimes wash them with a load of laundry.

 

[scheelimama]

Thanks ladies,
I didn't think it would be too tough. Do you all just let them stain, or do you hang them in the sun or what? Do they normally stain? After wearing disposables all day, I am really looking forward to switching to cloth. Here's the wierd thing. Dh doesn't have a problem with the idea at all, and thinks it's a good idea, but I talked to my mom about using cloth for AF and she just could not handle the idea. She thought it was so gross. Anyway, thanks for the advice.

 

[Arduinna]

I don't soak and just wash them when I need to, since I made mine and have quite a few that's usually only once af is over each time. I haven't had a problem with stains.

 

[woo27ks]

i soak mine in cold water and then wash with other clothes. i've used mine for about 3 months and don't have any stains. i love using cloth. i can't wait until my budget allows for more.

 

[ShannonCC]

I just got AF back and am using cloth for the first time. They're GREAT! They really are more comfortable. I never thought disposable pads were particularly uncomfortable but there definitely is a difference. Oh, and this might be TMI, but there's much less of a smell. You know how disposable diapers reek when a baby pees on them? Something about the chemicals or wood pulp or whatever? Well, disposable pads are the same. I always thought that was the smell of AF, but it was the stinkin :LOL pads!

Anyway, I rinsed mine with cold water when I changed them (which was actually LESS than with disposables! Isn't that weird?). I then tossed them in whatever laundry I was doing (dipes, regular laundry, towels, - I usually do a load a day of *something*). One has stains already but they're not very noticable because I bought ones with brightly patterned fabric. And hey, that's what they are for, right? I don't worry about stained diapers anymore either.

 

[scheelimama]

I hadn't thought of making them with bright colored material to distract from stains, but that's a good idea. I am a sherpa freak, and it is bright white. I absolutely love the stuff, it is so heavenly soft, but stains definitely are a problem. I usually just sun my diapers, but it seems that is getting harder to come by these days. Maybe I could dye my sherpa so that stains wouldn't show so much. Hmmm... Well, thanks for all the wonderful advice. This AF is over, but I will be looking forward to the next one so that I can try cloth. I'm actually excited about it. How weird!

 

[grisandole]

I just rinse them out with cold water and toss them in our regular laundry. I use two different kinds, Kristins Cloth and Lizs Cloth- the Kristins haven't stained at all (they are flannel prints), but there are a few on my Liz's (hemp fleece).

I'm going to try Luna Pads, I just ordered some!

Kristi

 

[EnviroBecca]

I use cloth pads only at night and the Keeper during the day, so what I do is take off my pad before getting into the shower and hold it under cold running water for about 1 minute. That gets a lot out, because the middle of the pad stays damp during full flow, so it doesn't "set" into the fabric. Then I put a squirt of liquid soap in an old yogurt tub (big size), fill w/cold water, put the pad in, put the lid on, and set it aside. Later (usually when I get home from work) I wring it out and put it over the edge of the laundry basket to dry until laundry time.

If I were doing laundry every day, I don't think I'd bother with the soaking...but since I don't have diapers to wash (yet), I sometimes go as long as a week between loads of laundry, so it's important to get the pads mostly clean right away.

I've had stains only on white pads that I've used during light or intermittent flow. I get them out by soaking in Oxi-Clean, then RINSING VERY THOROUGHLY AND IMMEDIATELY, then laundering. Oxi-Clean is great at removing stains, and it's non-toxic and all, but I don't want to know how it would feel on my delicate bits!

 

[Attila the Honey]

I use cloth pads I made myself out of beige-ish flannel, so if they are stained or dingy it's not as noticeable. I don't soak at all, just throw them in a bucket and wash them in cold water. I guess they are a little dingy, but it's not as if anyone ever sees them!

My dh is also supportive of the cloth pads, thinks it's a great idea and it's not unusual for him to throw a load in for me. But weirdly, it was also my mother that had the freak out. She told my 95 year old grandmother about it, expecting her to also be grossed out and my grandmother said, "Well, what the hell do you think I used?" :LOL Grandma was af-ing in 1920, so of course she used cloth!