[HeatherSanders]

So, I'm at my grandmother's home over our vacation and she doesn't 'go' for the dual washing (she is a penny pincher to the core). So, I'll tell ya now - I did the 'diaper dunking' afraid of add'l stains.<br><br>
But get this . . . my mother did my first diaper load (gotta love her) and started it in HOT with regular detergent and some SHOUT Oxygen cleaner. There were 3 or 4 really filthy poopy diapers in there from our trip down (we have discovered that Kenny reacts to car rides with poopies). Well, IT ALL CAME OUT. One wash - and no stains.<br><br>
CRAZY!<br><br>
So, anyway . . . not sure if that would be an effective way to clean for those using coin ops, but I was rather impressed that there was not a requirement for a cold pre-soak to get the same effect.<br><br>
Towards the end of the week there were a few stains that were just sunned easily, but they were minimal. I was just so surprised at how well my dipes did in ONE HOT WASH!

 

[WendyLouWho]

<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/yikes.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="EEK!"> Wow! That's great. Makes you wonder though if it was the one hot wash or the oxygen cleaner that got them clean without a soak or rinse.<br><br>
I don't do a soak that often, even here with limestone water, but I always do a cold rinse. I don't have that many stains.

 

[chellemarie]

I always do a hot wash without a presoak. (Unless it's been a lonnnnnng time between washing.) Any stained diapers that come out of the dryer lay in my back car window to sun out while I'm at work or get stuffed in pocket diapers.

 

[Mizelenius]

Heather, I do ONLY ONE HOT WASH!!!! (I do rinse poo completely away before putting a diaper in the pail, though.) For me, part of CDing is for the environment and I couldn't bear to waste water doing extra soaks/rinses/washes-- no way! (Especially since we have a top loader.)<br><br>
Want to know how I strip diapers? I do a hot wash, no detergent, and dry as usual. My daughter uses them. When it's time to wash again, I check the suds during agitatation and skip detergent completely if I see suds. Dry/use as usual. It seemed horrible at first to use no detergent (and let my daughter wear the dipes), but if there are suds, then there is detergent all ready! It works, too! I was starting to get buildup but it's all gone now! No smells or stains at all here.<br><br>
My guilty pleasure is drying 2Xs, though . . .I need to break that habit!

 

[ChiknGirl]

A hot wash is all I do. No soaking, no dunking, no rinsing, a dry pail. A few tablespoons of detergent. No stains yet. I use cpf and fitteds mostly.

 

[flminivanmama]

I only do one wash too - I forgot to run in to switch the temperature so often (and it never made a difference when I forgot) that one day I just said "screw it" LOL and I have tried all different temps hot, warm, cold and none seem to make a significant difference in how the wash comes out. I rarely have stains and when I do they come out in a few more washes anyway, generally. my machine has a cycle with a 30 minute presoak and a second rinse and I use that... but I never worry about switching the temp. anymore.<br><br>
welcome back, btw. and that's just weird about the perm. press. what's her rationale behind that?

 

[HeatherSanders]

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<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;"><i>Originally posted by flminivanmama</i><br><b>welcome back, btw. and that's just weird about the perm. press. what's her rationale behind that?</b></td>
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Rationale? To a 71 year old woman set in her ways there need be no rationale . . . it just <b>IS</b>! :LOL :LOL

 

[Mizelenius]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;"><i>Originally posted by HeatherSanders</i><br><b>Rationale? To a 71 year old woman set in her ways there need be no rationale . . . it just IS! :LOL :LOL</b></td>
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71?? That's how old your grandmother is? That's how old my MOTHER is! She looks good, too! Here's her pic: <a href="http://www.pbase.com/image/2039616" target="_blank">My Mom</a><br><br><div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">I have tried all different temps hot, warm, cold and none seem to make a significant difference in how the wash comes out.</td>
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I'm going to have to try this . . . the hot washes really increase the gas bill!

 

[USAmma]

That's great Heather!! When I was using prefolds I only used cold water and the sun to get them clean. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/yikes.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="EEK!"> Those ME dipes hold onto odors more so they need not water. And if it wasn't for our hard water (comes halfway across the state in canals and collects lots of minerals) I'd be able to get away with a single wash. I need to rinse more though.<br><br>
BTW Welcome back!!<br><br>
Darshani

 

[pixiemama]

One hot wash eh? Today is diaper wash day, may have to try that.

 

[BellaMay]

Heather, thank you SO much for posting this.<br>
Although I'm not cloth-diapering yet, I'm expecting my first in October, and am stuck using the expensive coin-op machines in our building until we move (not for another year or so, it looks like...). When I did the calculations for washing dipes twice (at $1.75/load plus $1.75/45 mins in dryer), the cost was equal to the diaper service out here, and just as expensive as disposables at the warehouse.<br><br>
I encourage all the wash at home mamas out there to PLEASE experiment with this in the luxury of your very own washing machines; one hot wash would be a godsend to people like me not to mention the environment.<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/orngbiggrin.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="orange big grin">

 

[Kermit]

I love Shout Oxy Power. It gets rid of almost all our stains (and stink) when we use it with hot water. But I'm afraid to use it in every load because of all the hemp and what I hear about it eating holes in it. I still feel like I have to do the cold rinse in the beginning, even with the Shout, though. I feel like there is too much poop in the water! lol Or I'd at least have to do an extra rinse.

 

[HeatherSanders]

I am still not 'seeing' what it is about the oxidization process that would be detrimental to diapers/elastic . . . any chemists out there want to inform li'l ol' me? Y'know how I love to be informed.<br><br>
Holly, I have grappled with the whole 'does the poop get off' too and thought, well heck, I could dunk if need be in the toilet to save water, but then I wonder how much I'd save. I have several dirties per wash and when I dunk, I always have to flush at least twice. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/headscratch.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="headscratch"><br><br>
The dipes that I had were fresh smelling and poop free with one load. Over time? Don't know exactly.

 

[Melaniee]

Unless it is the rare poop that doesn't have the majority just roll/fall/peel off (I have a toddler) then we always only 1 hot wash. Going in to the wash there is usually some residue on the diapers, but knock on wood no Stains. Our only stained diaper ever came out of me soaking it all night long in some bac-out. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/headscratch.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="headscratch"><br><br>
If it's the rare kind, then I do a cold soak pre-wash.

 

[detergentdiva]

1 Hot wash, that's all I do <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile"> I never presoak, use the longest wash cycle, add slightly less then 1/4 scoop detergent and about once a week I add a ball of RLR for good measure.<br>
Dry pail, dunk only when needed (chunky poop), no vinegar, no baking soda, extra rinse, throw in dryer.<br>
I like SIMPLE and I HATE laundry!!!

 

[bluedotsmom]

I like this thread!!<br><br>
detergentdiva, what's RLR?

 

[WendyLouWho]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;"><i>Originally posted by Kermit</i><br><b>I still feel like I have to do the cold rinse in the beginning, even with the Shout, though. I feel like there is too much poop in the water! lol Or I'd at least have to do an extra rinse.</b></td>
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Me too! I like to think most of the poo is getting washed away in that first rinse with aggitation. The thought of a long wash with the diapers aggitating in poopy water makes me shiver <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/sick.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="sick"> But I'm weird that way...<br><br>
Luckily, my dd is one of those poo every 3-4 days kinda gals so I usually only have one load a week with a poopy diaper. But boy! Is it a poopy diaper <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/yikes.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="EEK!">

 

[Mizelenius]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">I encourage all the wash at home mamas out there to PLEASE experiment with this in the luxury of your very own washing machines; one hot wash would be a godsend to people like me not to mention the environment.</td>
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I started out with a coin-op machine. It is easier having your own machine, but it certainly can be done with a coin-op. You can do it! Get yourself some quick(er) drying dipes, try hard to prevent buildup (because strip washes would cost a fortune) and you'll be set!<br><br><div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
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<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">Elena, your mother is beautiful.</td>
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Thanks for this, Heather! It made my mom's day when I told her!

 

[Taosmama]

OK, this is really weird. With ds, I only did one hot wash in our front loader with Shaklee detergent and Nature Bright which is a hydrogen-peroxide based whitener, probably not too different from oxyclean. No stains. Now with dd, for some bizarre reason, her poop stains more, so we really need to do a cold short wash followed by a hot - our machine won't do a presoak. Why does her poop stain more? No meds, she's not on solids, my diet isn't really that different, who knows??? And since she's gone from a once every 10 days pooper to a 10 TIMES A DAY pooper, that's a lot of stains!!!!<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/yikes.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="EEK!"> I'd really love to go back to just one wash, especially since we're in the SW and I feel so guilty about all that water, even with a frontloader.

 

[danaalex]

i did it today!!!!!!!!! one hot wash for our dipes and then out to dry, they look and smell great. same as when i was doing all of the fancy stuff. the only stains are the baby's bf poop stains that we always have and they sun out. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/orngbiggrin.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="orange big grin"><img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/orngbiggrin.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="orange big grin"><br><br>
so, it's just one hot wash for us from now on!!!! thanks heather!!!!!!!!!!!! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/orngbiggrin.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="orange big grin"><img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/orngbiggrin.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="orange big grin">