A couple months ago my husband and I purchased enough cloth diapers for a friend of mine to diaper her twins. She has since stopped cloth diapering and gave me back all the diapers we bought her. Her husband had been washing them and ignoring the instructions on how to wash them properly so they were in pretty shabby condition. They were grey instead of white and had all sorts of stains. Now that I have them clean I wish I would have taken before and after pictures but I didn't think of that until too late. After lots of work most of them look brand new again. Here's what I did:
I started out with a hot water soak with a scoop of oxy clean and a tablespoon of blue dawn and used my handy camp washer agitator(plunger with holes drilled in it) to stir it all up. I let that soak for three or four hours agitating it once and a while. Normally I would advise against soaking anything with PUL (waterproof material) but this situation called for drastic measures.
After the soak I dumped the tote out in the shower (we have no bath tub) and spread the diapers and inserts out so that I could spray them down with the shower head. I rinsed them until I saw no more bubbles coming out of them. Then I wrung out as much water as I could get out and put them back in the tote so I could take them up to my inlaws to wash.
Into the HE washer they went with 2 tbs of Ecos Free and Clear Detergent and yes, 1/4 cup of bleach. (I DO NOT RECOMMEND BLEACH under normal circumstances but there are occasions where it is needed like when baby has rotovirus, yeast or impetigo) I set the washer for hot wash and cold rinse with a second rinse. I also found that I must add two large watering cans full of water if I want the diapers to come clean. When I use anything other than CD safe detergent I always follow the first wash cycle with a second wash set the same way except I don't use detergent. This lets me see if all the soap was rinsed out. If I still see suds in the washer I repeat the water only wash cycles until I see no more suds.
I was very happy to find that the diapers came out looking almost new. Now I need to figure out what to do with them because I certainly do not need to keep them for my son. (read the previous post)
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Major update: The Addiction has gotten out of control
I have been using cloth diapers on my son for 17 months now and there is a new patrol roaming my house. I now lovingly call my teenage daughter and husband the diaper police. Any time they catch me surfing the web for new diapers I get the same response: " OH NO! We don't need ANY more diapers!" I think they need lights and sirens because it never fails: I get caught. I joined Fluff Envy's Diaper of the Month Club(DOTM) back in October 2010. That was supposed to help alleviate my cravings to get new diapers but no, instead it fueled the fire. EVERY time I see a new diaper I feel the need to order one so I can try it out on the baby. After trying so many new diapers I can definitely say that my preferences have changed. Now I prefer snaps to hook and loop and I prefer natural fibers (bamboo or hemp) over microfiber.
So here what is in my diaper stash now and my thoughts on each diaper:
(I am only discussing my collection of pocket diapers as I have not purchased any new covers)
2 Applecheeks with bamboo inserts- Lemon Zest(yellow) and Storm(white with neon green snaps)
2 Applecheeks Swim Diapers- Corsica (blue with red lining) and Siesta Key (aqua)
I got the first Applecheek as a DOTM and I really wish that I wasn't so stubborn when I first started cloth diapering. I would have gladly used these instead of the pre-folds and and covers that we used. I see Applecheeks as almost a hybrid between the covers and pre-folds and pocket diapers.
3 Blueberry minkies- Saphire(DOTM), Blue Camo and Black (two with bamboo inserts and one with microfiber)
1 Blueberry One Size Bamboo Deluxe- Stars (DOTM)
2 Blueberry Basix- Giraffe and Messy Hands
The Blue Camo Minky was my first Blueberry product and one of my first pocket diapers. I like them all because they are all snaps and they are easy to stuff. I do prefer the bamboo inserts over the microfiber because the microfiber is really bulky. I purchased the Blueberry Basics out of curiosity and quickly found that because they are microfiber they are not absorbent enough for our heavy wetter. I had to add a bamboo doubler but this is not difficult to do because you can reach through the Basix. The Basix are also fitted and side snapping but there are only three snaps which makes it manageable.
1 Bottombumpers One Size in Canary (DOTM)
I have mixed feelings about this diaper. I probably would not have bought it if it weren't for diaper of the month. I love the natural fibers and we have never had a leak issue. I do not love side snapping diapers as I find it difficult to get them fastened on the baby when he is on my lap (which is most of the time). I have also found that the inside of this diaper likes to roll to the outside and if I forget to check it will wick urine onto his cloths.
1 BumGenius Elemental-Grasshopper (DOTM)
This was my first introduction to All in One diapers (AIO). I love that this is all organic cotton. I also like how this one fits nice and trim. I don't like how long it takes to dry and it also seems to stain much worse than any other diaper I own.
1 DreamEze Organic Cotton Fitted
I got this in a diaper grab bag deal from Baby Half Off. This is what started my new night time diaper routine because the first night we tried it there were no leaks at all. He had been soaking through and wet to his armpits every morning. I really wish that these were not discontinued because I would love to get more of these.
3 Fuzzibunz Perfect size- Big Sky (light blue), Blueberry (dark blue) and Watermelon(red)
These are some of my favorites. The way the lower snaps are curved make it easy to get a good fit around the legs. I will admit that at one point I had six but passed three along to a friend that was working on building her stash. I had to add a hemp doubler to the microfiber to increase absorbency. I also at one point had a FuzziBunz one size but did not like how that fit and passed it along to my friend.
1 Goodmama turned print one size- Earth Aware
I LOVE this one! Yes it is technically a fitted and should have a cover over it BUT it is so absorbent that as long as we don't put pants over it we have found no need for a cover. It fits wonderful, it's easy to put on, and its SUPER cute!
1 GroVia All in one- Owls
I love the cuteness of this print, the natural fibers and the trimness of this diaper. This is one I would not mind having more of (as if I really NEED any more).
7 Happy Heinys One Size Pocket- Puppy, Tye Dye Ocean, Red and Black Ooga Booga, Teal Ooga Booga, Jade, Navy and Black
All of these are hook and loop except the black one which is snaps. These used to be our go to for night time diapers now they are just daily use. Like the Fuzzibunz I have added a hemp doubler to the microfiber. Happy Heinys (new design) fit my son very well and are great to use during the day. He started soaking through them at night so we found a new night time solution (more on that later). I love all the different prints and colors that they offer.
1 Itti Bitti Snap in One-Turquoise
1 Itti Bitti Tutto-Silver (DOTM)
Another new favorite of mine! The Itti Bitti diapers seem very complicated at first look with all the different snaps but thanks to all the color coding they are really easy to put together. The Snap in one is a fitted diaper and the Tutto is a one size diaper. They are absorbent, trim fitting and super soft (made of minky fabric)!
2 Kawaii pocket diapers- Denim and camo
I bought these out of curiosity because they were about half the price of other pocket diapers. The two I have are cheaply made and don't fit well at all. I had to purchase other inserts to put in them because the ones they came with leaked no matter what I tried and they have major wing droop problems. I don't see these lasting as long as my other pocket diapers but if some one REALLY wanted to cloth diaper and this was all they could afford it is still a better option than disposable diapers.
1 Kissaluvs Organic Cotton/Hemp fitted
This is one of my new night time diapers. I pair it with a hemp doubler and put a cover over it for bed time. Most of the time he wakes up without leaks and if he does leak through it is only a little at the leg. I like how soft this diaper is and how it fits.
1 Lollidoo Overnight Eco-Pocket Diaper- Dark Blue (DOTM)
This is another good overnight diaper. I love the fact that the fleece is made from recycled plastic bottles and that this company supports work at home moms (they do the sewing). My only real issues is that the metal snaps are sometimes hard to snap.
3 Rumparooz-Platinum (DOTM), Little Monster and Ladder 6
Honestly Rumparooz have to be my all time favorite diaper. If I could I would probably build a whole stash of these and use them exclusively. I prefer the hemp inserts to the microfiber (of course). They have a very trim fit and come in lots of cute colors. I love the way they are made from TPU instead of PUL. I also have their wet bag and love it. The wet bag will hold about 4 days worth of diapers if you have to travel and don't have access to a washer and it also holds all the wet swim stuff including towels.
1 Soft Bums Omni Organic Bamboo (DOTM)-Sprout (green)
This is a one size that can be a pocket or an all in two where the inserts sits on top of the cover. The way to adjust the size is interesting because it uses elastic with a slide clasp that you adjust from the top.
1 sutainablebabysish (sbish) organic bamboo fleece fitted-sprout
This is another one of my night time diapers that I pair with a hemp doubler and cover. I would use this as a replacement of the DreamEze if I could find some to purchase. There seems to be a shortage of sbish products at the moment. The fit is great and its super absorbent.
7 Tots bots Easy Fits- Blueberry (blue-teal), Lemon, Lime, Orange, Pomegranate(red), Starburst and Cosmic
2 Tots Bots Stretch bamboozle (DOTM)
The Easy Fits come second to only the rumparooz. They are very easy to put on and fit almost as trim as a disposable. This is our go to diaper to use for church because it is very easy for some one who has never cloth diapered to use.
The Stretch Bamboozle is another night time diaper paired with a hemp insert and cover and performs about the same as the others.
That's 2 Swim Diapers, 5 over night diapers and 38 every day diapers for a grand total of 45 diapers! And I can't help it I continue to look at more every time I find new ones that I haven't tried yet or any time new colors or prints come out.
(I will come back later and add pictures as I find time to take them.)
So here what is in my diaper stash now and my thoughts on each diaper:
(I am only discussing my collection of pocket diapers as I have not purchased any new covers)
2 Applecheeks with bamboo inserts- Lemon Zest(yellow) and Storm(white with neon green snaps)
2 Applecheeks Swim Diapers- Corsica (blue with red lining) and Siesta Key (aqua)
I got the first Applecheek as a DOTM and I really wish that I wasn't so stubborn when I first started cloth diapering. I would have gladly used these instead of the pre-folds and and covers that we used. I see Applecheeks as almost a hybrid between the covers and pre-folds and pocket diapers.
3 Blueberry minkies- Saphire(DOTM), Blue Camo and Black (two with bamboo inserts and one with microfiber)
1 Blueberry One Size Bamboo Deluxe- Stars (DOTM)
2 Blueberry Basix- Giraffe and Messy Hands
The Blue Camo Minky was my first Blueberry product and one of my first pocket diapers. I like them all because they are all snaps and they are easy to stuff. I do prefer the bamboo inserts over the microfiber because the microfiber is really bulky. I purchased the Blueberry Basics out of curiosity and quickly found that because they are microfiber they are not absorbent enough for our heavy wetter. I had to add a bamboo doubler but this is not difficult to do because you can reach through the Basix. The Basix are also fitted and side snapping but there are only three snaps which makes it manageable.
1 Bottombumpers One Size in Canary (DOTM)
I have mixed feelings about this diaper. I probably would not have bought it if it weren't for diaper of the month. I love the natural fibers and we have never had a leak issue. I do not love side snapping diapers as I find it difficult to get them fastened on the baby when he is on my lap (which is most of the time). I have also found that the inside of this diaper likes to roll to the outside and if I forget to check it will wick urine onto his cloths.
1 BumGenius Elemental-Grasshopper (DOTM)
This was my first introduction to All in One diapers (AIO). I love that this is all organic cotton. I also like how this one fits nice and trim. I don't like how long it takes to dry and it also seems to stain much worse than any other diaper I own.
1 DreamEze Organic Cotton Fitted
I got this in a diaper grab bag deal from Baby Half Off. This is what started my new night time diaper routine because the first night we tried it there were no leaks at all. He had been soaking through and wet to his armpits every morning. I really wish that these were not discontinued because I would love to get more of these.
3 Fuzzibunz Perfect size- Big Sky (light blue), Blueberry (dark blue) and Watermelon(red)
These are some of my favorites. The way the lower snaps are curved make it easy to get a good fit around the legs. I will admit that at one point I had six but passed three along to a friend that was working on building her stash. I had to add a hemp doubler to the microfiber to increase absorbency. I also at one point had a FuzziBunz one size but did not like how that fit and passed it along to my friend.
1 Goodmama turned print one size- Earth Aware
I LOVE this one! Yes it is technically a fitted and should have a cover over it BUT it is so absorbent that as long as we don't put pants over it we have found no need for a cover. It fits wonderful, it's easy to put on, and its SUPER cute!
1 GroVia All in one- Owls
I love the cuteness of this print, the natural fibers and the trimness of this diaper. This is one I would not mind having more of (as if I really NEED any more).
7 Happy Heinys One Size Pocket- Puppy, Tye Dye Ocean, Red and Black Ooga Booga, Teal Ooga Booga, Jade, Navy and Black
All of these are hook and loop except the black one which is snaps. These used to be our go to for night time diapers now they are just daily use. Like the Fuzzibunz I have added a hemp doubler to the microfiber. Happy Heinys (new design) fit my son very well and are great to use during the day. He started soaking through them at night so we found a new night time solution (more on that later). I love all the different prints and colors that they offer.
1 Itti Bitti Snap in One-Turquoise
1 Itti Bitti Tutto-Silver (DOTM)
Another new favorite of mine! The Itti Bitti diapers seem very complicated at first look with all the different snaps but thanks to all the color coding they are really easy to put together. The Snap in one is a fitted diaper and the Tutto is a one size diaper. They are absorbent, trim fitting and super soft (made of minky fabric)!
2 Kawaii pocket diapers- Denim and camo
I bought these out of curiosity because they were about half the price of other pocket diapers. The two I have are cheaply made and don't fit well at all. I had to purchase other inserts to put in them because the ones they came with leaked no matter what I tried and they have major wing droop problems. I don't see these lasting as long as my other pocket diapers but if some one REALLY wanted to cloth diaper and this was all they could afford it is still a better option than disposable diapers.
1 Kissaluvs Organic Cotton/Hemp fitted
This is one of my new night time diapers. I pair it with a hemp doubler and put a cover over it for bed time. Most of the time he wakes up without leaks and if he does leak through it is only a little at the leg. I like how soft this diaper is and how it fits.
1 Lollidoo Overnight Eco-Pocket Diaper- Dark Blue (DOTM)
This is another good overnight diaper. I love the fact that the fleece is made from recycled plastic bottles and that this company supports work at home moms (they do the sewing). My only real issues is that the metal snaps are sometimes hard to snap.
3 Rumparooz-Platinum (DOTM), Little Monster and Ladder 6
Honestly Rumparooz have to be my all time favorite diaper. If I could I would probably build a whole stash of these and use them exclusively. I prefer the hemp inserts to the microfiber (of course). They have a very trim fit and come in lots of cute colors. I love the way they are made from TPU instead of PUL. I also have their wet bag and love it. The wet bag will hold about 4 days worth of diapers if you have to travel and don't have access to a washer and it also holds all the wet swim stuff including towels.
1 Soft Bums Omni Organic Bamboo (DOTM)-Sprout (green)
This is a one size that can be a pocket or an all in two where the inserts sits on top of the cover. The way to adjust the size is interesting because it uses elastic with a slide clasp that you adjust from the top.
1 sutainablebabysish (sbish) organic bamboo fleece fitted-sprout
This is another one of my night time diapers that I pair with a hemp doubler and cover. I would use this as a replacement of the DreamEze if I could find some to purchase. There seems to be a shortage of sbish products at the moment. The fit is great and its super absorbent.
7 Tots bots Easy Fits- Blueberry (blue-teal), Lemon, Lime, Orange, Pomegranate(red), Starburst and Cosmic
2 Tots Bots Stretch bamboozle (DOTM)
The Easy Fits come second to only the rumparooz. They are very easy to put on and fit almost as trim as a disposable. This is our go to diaper to use for church because it is very easy for some one who has never cloth diapered to use.
The Stretch Bamboozle is another night time diaper paired with a hemp insert and cover and performs about the same as the others.
That's 2 Swim Diapers, 5 over night diapers and 38 every day diapers for a grand total of 45 diapers! And I can't help it I continue to look at more every time I find new ones that I haven't tried yet or any time new colors or prints come out.
(I will come back later and add pictures as I find time to take them.)
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