Hiney Liney's prize package: One versa cover, one liney, one insert, and one Fluff Bling a & lt;i>Rafflecopter giveaway
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This week's Fluff Friday winner is Leslee Boldman!
She will receive:
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! Please, contact us ASAP so we can get your winnings out to you!!!
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Fluff Friday 161 Winner!
All things being equal, it is probably best to line dry outside where the sun can assist in bleaching/sanitizing the diapers, but if it too rainy, too windy, or too cold outside or if you do laundry at night like I do so that in the morning my entire stash is clean (except of course the diaper being worn), then outside really isn’t an option. So around the house they go.
Some mornings I walk downstairs to my beautifully hanging diaper covers strewn about and wonder if anyone else “decorates” their house the way I do.
Depending on what other laundry is also drying and how organized my laundry room is I might do any of the following:
- Scour the house for hooks (coat hooks, towel hooks, bag hooks) and drape the cover over the hook
- Hang the diaper over the long part of a hanger, like I would hang pants, and then hang the hanger from the shower curtain rod, cabinet drawer or cupboard handles, really anything
- Lay the cover over the edge of the laundry basket or the back of the kitchen chairs
- Or simply lay the cover on a towel on the floor
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Line Drying Inside
When I first started to cloth diaper my son I thought I would never do cloth wipes. I figured it involved making a solution in a case every day and that it would make it hard. I now realize it is actually very easy. I make my solution using Kissaluvs diaper lotion potion concentrate and I mix it with witch hazel into a spray bottle and all I do is spray a dry wipe and wipe my sons bum. I usually can use just one FuzziBunz wipe, even with poopy diapers. With disposables I felt like everything just smeared around and I had to use multiple wipes. It makes me happy to know that something so gentle is going on my sons bottom.
I also used to use paper towels and now I have started using cloth napkins. I love the feeling of cloth compared to paper and its not any extra laundry wise because I throw them right in with our clothes. I have recently discovered "mama cloth" and the Diva cup and I am now working on starting to purchase a complete set to start on my next cycle and I am excited to be less wasteful and also to quit putting something toxic in my body! I also have found the amber teething necklace and my son has been wearing it since he began teething and he never has needed any teething medicine and he barely drools unless i forget to put it on right away in the morning. I have also along the way realized I am not alone in loving to breastfeed and baby wear and also co-sleep.
I am constantly trying to convert people I know to the "crunchier" ways of living and I hope I make some impact along the way. If even one person decides to cloth diaper because I showed them how easy it is I will be thrilled. If you are new to cloth diapering or thinking about it, just try it! I guarantee you will realize it is much easier then it seems in your head. Good luck!
Rachel is a stay at home, proud cloth diapering mom and wife to an amazing husband, 6 year old son, 4 year old daughter and 8 month old son who loves being green and teaching others how easy it is to be green. She is passionate about breastfeeding and organic living and loves to shop for cloth diapers.
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The Amazing Impact of Cloth Diapers!
Seven truths that I’ve come to learn so far include:
- Keep your mouth closed when spraying diapers! This high-powered contraption is a life-saver for cleaning poo off of diapers before washing. However, even on a modest setting, it can really blast your diapers and shower anything else that happens to be in the vicinity. Yep. Learned this one first-hand.
- Compression leaks happen. It’s particularly—how shall we say?—stylish when babywearing and mommy’s shirt becomes the canvas. Thankfully the Moby Wrap makes a very fashionable shaw when leaks of this nature happen in public. Yep. Been there, done that on this one too.
- Just because blow-outs are so uncommon with cloth doesn’t mean one should become lax at the changing station. Flailing baby hands are a reality for cloth and disposable users and they invariably land in just the places you wish they wouldn’t!
- Girls are masters at the “sneak-a-pee” while being changed. My daughter had a knack for soaking the changing pad without me knowing it. I’d have a new diaper on and be in the midst of getting her clothed again when suddenly I’d realize her outfit was soaked. Boys are much more obvious. My son has sprayed me, my husband, the changing table, the floor, various standers-by, you name it. This is where a stack of pre-folds nearby comes in super-handy. The best pee-pee blockers EVER!
- Your bathtub will become home to all sorts of things you never dreamed of. Right now, we make lots of “diaper soup” in ours as it is the perfect place to pre-soak cloth diapers and trainers before running them in our front-loading washer.
- You will become intimate with poopy in a whole different way when using cloth. I now understand not just what my son’s “outs” look like when they happen but what they look like at the end of the day when color and consistency give even more clues as to how mommy’s diet, vitamin drops, medicines or the introduction of rice cereal impacts baby. It sounds gross, for sure. But interesting nonetheless. Cut back on the carrots, Mom!
- It is inevitable that the potty-learned child will need to go poopy on the potty at the least inopportune moment. Mine is a huge fan of needing my help with wiping at exactly the moment when I am nursing baby. This has made for some interesting juggling, I can assure you. If anyone has the solution to this one (aside from growing a new set of hands), I’m game!
What are your favorite truths?
by Nicole C.
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Seven Pee-Pee & Poopy Truths
If you’re a green person like me you probably have, or want, a HE washing machine. Less energy, less water, and less money at bill time are all big perks. So, when the day came that our ancient washer literally went “KA-PUT”, we bought a brand new HE machine. I wanted a front loader, but had to compromise on an HE top loader. A Whirlpool Cabrio to be exact (what happened to women always getting what they want?). It was clean, bright, and super quiet. Nothing like the ancient metal mammoth I was used to.
I washed all the laundry as I normally would, and for the first week - week and a half I was very impressed! Clothes and diapers were all coming out clean and very soft. Then it happened. Yes, IT. The smell of ammonia. The thing is, it didn’t slowly creep into the diapers, it hit like a ton of bricks! It was the kind that burns your nose hair and eyes. It was horrible! Terrified that an ammonia burn could happen I frantically stripped with hot wash after hot wash, and rinsed, rinsed, rinsed. Satisfied that I had sterilized and killed every last bacteria cell that could possibly be lingering in the dipes, we went about bedtime as usual. The next morning IT was still there, and this time my son’s “area” was all red. I hadn’t had issues with diapers in a VERY long time, since I was a beginner, so I was convinced that I needed to change my wash routine because of the new HE washer.
Here is what I’ve discovered since traveling down a very long road of trial and error with our HE top loading washer:
1. HE top loader (HETL) washers ARE NOT THE SAME as front loaders (FL)
2. HETL let you add a lot of water (great, so the diapers can get nice and clean!)
3. Adding too much water in an HETL will make the diapers float (not so great, because the agitator is on the bottom)
4. A happy medium must be found for diapers and washer to get along- before going insane J
With that said, here is the wash routine that works for us. Clean diapers, no more smells, and happy baby:
Cold Rinse/No Spin
Cold Rinse/Medium Spin
Cold Heavy Duty/Medium Spin
(These are initial rinses to get residue off)
Cold Heavy Duty + detergent + ¼ cup baking soda/No Spin
Hot Heavy Duty + detergent + ¼ cup baking soda/STOP after agitating and soak for 1 hour or overnight
(push START to finish previous cycle)/Medium Spin
(These are the wash cycles to get the diapers clean)
Hot Heavy Duty/No Spin
Cold Heavy Duty + Extra Rinse/Medium Spin
(These are final rinses to get all the left over detergent out)
I know, it looks like a lot. But remember, you don’t have to stand in the laundry room and wait for everything to finish. I start when I get home in the evening, let the diapers soak overnight and finish the next day. On weekends, I start in the morning and finish in the evening. This is what I’ve found to work for us over a long period of time (months). It took forever to find a routine that worked and there wasn’t much about HETL online. So, I hope this helps others out there! Have you found a wash routine that works for you and your top loader?
Gina is a green living advocate, and mom of two boys (ages 2 & 3), who has cloth diapered exclusively for 3 years. A self-proclaimed tree hugger, she loves to share the benefits of all things natural and organic.
I washed all the laundry as I normally would, and for the first week - week and a half I was very impressed! Clothes and diapers were all coming out clean and very soft. Then it happened. Yes, IT. The smell of ammonia. The thing is, it didn’t slowly creep into the diapers, it hit like a ton of bricks! It was the kind that burns your nose hair and eyes. It was horrible! Terrified that an ammonia burn could happen I frantically stripped with hot wash after hot wash, and rinsed, rinsed, rinsed. Satisfied that I had sterilized and killed every last bacteria cell that could possibly be lingering in the dipes, we went about bedtime as usual. The next morning IT was still there, and this time my son’s “area” was all red. I hadn’t had issues with diapers in a VERY long time, since I was a beginner, so I was convinced that I needed to change my wash routine because of the new HE washer.
Here is what I’ve discovered since traveling down a very long road of trial and error with our HE top loading washer:
1. HE top loader (HETL) washers ARE NOT THE SAME as front loaders (FL)
2. HETL let you add a lot of water (great, so the diapers can get nice and clean!)
3. Adding too much water in an HETL will make the diapers float (not so great, because the agitator is on the bottom)
4. A happy medium must be found for diapers and washer to get along- before going insane J
With that said, here is the wash routine that works for us. Clean diapers, no more smells, and happy baby:
Cold Rinse/No Spin
Cold Rinse/Medium Spin
Cold Heavy Duty/Medium Spin
(These are initial rinses to get residue off)
Cold Heavy Duty + detergent + ¼ cup baking soda/No Spin
Hot Heavy Duty + detergent + ¼ cup baking soda/STOP after agitating and soak for 1 hour or overnight
(push START to finish previous cycle)/Medium Spin
(These are the wash cycles to get the diapers clean)
Hot Heavy Duty/No Spin
Cold Heavy Duty + Extra Rinse/Medium Spin
(These are final rinses to get all the left over detergent out)
I know, it looks like a lot. But remember, you don’t have to stand in the laundry room and wait for everything to finish. I start when I get home in the evening, let the diapers soak overnight and finish the next day. On weekends, I start in the morning and finish in the evening. This is what I’ve found to work for us over a long period of time (months). It took forever to find a routine that worked and there wasn’t much about HETL online. So, I hope this helps others out there! Have you found a wash routine that works for you and your top loader?
Gina is a green living advocate, and mom of two boys (ages 2 & 3), who has cloth diapered exclusively for 3 years. A self-proclaimed tree hugger, she loves to share the benefits of all things natural and organic. |
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Washing Cloth Diapers in HE Top Loaders
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