I live in an apartment that has in suite laundry but the machine is old, has limited settings and doesn't do a great job at removing the poop from babies diapers. So far the only thing that I can get to work is bleach. I've tried vinegar and other stain removers but they don't do the trick.
I don't have a soak, prewash option however I can stop the washer once it fills. I can wash in hot but the rinse is warm or I can wash in warm with a cold rinse, those are the only options I have for temperature.
Generally what I do is fill the washer, stop it, add bleach and let it sit. Then I just restart the washer. I've tried the same process with vinegar, but the diapers did not come clean.
The little one is exclusively breastfed so it shouldn't be that hard but I find I can't follow most of the advice online, it just doesn't work or I don't have the settings on the machine. Anybody have any other tricks?
As I stated in the question, the only options I have on my washer for temperature are hot wash with warm rinse and warm wash with cold rise. I don't have the options many of you have suggested. I can't do hot washes with cold rinses or cold washes and cold rinses. I don't have those settings. The shower does not have a hose, it is stuck to the wall. I'd use it, but cleaning the bathtub every 2 or 3 days is a little too much like work.
I will try Oxyclean as I have that in the cupboard already.
As for diaper type, they are old, actually from my daughter (I had a better washing machine with her). They are like all in ones except the require covers. And the covers are Bummis Super Whisper Wraps. I do have some straight flat diapers and, of course, liners. I think I'll continue to bleach the liners, but maybe I'll do it before washing.
Thank you for your help everybody.
Have you tried a little bit of oxyclean? I have head of doing that but then rinse, rinse, rinse.
I presume a tight budget is the reason you're washing them. If not, I'd say that the simplist answer is to use disposables. Lord knows what germs may be left in those diapers to be put next to your baby again.
Here is an interesting how-to wash diapers I found on the internet:
http://www.diaperjungle.com/washing-cloth-diapers.html
It may help you avoid using chlorine which is said to be a carcinogen if it gets on the skin too much.
Does your bath or shower have a showerhead that you can use to spray down the diapers before you wash them? There are also diaper sprays you can purchase online through kellyscloset or jilliansdrawers that you can attach directly to your toilet to spray clean messes. After the diapers are sprayed/rinsed clean, you can soak them in a bucket with a water and/or water and oxyclean mixture.
I've read that you shouldn't use bleach on diaper covers, as it will wear down the waterproof material. I have bleached the diaper inserts.
I've used fragrance free oxyclean on my daughters diaper covers and inserts for the past two years and have not noticed any damage caused by this product, and my daughter has not had any allergic reactions to it. You might want to add an extra rinse to the cycle just in case.
I use diaper liners from Imse Vimse, and it normally catches all of the solid waste. I did not use the liners when my daughter was exclusively breastfeeding... I just threw the diapers in the washer and the breastmilk poop washed away. What laundry detergent do you use? Charlie's Soap has worked the best for me, and if I'm not able to find that I use All free and clear.
I hope this helps!!
What kind of detergent are you using? That makes a huge difference. A lot of detergents today have brighteners and softeners that make cloth diapers less absorbent. I use Charlie's Soap (you can order it online) and really like it for all our laundry. You also don't mention what kind of diapers you are using. I'm guessing prefolds? Can you give more information so we can help you better? Also, how old is your child?
Have you considered using diaper liners? Check out the Bio Soft Diaper Liners here- http://sunflowerbabies.com/store.htm. I find that they cut down on the amount of poop that actually attaches to the diaper, and you toss them right in your toilet and flush. I would try them before using so much bleach on your dipes. Bleach is not great for baby's skin, especially if you are not doing a second rinse to make sure it gets out. Most people try to avoid using bleach if at all possible on their dipes for health reasons, and because it wears your diapers out a lot quicker. Many people have used BacOut from a health food store to soak in and have success with it. I always did a cold soak in vinegar and then washed in hot with Charlie's soap and a scoop of baking soda.
I hope that is a bit helpful! If you give more info, I might be able to help more!
T.
Barefoot Books Team Leader
www.Readandgrow.com
Don't worry about the stains, the best way to remove those is the lay the diapers in the sun! Never use bleach, its way too harsh!
We used just a regular wash setting, as we had an old washing machine too. It was a hotwash and warm rinse or a warm wash and cold rinse (I think it had a cold setting too, but I never used it).
As long as you are sending them through the wash, they are clean. I did a hot wash and warm rinse, and used Charlies soap. I DID wash the poop off before putting them in the bag that stored them until wash day, because it was an ick factor for me. LOL. But I rinsed them out, did a hotw ash, warm rinse, with charlies soap, and hung to dry (except inserts and prefolds, I dryer dried those. No dryer sheets of course).
Also knwo that any diaper rash paste, fabric softener, etc WILL stain the diapers, so avoid them. Plus fabric softerner builds up on diapers making them non absorbant.
Bleach is really harsh not only on the diaper but also your baby. I would stay away from that.. As for the stains.. sometimes they are left not a huge deal really, the diaper is clean if you have washed it.. but as someone else had said put them in direct sunlight to dry and it will remove those stains. Wash in hot with warm rinse.. I have read that bleach never really completely washes out so as long as you are using it you are continuously breaking the fabric down and getting those harsh chemicals on your baby's bum.. Vinegar is good for getting residual soap out if put in the rinse cycle. Washing diapers really isnt much different from washing anything else you should really just wash them hot with a gentle soap and no fabric softener.. then you know the bacteria will get killed off. If you can dry them out in the sun until they are almost dry and then throw them in the dryer to soften them up a bit.. I use the diaper liners to get the most of the poop off but I rarely hose them down more than that (only if it really gets covered in poop if the liner moved or it filled the entire diaper) and just run the rinse cycle first then a normal wash.
First, don't worry about the stains. Vinegar isn't a stain remover either. It helps with the smell of ammonia, but it won't take out stains.
This is my diaper washing regiment.
Cold water rinse, no detergent
Separate out my covers and wet bags, set aside
Hot wash on Heavy, Cold rinse.
I make my own detergent, but I've heard good stuff about Charlies
I also add Oxi Clean and Calgon Water Softener since we have REALLY hard water. If my dipes need it, I let the washer fill, then agitate for a few and let it sit. If you decide to use bleach or any other additive, this is where you do it.
Add covers and wetbags back in. Add more soap and nothing else. Hot wash, cold rinse
I do an additional cold rinse just to make sure everything is out.
Hand out to dry if you possibly can. If not, definitely look into the soaps made for cloth diapers.
You don't ever want to use bleach on your covers or wetbags. It will destroy the PUL (the waterproof lining). Take if from someone that's ruined her fair share of diapers doing it that way!
You might also be filling the washer too full. I don't fill mine up very far and I use more water than I would for regular clothes.
If you can't or dont' want to do a cold rinse before you wash, then you should rinse them either in the sink or the tub to get the junk out/off of them.
I highly recommend that you check out theclothdiaperwhisperer.com. They are WONDERFUL and will answer any questions you might have.
