Cloth Diapering with a High Efficiency Washer

Laundering cloth diapers is of utmost concern to anyone who has decided to cloth diaper their child.  Besides the common questions about poop (How do I get it off? Will my clothes have poop on it? Etc.) the biggest question is "What does your wash routine look like?".  In my workshops I tell folks that water is the most important part of the wash routine - it needs to be at the right temperature, pH, and quantity.  By quantity I mean there needs to be a lot of it to properly rid the diapers of detergent that can cause build-up which will eventually lead to a cloth diapering mommy's worst nightmare - ammonia build-up and moisture repelling.

The first 2 years of my cloth diapering journey I had a great top loading machine - no HE here.  And it worked great!  So for those of you that have an old school top loader you're generally in the clear.  Recently I moved to a new home and we had to buy a new washing machine.  I was faced with the decision - do I buy a less efficient top loader just for my cloth diapers? Or, do I buy a high efficiency washer/dryer and get with the times already?  We decided to do the latter since we sure hope to have this washer & dryer for a lot longer than I'll be changing diapers.

First of all for those of you who are still rocking your old school washer and have no idea what the differences are here's a quick lesson.  Non-HE top loader machines can potentially fill the drum to the top with water.  Your clothes are completely submerged in the water and the drum agitates to launder your clothes.  With a front-loading HE machine the drum will never fill to the top so you clothes are never completely submerged.  Instead using smart technology it senses the weight of your laundry load, brings in just enough water such that when the drum spins the clothes passes through the water sufficiently.  That is, the water just sits at the bottom of the drum hence uses significantly less water than its counterpart, the old school top loader.  This can pose a problem to a cloth diaper load if the way this machine works isn't totally understood.


With all this in mind I shopped cautiously for a front loader and found an LG washer/dryer combo.  I checked out the features and spoke with a customer service person online and was thrilled at the features.  First of all, the washer has a "sanitary" pre-set that, no joke, in the manual says, "for washing cloth diapers".  I said, "what?!?!".  This setting automatically does an extra hot wash and a cold rinse.  Then I have the option to add the cold pre-wash and an extra rinse.  Yay!  There's even a dispenser for the pre-wash so if I want to put some vinegar in there to help kill some odors then I can without having to come back and put in detergent.  Also the extra hot wash is awesome because the washer has an internal water heater that boosts the water temperature... so I don't have to mess with my water heater, I'll always be getting extremely hot water in my wash.  The cycle does take about 2 hours though so the water savings, I think, may be negated by the energy usage.  However, because the water uses such little water I have to use much less soap, otherwise I'll get build up.  This translates into a savings on detergent - good stuff!

So I took the plunge and bought this washer/dyer.  I've been using this machine now for 3 months and here's my opinion.  I love the pre-set as I think it's great that someone out there is thinking about us.  I'm thinking that I still haven't figured out the optimum quantity of soap so whenever I think I may be having some build up I do a "rinse + spin" cycle with another extra rinse once the wash is done just to be sure.  The quality of the wash is pretty much the same - diapers still look clean, even when I've put in my newborn's breastfed poopy diapers.  I especially love that the front-loader doesn't have that darned agitator in the middle of the drum that shredded a couple of my shirts in my old washer... I'm thinking that should be less stress on my cloth diapers too.

In summary, I wouldn't be afraid of buying a high-efficiency front-loader washer if you're upgrading.  It can work, and will work. And yes, I would totally recommend buying an LG washer for the awesome cycle pre-sets, especially the cool sanitary cycle.  Thanks for thinking of us LG!

Diaper Sprayer: How do I love thee, let me count the ways...

Most people's biggest concern about using cloth diapers is the poop.  I've discussed previously how to deal with poop using disposable liners and diaper sprayers.  I want to talk more about the diaper sprayer because I firmly believe this is one thing you should definitely invest in. Now remember, the diaper sprayer connects to the domestic water line on your toilet, and typically the toilet is right beside the bath tub.  So stick with me while I recount the many reasons I love my diaper sprayer:

1. Infant Care: Everybody knows that babies' poop can sometimes be lethal - explosive, mushy and just plain gross.  And sometimes the poop is so lethal that you may just say to yourself, "we need to just hose down this kid".  In comes the diaper sprayer.  Trust me, I've had to do this a couple of times.  This is a two-man job - daddy can hold the baby over the tub while mommy sprays that poopy butt. And yes, the water may be a little cold, but, it's for a short moment in time - they'll survive.  
2. Getting Poop off the Diaper: The reason you bought the diaper sprayer in the first place, to get the poop off the diaper prior to washing.  This becomes necessary once baby is done with breast milk.  So hold the diaper over the toilet and hit the diaper with the water at an angle.  The key here is to have the right water pressure.  If the pressure isn't high enough nothing is going to happen and you'll get frustrated.  If the pressure is too high you'll have water, and maybe some poop, everywhere.  So turn it up just enough for it to be effective. I usually get asked about the "splash back".  Once again, it's all about the water pressure.  And here's my tip on getting that poop off...if you can just set the poopy diaper aside for maybe half hour giving the poop some time to dry (if it's the mushy peanut-buttery poop) then it will harden up a bit making it much easier to get off.  The water will literally peel the poop off rather than getting even more mushy with the water.
3. Potty Training: When you're child goes poopy in the potty how do you get it into the toilet? Ding ding ding - the good old diaper sprayer.  Having this thing makes it easy to rinse out the potty after a pee pee and especially after a poopy.
4. Bidet: Turn down the pressure on the sprayer and it can double as a bidet.  Ladies, who needs it more than we do?

In summary I am really happy I bought my diaper sprayer even though I resisted it initially.  It has served me well for the past two years and I have a few more years to go with these kiddies.  I can't imagine cloth diapering without it, and every cloth diapering mommy that I've met who has bought one says the same thing.  

Click here to buy yours today.

Cloth Diapering with a Community Washer/Dryer

In one of my recent private in-home consults I spoke to a lovely couple - the wife really wanted to cloth diaper their baby due in a couple of months, and the husband was a little skeptical, but wanted to support his wife.  They were brand new to cloth diapering so even though the husband kept asking me about laundering, I asked him to be patient as I went through my entire presentation which addresses laundering at the end.  At the end I found out why he was so concerned about laundry - they didn't have a washer/dryer in their condo and had to pay $1.25 per wash and dry cycle in the community washing machine that was at least 20 years old.  For the typical cold pre-rinse, hot wash, cold extra rinse, then dry cycles this meant one load of cloth diapers would cost them $5 each time.  This was an immediate deal breaker. :(  And for good reason.  But this doesn't rule out cloth diapering in a community washer/dryer.  Here are a couple of things that should be evaluated prior to embarking on this.

Cost
So, if you're like this couple and have to spend $5 per load then unfortunately, if cost is the driving factor for you using cloth diapers, then this will stop you dead in your tracks.  But, if your laundry facility charges maybe a third of this then cloth diapers still ends up being cheaper than disposables.  A simple Google search on "cost of cloth diapers vs disposables" will yield a variety of cost comparison analyses on the matter, including the cost of additional utilities all yielding the same results - cloth is cheaper than disposables.

Isn't That Inconsiderate for Other Users?
The biggest question I get from people with this problem is they think it inconsiderate to have their child's poopy diapers in the same washing machine as other people's clothes... or vice versa - they don't want to have their child's diapers mixing with whatever stuff might be in other people's clothes.  This is a pretty easy one to address. I liken this to washing clothes in a college dorm laundromat - we all did it and we had no clue what other people were doing in the privacy of their dorm room... I mean, it was college.  So what do you do? May I suggest a little vinegar.  Vinegar is a natural disinfectant.  So try wiping down the inside of the washing machine with a vinegar solution (50/50 vinegar/water solution) prior to, and maybe even after use.

What about Fabric Softeners & Dryer Sheets?
Yes, we all  know that fabric softeners and dryer sheets are a no-no for cloth diapers. And we can't control what others are putting into their wash loads.  This is a tricky one but the answer is simple - vinegar. Thoroughly wipe down the drum of the washer with a vinegar solution, and if the machine has a fabric softener dispenser put some of this solution in the dispenser to help break up any build up in the dispenser.  I would suggest doing this with your own clothes on a regular basis and not just with your baby's diapers.  As for dryer sheets I would so the same thing, wipe down the inside of the dryer prior to placing your clothes or baby's diapers to help eliminate any chemical build up caused by dryer sheets.  And as usual use dryer balls in everyone's clothes.

Here's a tip that will save you money and eliminate the dryer sheet issue - if your condo/apartment gets some sunlight on a balcony, and your neighbors or condo association won't be too annoyed, hang your cloth diapers out to dry.  The sun will dry your diapers for free while removing stains at the same time.

Timing
Don't you hate it when people come in and take your clothes out of the washer or dryer because they can't wait?  Cheap fix - Get an egg timer and be sure to beat those folks to the machine!

Diaper laundry service
Here's another option.  If the whole thing is just too much work, but you really want to cloth diaper for all the right reasons, then find a diaper laundry service in your area and get on their program.  Diaper laundry services are highly regulated and are subject to meeting compliance standards. Samples of diapers have to be tested on a regular basis for bacteria and fecal matter and are rated accordingly.

Bottom line, as usual, where there's a will there's a way.  So if you really want to cloth diaper, but don't have the convenience of your own washer & dryer, there is a way to get around that.  Weigh the pros and cons of cost and convenience for your family to see if cloth diapering will work for you.

Yay for solid poop! It makes for light work of cloth diapers

My daughter has finally gotten to the last evolution of poop.  Whew!  That's all I can say.  It's the best thing after going through the other stuff.

I have blogged about poop before and the cloth diaper, but, now that I am actually at the last stage I just wanted to put the first-time mommy's mind at ease.    As I mentioned before, breastfed poop is runny and yellow and will stain the diaper more than solid poop does, but, it is completely water soluble and will come out in your washing machine very easily.  The "peanut-buttery" stage is the icky stuff that just sticks to the cloth diaper and your baby.  But, can be mitigated by a bio-degradable liner or a diaper sprayer. Definitely don't want that directly in your washing machine.

But this last stage is SOLID.  When my darling daughter makes a poopy these days, I literally walk over to the toilet, unfold the diaper, and "plop", the poop rolls right off and into the toilet with very little prodding from me.  Yes, I do get the sprayer out to get off any little pieces that may be lurking around the diaper, but for the most part, it just rolls off. I don't know about you, but, I'm excited! :)

What has your experience been with poop and the cloth diaper? Leave a comment for the new mommies.

I've heard cloth diapering is easy, but, what's the scoop about the poop?

The poop factor is definitely in the top 5 reasons that people shy away from cloth diapering.  I must admit, that was my first question when I began researching using cloth.  And I definitely thought I'd be totally grossed out by having to deal with poop.  But, the more I learned about cloth diapering, the less squeamish I became about this concept.  Also, actually having the baby sure helped me get over myself.  I think every mom-to-be is totally grossed out by the thought of the birthing process and baby poopy and spit-up... and as soon as they become moms, they get over that apprehension very quickly.

So to answer the question, what's the scoop about the poop? First of all, breastfed babies' poops is water soluble, so the poop can go right in the washing machine with the diaper, and it will wash right out.  Breastfed poop can tend to stain the diapers, so, put your trust in the sun to eliminate the stains from the fabric - if you didn't know, the sun is a natural disinfectant and stain remover. 

What about when baby is drinking formula and eating pureed food and you get that peanut-buttery sticky stuff?  Or better yet, when your little one begins eating solid foods and the poop is solid?  Well, there are ways to mitigate this issue also:
#1: Solid poopy is way easier to deal with than the peanut-butter stuff because you can just dump it into the toilet, and wash the diapers as usual.

#2: If you're still in the peanut-butter stage, or just would rather not deal with the poop in general, there are these awesome things called flushable diaper liners .  They are about the thickness of a dryer sheet and come in several sizes depending on the manufacturer.  I especially love the Sage ones because they're pretty big, and can get through about 2-3 washes in the washing machine before they fall apart.  So, you lay the liner on the diaper when changing baby.  If they pee, you just throw the liner in the wet bag with the diaper and wash as usual.  If they go poopy, you just lift the liner with the poop and all, and flush it down the toilet.  The liners are 100% biodegradable.  Love them! 

#3: Another option is using a diaper sprayer.  They look just like the sprayer you'd use at your kitchen sink.  Just hook it up to the toilet - doesn't take long, let hubby take care of it.  And when you have a poopy diaper you can just hose it off.

The option one decides to you is totally subjective.  Some folks can't leave home without their sprayer, while others think it's just too messy.  As usual, it's all about personal preference.

The next poopy question people have is, "Ew, so poop is going to be in the washing machine I'm using to wash my clothes? What about my clothes?" My answer to that is, you're washing the diapers in HOT water.  I don't mean kinda hot, I mean between 140-150F.  This ensures the diaper gets clean, it's killing all kinds of bacteria.  So, your clothes will be fine. 

What I really don't understand though is, Americans pick up tons of doggie poo every day.  If you can pick up stinkie doggie poo, then what's the big deal about your baby's poo?  I tell you, I was way more grossed out about having to pick up my dog's poop (the dog my husband just HAD to have) than I was about dealing with my daughter's poopy diaper.  In Jamaica we don't pick up dog poop... but when in Rome.  Now, please don't send me angry e-mails about animal rights or whatever, it's just a cultural thing.  And no, I'm not in any way trying to compare your bundle of joy to your family pet... I'm just talking about poop.

So, I am proud to say I no longer fear poop!  I think that fear left me once I stuck my finger down the back of my baby's diaper, foolishly, to see if she was wet... and oops, she was more than wet.  (teehee).  So to you, dear friends, who are considering cloth... don't worry about the poop... it's temporary, and if you include some liners and/or a sprayer in your diapering program, you'll do great!