Tuesday Tales: Vinegar

If you have ever had trouble with your cloth diapers, you know that there are hundreds of opinions on the best way to fix your issues. Blogs, baby forums and Facebook are just a few places you can ask and be told what is wrong and what to do about it. 

I love Google, but just like your mother told you, don't believe everything you read. Many people think they are experts on wash routines, stripping, ammonia, yeast, etc. Be wary of someone who has tried everything-that means they have had problems! 

If you are having stink issues, the first thing you need to do is figure out why. It does take awhile to find the right wash routine for each person because detergents, water variables, washers and size of each diaper load all need to be taken into account. Once you find a wash routine that works for you, any issues you may have had should disappear. 

I came across this article: Is vinegar safe for cloth diapers? and wanted to share the main headlines of the article. 

Vinegar neutralizes ammonia!

Vinegar helps reduce detergent buildup and breakdown residue!

Vinegar works as an alternative to fabric softeners!

Vinegar helps prevent stains!

After reading this, the author says, "So yes, vinegar is safe for cloth diapers." Hmmm...just because something is able to do these things, doesn't mean it's safe. 

Many manufacturers do not recommend using vinegar and it can actually void your warranty. Some companies claim that vinegar breaks down PUL and ruins elastic. 

Flip by Econobum washing instructions

The best thing to do would be to determine why you feel that you need to use vinegar. Do you have build up? Are you using too much detergent? Are you using enough? Do you have hard water? Are you rinsing enough after your wash? Do you do a pre-rinse? Is your detergent safe for cloth diapers?

Vinegar is definitely an amazing resource to use in your home, but for the easiest wash routine, simplify and find the right detergent/diaper/water ratio for you and your diapers!

 Do you use vinegar in your diaper laundry?
 

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Tuesday Tales: Detergent Dosing

Tuesday Tales is a new segment to Bum Luxury's blog. We all see things on the internet and wonder what is true and what is fiction. Tuesday Tales will point out some of the false information you might come across while reading blogs and online forums. If you've seen something you find is strange or hard to believe, feel free to share it with me so we can find the truths together.

This article from www.wazoodle.com has been going around the internet lately and I want to warn my fellow CDers to be careful of what you read when it comes to washing routines. I have cut and pasted parts of the article to go over. You can see my comments in italics.

I, myself, am not a textile expert or a laundry expert. However, I have done loads of research (and laundry) and use common sense. 

Understanding the wash

When finished, dry your diapers on medium heat or cloths line.  

 If you dry your cloth diapers in the dryer, I would do it on low if any of them have PUL. Most manufacturers refer to this on their care site and tags. Drying your diapers on medium heat can void the warranty. I prefer to use a clothesline which gets out most of the stains the writer says are caused by bad laundering or when using the wrong detergent.

The harder your water, the more likely you'll need a big-brand detergent.  

Later in the article she defines 'big-brand' as a well known detergent. I disagree with her statement.

Selecting Detergents

If in doubt about what works best in your area, visit the biggest grocer in your area and ask which brand of detergent sells best -- chances are the masses have already figured it out for you. 

I think it's important to read reviews on items you buy. What sells best doesn't make it the right choice for you and your family or washing needs. Advertising does a lot for a brand and a better item might not have as much money to advertise. Think of the first time you heard of cloth diapering-you probably heard of Bum Genius or Fuzzibunz, because those are two of the big companies and they have more money to advertise. Great diapers like Knickernappies are still an awesome choice, but you might not have heard about them because it's a smaller company with a smaller budget. Also along these lines are the cheapie diapers-Sunbaby, Kawaii, Alvas, etc.-I would bet a majority of cloth diaper users have tried them because they are cheap, but that doesn't mean they are going to work for you. Make sense?

Detergent Dosing

The practice of low detergent dosing is something that has been created by diaper manufacturers who don't understand how water, detergent and textiles interact in the wash.  There is no good reason for low doses, is simply a bad practice. 

I have to disagree with this. There are many detergents out there that were developed just to be used on cloth diapers. Using the recommended amount of detergent is important. However, when you read most detergent directions, the recommended amount is for a full load. You may not always wash a full load of diapers at one time. Therefore, you need to use less detergent to get the diapers clean.

Most detergents you see everyday in the laundry aisle have items in the ingredient list that can't be used on cloth. Also, many detergents were developed before HE washers came out as well so the recommended amount by the detergent manufacturer may be incorrect. It is important to make sure you use an HE detergent if you have an HE machine.

It is widely known that the makers of laundry detergents and dish washing detergents have recommended the use of more than enough of their product for many years. Why would they do this? More sales! If you are using more, you must need to buy more. Plus, if you use too much, your dishes/clothes may not come out as clean because of all of the residue left behind which leads people to buy more. It's an endless cycle.

The key to detergent is this: if your diapers come out smelling like soap or you see suds in the rinse cycle, you used too much detergent and need to rinse it out. If your diapers come out smelling like funk, you didn't use enough detergent and they aren't clean yet so wash them again with a little more. Next time, you'll know better. :)

Washing and Drying

• Use the right detergent, in the right dose -- even if your diaper manufacturer recommends otherwise! Only if you don't care about your warranty...I did add a link to a chart for CD safe detergents.
• Disinfectants are OK - vinegar, small amounts of bleach and other laundry safe sanitizers can be used. Most of the brands I use specifically say not to use bleach. My washer says no vinegar, so I'm going to pass.
• Double the rinse cycle if your washer has that feature. Yes, rinsing is key to a good wash routine.
• Tumble or line dry (no drier sheets).  If you line dry it's a good idea to tumble diapers in a drier occasionally to loosen and soften the diaper. I agree. If the diapers stiffen, the dryer can soften the diaper, but it's not necessary. I usually only have trouble with stiff hemp inserts or flannel wipes. Once the wipes are wet though, it's not an issue, and moving the hemp around in my hands a bit softens it just fine.

Special Situations and Remedial Actions

Hemp: 

Hemp does not dry sufficiently on a line unless the relative humidity is less than 8% (meaning you live in a desert).   

I do live in the desert, fortunately. My hemp is more than dry even when the humidity reaches 50% or higher-I know that's not very high compared to many other places. I wonder where the writer got this statistic of 8%.) 

If you don't dry hemp diapers completely, trapped moisture is slowly released which enables microbes to feed on the diaper fibers when your diapers are stored.  You'll know is this is a problem as your diapers will develop 'hemp-stink' a persistent odor that is present in clean diapers.  

If they smell, they aren't clean.

Stripping:  

Feel free to check the linked article to read her recommendations. I did not want them to clog up my post as I completely disagree.

Where to start? People either love using vinegar or won't go near it. I'm in the latter group-I won't risk ruining my diapers or my washing machine. Did you know using vinegar can ruin the rubber casings in your machine and void your warrant? It can also ruin the elastic and PUL in your diapers. Not worth the risk.  

CLR? I am shocked to see this is a recommended stripping method. Please be aware that the official site for this product says specifically not to use CLR on fabrics. Plus, it is a very corrosive and I wouldn't want it anywhere near my baby's skin. If I'm already having to trouble shoot due to the wrong laundry detergent, I would hate to see the troubleshooting guide for using CLR on diapers.

Persistent Odor:

If you diapers have an ammonia or barn-smell, that means there is poop left in your diapers after washing. 

I believe it is important to make sure you use the right amount of detergent. Ammonia is not caused by poop, however. It is caused from the urea in urine. Kimberly Webb of Rockin Green Detergent wrote a great article on the ammonia stinkies and what causes them. 

Conclusion

The key to a good wash routine is water. A good, cold pre-rinse and if needed a soak, a hot wash and another cold rinse at the end is the simple way to wash your diapers. If you have issues, add more water to your routine first and see if that fixes it. If not, contact a retailer or the manufacturer for help.

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Holy Suds!

In my neighborhood, the HOA does not allow clotheslines. I live in the Phoenix area though, and I have to take advantage of the sun to dry my diapers and keep them nice, white, and stain free. Plus, I save money on gas (we have a gas dryer.) So for as long as I've cloth diapered, my patio furniture has doubled as drying areas.

Baby J loves to be outside. However, now that she's older, she is destroying everything in her wake and the nicely laid out cloth diapers, inserts, wash cloths and wet bags are victims in her path. 

One of Baby J's favorite things to play with is the Chloe's, our yellow lab, water bowl. She used to just sit by it and splash in it, but now she wants to put things in it and soak up the water. She grabs handfuls of the inserts I have put out to sun and dunks them in the water. Then she goes for more until all the water is sucked up. After that, she just throws them around to pick up all the dirt sitting on the patio. Yes, I watch as this all happens. She's happy, entertained, and soaking wet which in the triple digit temperatures is a relief to me knowing she must feel good in her wet clothes and won't overheat. I also think it's super cute when she tries to put everything back out to dry.

Yesterday she decided to repeat this routine. I wasn't as lenient at first and started taking out the inserts and ringing them out to put them back in the sun. Oh my goodness! Holy suds! My inserts are full of detergent. :( Crap! Now I have to strip. 

I have never really found the perfect washing routine. We have a high-efficiency front loader and although I love it for washing almost everything, I would rather have an old top loader for my cloth diapers. That way I could see the suds and determine an appropriate amount of detergent and rinses to know I was getting my diapers clean and soap free. I use minimal detergent, or so I thought, and rinse at least twice, but I guess I need to use less. Which is always good because then the detergent lasts longer!

We haven't had any real ammonia issues since my last stripping fiasco, except on those nasty nighttime diapers. I always think to myself that having a diaper on for that long is bound to be a bit stinky from the pee, but I must be wrong.

My goal today is to boil all my inserts. I did a boil a few weeks ago on half of them and that made a huge difference in the way they feel. It was way easier than using Dawn to strip and saves a ton of water and energy. Wish me luck! I will be reporting back on this experience soon.

My First Strip

Last week I decided to strip my diapers for the first time in eleven months. I always read about people who strip once a month, and have been very thankful we haven't had to do that. After three nights of leaking and a couple leaks here and there during the day or at nap time, I was getting very frustrated with my diapers. I figured it must be time. 

Stripping can be used when you have leaking diapers due to repelling (when the diaper isn't soaking up liquids) or when you start having the stinkies-a strong ammonia smell. The need for stripping is usually due to a build up of detergent in your diapers. It's important to make sure when washing your diapers that you do not see any suds in the rinse cycle-that means you still have detergent in your wash.


There are many ways to strip your diapers. You can find multiple ways to strip them here: http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentbasics.htm#Stripping%20Diapers, one of my favorite go to resources for cloth diaper questions. 


I chose to use Dawn. I decided this after much internal debate. First, using Dawn creates the need for multiple rinses to make sure all the suds are gone. Second, I have a front loading washing machine, so it can be even more of a PITA. I have never heard anyone that stripped with Dawn where it didn't work though, so I had made up my mind. I wanted to make sure my diapers weren't leaking and I wanted the ammonia smell from Baby J's overnight diapers gone. 

It's important to make sure you use Dawn Original to strip your diapers. You don't want one with added fragrance.

Because I have a front loader, I chose to use my bathtub to give my diapers a good soak in a couple squirts of Dawn. Our water heater is turned up high, so I made sure the water was really hot-always another good way to strip. While the diapers were soaking, I went one by one with a toothbrush and scrubbed the fleece liners on all my pockets. I used a little bit of dawn on each one and scrubbed away. I was amazed at how white my diapers looked with that little scrub. It made me feel like I could see the Dawn working before my eyes. Maybe it was just the suds, but I like to believe I could see magic happening!

After each diaper was scrubbed, I tossed it in my pail so I could throw it in the washer. Then I washed and rinsed and rinsed and rinsed. All day long I rinsed. Every time the cycle was done, I would smell the diapers. They still smelled like Dawn, so I knew there was still some soap in my washer. 


I realize now that this was not the best method. So, after rinsing all day, I washed the inserts which were still soaking in the tub the next day. First, I rinsed them by hand. I think that helped a ton. Then I used the washer. This saved a lot of time and a lot of electricity. 


I have been happily surprised with my diapers ever since. The smell is gone. However, I realized after all that work that they were leaking due to the fact that I needed to adjust the elastic in my Fuzzibunz One Size diapers. My baby is a mover and her legs are getting thinner. I'm glad I finally took the plunge to strip my diapers, but I wish I would have realized the leaking problem sooner!

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