Dumb question about cloth diapering

Discussion in 'Pregnancy Help' started by ladypotter, May 13, 2010.

  1. ladypotter

    ladypotter Well-Known Member

    Ok, so I keep reading about the cloth diapering and the cost and eco savings are really appealing to me, so I have been debating, especially with the new types of CD's out there that make it easier supposedly. I read through the Bum Genious website last night, but my wierd question is this:

    With disposable diapers, no matter what...all the "stuff" goes in the trash... But how does it work when they make a mess in the cloth diapers? For example, lets say I use Bum Genious...I see there is an insert, so is the whole diaper dirty when they make a mess or do you just change the insert? What about #2's...Do you dump it in the toilet and then throw the diaper in a bin to wash the next day?

    Finally, when you do the wash, I am guessing you are washing diapers with poo residue on them right? I get a little wierded out thinking about that considering I then have to do loads of my own laundry in the same washing machine.

    I know, some of this is silly, but really these are the reasons I have never attempted to use them before. Please help me with your wisdom ladies!!

    THANKS!! :FIFblush:
     
  2. genagoodrow

    genagoodrow Well-Known Member

    Totally get you on the poo residue in your washer!

    After dragging my feet for a little while - not wanting to spend any more money - I got myself a sprayer. It's an attachment that fits to the plumbing by the toilet. It's exactly like a sprayer at the kitchen sink or in the shower. And I have a "Potty Pail" - a five gallon bucket that fits over the toilet.

    So when there's a #2, I carry the dirty diaper into the bathroom, put the bucket over the toilet and spray the poop down the hole in the bottom. You can adjust the water pressure. Mine is pretty high, and I blast those diapers. There is no poop on them when I put them in the bin. And pretty much no smell. A little urine smell, but the pail stays closed so this isn't a problem.

    Then, every couple days I wash. No poo in the washer. If the urine smell is heavy, sometimes I'll add some vinegar in with the wash, or tea tree oil.

    It's one of the things I like about cloth - all the poop goes in the toilet, so there's less to smell around the house.
     
  3. miss_bossy18

    miss_bossy18 Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    yeah, poo residue! :bad:

    the insert in the diaper is for absorbancy only - so if baby wets or poops in diaper, you have to change the whole diaper, not just the insert.

    of note: if you're planning on breastfeeding, exclusively breastfed babies poop is water soluble so you don't have to (unless you want to) rinse the diapers before washing them.

    once they start solids though, you will need to rinse the poop into the toilet before washing. i have a pretty low-tech system (although i did look into a diaper sprayer as well) - i keep a pair of dish gloves by the toilet & rinse the poop right in the bowl of the toilet. it gets most of the poop off, but not all, so you may prefer the diaper sprayer.

    as for washing them, i usually do a cold short wash without soap, a hot long wash with soap & then an extra rinse & spin. i've never noticed any residue in the washing machine so i don't worry about it. ;)
     
  4. christinam

    christinam Well-Known Member

    I don't have a sprayer but would love one. I need to just buy it instead of dragging my feet. The previous post is right about breastfed poo. It's water soluable and you don't have to rinse. When they start solids poo gets very interesting looking. I take my diaper in the bathroom, shake off what I can, and do the dunk and flush. I dunk the diaper a couple times and then while holding on the to diaper while it's still in the bowl flush the toliet. A lot of times the suction from flushing pulls more off. I am not going to say it's completely poo free. It's not but I guess I never worried about washing them as much as others. When I wash I do a short cold rinse (cold water helps prevent staining), a long hot wash with detergent, and a cold short rinse with vinegar. I have never had poo residue in my washer and my diapers never smell.
     
  5. ladypotter

    ladypotter Well-Known Member

    Thanks Ladies!! That all makes sense and really helps me! I will look into the sprayer and potty pail.

    :)
     
  6. murtygirl

    murtygirl Well-Known Member

    I commend you ladies for doing that!! Sounds like a lot of work as much as a baby poos, let alone 2 babies!! But no doubt better for the environment. Thumbs Up!
     
  7. momto3under3

    momto3under3 Active Member

    Poo residue doesn't phase me... because they get it on their clothes too... those get washed :) The "stuff" should be dumped into the toilet even w/ sposies. I've been cd'ing DS since birth, early days the poo is water soluable... so diapers go in to the wash regardless of whats in them. It wasn't until we started solids that it started getting... solid, and I started plopping all solids in the toilet. Peanut butter poo.... I just wipe off as much as possible w/ some TP or a sposie wipe and toss in the wetbag until wash day.

    Wash routine is this, cold rinse (or short cold cycle) hot wash w/ 1/2 the amount of soap needed, extra rinse and check the washer during the 2nd rinse for suds, if there are, you're using too much detergent and need to cut back. Send them through one more wash cycle to rinse out the soap and then dry. Once you figure out detergent amounts it's really an easy process. I like prefolds for little ones w/ PUL covers. They're easily adjjustable for size, and they're economical for the days when they are going through a ton of diapers a day. I like Green Acre Designs Pocket diapers for later. The inserts are super absorbant and the fleece inner is super soft.
     
  8. ljmcisaac

    ljmcisaac Well-Known Member

    You can also buy disposable liners that going into the toilet with the ...ummm...poop.

    Yes, people should dump the disposables before garbaging them...but almost noone does. Sewage treatment plants are built to handle poop, landfills are not.

    I use prefolds during the day, FuzziBunz pocket diapers at night. No problem with the washing machine (still breastfed). I did have detergent residue issues, now I just run an extra hot-hot-cold rinse every couple of weeks.
     
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