Day 4 - How I Am Doing With The #FlatsChallenge So Far...

The Flats and Hand-washing Challenge has now reached the half-way mark!

Personally, I would have thought that I would have given up by now and resorted to using the washing machine or the dryer, which I greatly considered a couple of times because of two severe thunderstorms that occured after hanging out freshly hand-laundered diapers outside. Luckily, I was able to bring them in before they were soaked.


Ironically, I have been looking forward to washing my boys diapers. In fact, I am better at cleaning diapers than my washing machine is. Leettle's diapers are so clean with ZERO traces of detergent build-up and his bottom is rash free! You can view my hand-washing routine here.

Another worry that I had prior to participating in this event was that washing Leettle's diapers by hand would take up a great deal of my time. Last night, however, I was able to wash an entire days worth of diaper changes in as little as 30 minutes from start to finish.

Not to sound prideful, but I have felt incredibly empowered during this hand-washing experience. To know that I can always provide my child the comfort of a clean and dry bottom with a water source, bucket, and a little soap (I guess I should be thankful for the gloves too!), is also quite comforting for me as well.


What are you concerns about hand-washing cloth diapers? If you have hand-washed before, did anything about the process surprise you?

If you have missed any of my previous posts during the Flats And Hand-washing Challenge, click on the #FlatsChallenge label below...I have even shared the homemade detergent recipe that I have used for this event!

Soft Bums June Calendar Bum Giveaway!

Are you excited for the Soft Bums June 2013 Calendar Bum print reveal? I sure am! Over 4 years of cloth diapering, the Soft Bums Omni is still my FAVORITE (truly) one-size cloth diaper!

My Leettle, sportin' the "Cowies print" ~ June 2012 Calendar Bum print


What I Love About My Boy's Soft Bum Omni :

* SoftBums Patent Pending SlideSize is the ONLY variable adjustment of its kind
* Fits all legs widths from 4" - 14" for NO red marks EVER. Made in the USA!
* Huge pocket opening is easy to stuff and un-stuff
* No Leaks, Thanks to SlideSize Technology!
* SoftBums Omni protects against rash; up to 80% less rash than disposables
* SUPER industrial strength velcro closures are long lasting and won't "wear out" like other velcro
* Snap in the back to prevent shifting of the pod
* Inner is made of super soft unbleached, hypo-allergenic fleece

...and best of all, I ADORE their prints!

You can also read more about this incredible diaper in my personal review HERE.

My favorite Soft Bums print is a tie between the January 2013 Calendar Bum print White Tie & Black Tie Safari!


I can't wait to see what print will be revealed for June 2013! To celebrate, Soft Bums has asked some of their bloggers to join in on the celebration by offering their fans a chance to win one!



Would you love to WIN a June Calendar Bum? There are many chances to win!

Enter via the Giveaway Tools form below. Giveaway open to US & CAN, 18 years and older, until June 19th, 2013 at 11:59 pm EST.

Entry-Form

After entering my giveaway, please enter the giveaway on the Soft Bums blog HERE for $100.00 worth of Soft Bums products and to enter the June Calendar Bum giveaways on other participating blogs!

Good luck!

Day 3 - "This Is The Way I Wash My Dipes, Wash My Dipes..." #FlatsChallenge

After a couple of days of dreaded diaper hand-washing, my attitude had changed.

At first, my main goal was to prove that anyone can cloth diaper their child easily and quite afford-ably. I also knew that I had others "watching" (reading my blog posts) to see if I could actually go through with this challenge.

Looking at that small pail of diapers, I was overcome with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. I remembered the time when my husband and I were unemployed and our washer broke down. In effort to save money from using a laundry mat, I hand-washed dirty diapers in the sink. It was nice to know that if my husband was out of work again, that I could always make sure that my Leettle could always have a clean diaper at no cost...just some minutes of my time.

Since I have yet to discuss my method of washing, I thought that this topic was fitting for today's post.


Hand-washing Flats and Covers

Step 1: Rinse & Store

Immediately after changing Leettle's diaper, I rinsed out as much urine as I could using the bathroom sink. I wrung out the flat and cover and placed in my two gallon bucket, which was filled 3/4 of the way with water (to help remove any "mess" from dirty #2 diapers). If he did have a "messy" diaper, I would swish and dunk the cloth in the toilet until the mess was removed.

* Note - since this pail contained water, I made sure that I topped the bucket with a lid and kept out of reach from curious children and pets. My bathroom has a linen closet with a child proof lock. Please make sure that if you store any container with water that you take the proper precautions to keep your children from drowning.

Step 2: Agitate & Dump

After 3 diaper changes (this is all my bucket can hold), I put on my gloves, put the pail in the bathtub, and "agitated" the diaper wash with my hands to make sure that all "mess" was removed from the diapers. I then poured out the water and wrung out the diapers and covers.


Step 3: Fill Bucket & Add Detergent

Fill the bucket with warm/hot water. Keep in mind that diaper manufacturers suggest not to wash items with waterproofing (such as PUL) in temperatures above 100°F or 60°C. You can test the water with your childs bath thermometer if you have one. Add about 1 tsp of detergent, I used my homemade detergent. Make sure that you do not use too much, because you do not want to leave any soap behind to cause rashes on baby's skin.It is wise to start with very little detergent, then add a little more after step 5 if diapers do not smell clean.


Step 4: Agitate & Dump a Second Time

With your glove covered hands, swish the diapers around the bucket, squeeze, and move the cloth up and down. I continued this process for a few minutes and then dumped the water down the drain. Squeeze the water from the cloth and rinse your bucket. Toss the cloth in the bucket.

Step 5: Rinse, Rinse, Rinse

This step I have completed in two different ways and both work equally as well.

* Rinse and squeeze the cloth under running water. Wring out and hang up.

* Fill bucket and "agitate" cloth a second time (no soap!) in effort to remove the soap from the cloth. Then rinse the cloth under running water while squeezing the cloth, wring out, and hang.


Now wait for the diapers to dry! If you are lucky enough to dry them outside, then do so! In 80 degree weather, my diaper wash was dry in an hour or so.

This process took less than 15 minutes total, but I was also dealing with a small load at a time.

If your child breaks out in a rash, try decreasing the detergent and make sure to rinse more thoroughly.


Have you hand-washed your baby's diapers before? What was your favorite method?

My Homemade Laundry Detergent - My Favorite For Cloth Diapers!

Many of you have asked since my last laundry detergent recipe that I had posted, if I had one that was cloth diaper safe. I wouldn't recommend the previous one because it included soap, which can leave build up on cloth diapers and cause them to leak.

Well, after much testing, I have found (and perfected) a recipe that I LOVE!


Homemade Laundry Detergent #2

1 cup washing soda (sodium carbonate)
1 cup baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
1 cup oxy booster (make sure that it is fragrance free and only contains sodium percarbonate & sodium carbonate)
1/2 cup epsom salt (natural surfactant)
2 tablespoon sea salt
4-6 drops of tea tree oil

Add all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until well combined. Store your detergent in an airtight container or mason jar. Use 1 tablespoon per large load of laundry or 2 tablespoons extremely dirty loads. For smaller loads or HE machines, only use 1/2 tablespoon.

You should end up with a batch of detergent that will wash 60-120 loads.

So here's the deal with homemade cloth diaper detergent...

Many cloth diaper manufacturers advise not to use homemade detergents when washing diapers. Washing soda is quite often listed as one of the items not to use on that list. While washing soda does bind calcium and magnesium deposits in water, if not properly rinsed, it could cause skin irritation and destroy cloth. Baking soda is often times on the list because it can also damage cloth if it "clumps" and does not dissolve completely.

However, the ingredients listed above are listed in a number of "cloth friendly" detergents. I am also not a chemist, but after much trial and error, and trying out various DIY cloth diaper detergents and tweaking them a bit, this recipe well for me. After many uses, I have yet to see any damage to my son's cloth diapers (which consist of a pockets, all-in-ones, all-in-twos, covers, prefolds, cotton, bamboo, and microfiber). Since very little of the "ingredients in question" are being used (so they easily dissolve in the water, especially if it is warm) and by using the washing method listed below, this may explain why my son's diapers have been coming out clean and with no signs of material damage.

Wash routine :

1) Cold rinse - to remove urine & "mess"
2) Full hot/cold cycle - adding 1 tablespoon of detergent with hot water (make sure temperature does not exceed 100°F or 60°C as it may void some manufacturer warranties)
3) Extra rinse - cold is usually fine

Every now and then, because we deal with extremely hard water, a little build up occurs, so I simply run the diapers on an extra hot wash without detergent to help remove any residue. Also, "sunning" your diapers (lying them out in the sunshine...but not too long!) is a great way to disinfect and remove remaining smell from cloth.


Whether you decide to use this recipe on your cloth diapers is up to you. Feel free to test it on other loads just to be sure. At first, I was reluctant to try it on my boy's cloth diapers because of all of the warnings from cloth manufacturers and his skin sensitivity. Since I did not have any diapers that were under warranty, I thought, "well, why not?" And went ahead and used this detergent anyway. So far, I have been quite impressed and his diapers have come out of the wash smelling fresh.


Have you used your own homemade cloth diaper detergent? How did it work for you?

Day 2 - How I Prepared For The #FlatsChallenge

Contrary to the title of this post, I wasn't that prepared. I signed up for this event with every intention of making a camp-style washer and fashioning my entire stash of flats out of old t-shirts.

However, the first "flat" cloth diaper that I changed my Leettle into was a cut-up white cotton tank (which worked fantastic!). I took a pair of scissors, cut across the top and cut the seam on on side. Leettle DID NOT like the thought of this at all! He kept screaming and telling my "this not a diaper, this a shirt!". So I just folded the the cloth in thirds and placed in one of his diaper covers.


My Flats Stash :

Colored kitchen flour sacks - on sale $3 for 3 (I bought 3 3-packs for $9 before tax).

Cotton 4 layer cloth diaper shop towels - (3 for $3.50 before tax) I bought these for night use for better absorbency, but Leettle had a rash after wearing...but this might have been due to a food related allergy.


The Covers :

4 Thirsties Duo Wraps - ($51.00 total) $12.75 each on Amazon.com and came with free shipping with Amazon Mom Prime account.

1 Imagine Cloth Diaper Cover - ($8.95)

2 Flip Covers - ($14.00) I bought these for $7 each, including shipping at a recent "seconds" sale at Cotton Babies.


Accessories :

2 Snappis - ($6.00) I am pretty sure that I had bought these for about $3 each quite a while ago, although I use them only with the Thirsties covers since I can simply fold and place the flats in the over covers without the material shifting.

2 gallon bucket and lid - ($2.00)

Pair of non-latex gloves for washing by hand - ($2.00)


The financial damage? Just about $97.00...TOTAL!

Want to hear the best part? Cloth can be used more than once! The Thirsties covers that I am using are actually hand-me-downs from my first child. Those covers are almost 4 years old and are still in excellent condition. In fact, I am going to hold on to them for child #3 (if there will be one) or pass them on to someone else.

Of course, I could have spent far less if I wanted too. For example, when I first started cloth diapering, I used prefolds with the vinyl pull-on style pants that cost anywhere between $5-$7 for a pack of 3 covers. You can also make your own flats from old t-shirts, which don't cost anything at all if you already own them.


Come back to my blog tomorrow, I will be sharing my homemade cloth diaper soap recipe!



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