Jenna is 3 1/2 months old now, and for the last 5-6 weeks we have been using cloth diapers. We have been using a combination of various pocket diapers and prefold diapers inside little gPants (using disposable/flushable gDiaper inserts if necessary when outside the house). I am quickly becoming a fan of the pocket diapers (and the amusement that can be found in watching my husband try to figure out which insert 'matches up' with which diaper!), and I will very likely touch on specific diapers at some point down the road.
Since beginning our use of cloth diapers, some of my laundry habits have been transformed. We have switched to a 'free and clear' detergent, which seems to be working well on all of our laundry. Exit artificial perfumes and dyes!! I have started using the soak/pre-wash cycle on my washer, which is something I have never used in the past. I started doing this before washing each load of diapers, using cold water. Later I started doing it before each load of whites. I cannot believe what a difference this simple step can make. It's obviously not a cure-all, but I have not had to use Biz or bleach on our regular laundry once in the last 5 weeks. Yipee!!
I decided that I wanted to try to cut down on my use of dryer sheets, so I started doing a little bit of research. I read about wool dryer balls, but I also found several sources that recommended use of 3-5 tennis balls in the dryer. We have an overabundance of hand-me-down tennis balls that were intended for our dogs, so I figured I would try the tennis balls before investing money in wool balls. Insert 4 tennis balls here. While they didn't cut waaay down on the static, they did help a little bit. I was also able to reduce my drying time by about 10 minutes when leaving the heat setting on high, or leave the time alone and reduce the heat setting to medium. After doing a bit more reading, I found several sites that suggested using vinegar in a Dow.ny ball during the wash cycle. I figured that it was worth a shot, and YEP, it works! I use 1/3 cup of white distilled vinegar with each load of laundry (diapers NOT included); between the vinegar and the tennis balls, no static!! :-)
It's all so simple...kind of makes me wonder sometimes how we ended up with all of these other products in the first place!!
3 comments:
I've heard about the vinegar reducing static. We have the dryer balls but they're getting pretty used up. I'd really like to try the wool ones.
We (I!) switched to free and clear detergent for our regular laundry when I started to wash things for Matthew as we got the nursery set up and haven't left! I bought Country Saver (have you heard of it or used it?) powder for the cloth diapers..they are all washed (several times :)) and dried and waiting...hoping the Country Saver lives up to what others say about it! Love tips--vinegar is one of my favorite 'cleaning' products!!
xoxox
Something else that works as a great spot stain remover that most people have around the house is powdered dishwasher detergent. Whenever Ben would have a massive blow-out I would make a past and put it over the stained parts and let it sit for 15-20 minutes and it would rinse right out under the faucet.
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