Hitting a wall

I havent been posting all that much lately and there are a few reasons for that. One, we got strep throat for the THIRD time since late January. We cannot figure out what is going on so our next step is to swab the whole family to see if one of us is a carrier.

Then we found out that the home we have been renting has been foreclosed on and we need to move. Moving is all consuming for me so if I am on my computer it is to look at listings. Luckily it looks like we may just move a few doors down which is awesome because we adore our neighborhood. We will find out when and where we will move in the next week, so for now I am trying to relax until we know what is going on.

And finally, I have hit a wall. A cloth diaper wall filled with some very stinky diapers. It all happened after Liam started solids. The dipes would smell fine after washing but when I would open the dryer I would be overwhelmed by the lovely smell of hot poop.

I set about doing everything I could to get the smell out. I used RLR, which did a great job of getting stains out. I stripped with Blue Dawn(1tsp for Front Loaders and 1tbs for Top Loaders) added in the wash cycle and followed with rinse cycles until there were no bubbles. I have added vinegar(a great softener by the way!). I have used a few types of detergent(Rockin Green, Charlies, 7th Gen, Arm and Hammer) but the lingering stink is still there in both the pockets and inserts and now even slightly in my prefolds. I stopped putting a cloth dipe on Liam during the night. Not because it was leaking but because he smelled like pee every morning when i went in to get him.

I am working on a few other fixes that other cloth diapering mommas have suggested. I am also thinking about bringing my entire stash to my mom's house and wash them/sun them there(which is news to my mom- Hi Mom!).

Even with this stinky wall I have hit, I am still happy with my decision to cloth diaper. In reality, the diapers only stink when I bury my face in them or if Liam is in need of a change. I knew this was something that could happen and that it could be difficult to fix.

I wanted to put this post up, not to discourage those who are thinking about cloth, but to portray an accurate picture of what cloth diapering entails. When you research cloth you see all of these fluffy pieces that only talk about the good points(of which there are many) of cloth but never discuss what to do when you are stumped.

I think I am close to my fix and I can't wait to share it with you! In the mean time, if you have any suggestions, please send them on over! I am trying almost everything(except for the person who told me to use MORE detergent. In cloth, less is more!).

Dirty Laundry

Now that it's been almost 5 months I thought I would update my laundry protocol. A lot has changed in our diaper lives since my last laundry post.
My stash is larger so I can go longer between washes.
Liam eats solids so I have an extra laundry step
I have 2 wet bags(one upstairs and one down)

So this is what I do now:

Since I have 2 bags I rotate the 2 on laundry day. They are never full at the same time but by their time comes for the wash they are full(about 12-15 diapers each). I still love  my Rumparooz bags, they never leak or smell and work perfectly hung on the nob on the laundry room door or on the post on the banister.

I separate the inserts from the pockets, making sure I fold down the APLIX to the laundry tab. My only complaint about the Kawaii diapers is that the laundry tab is not as big as the APLIX tab. So I have to make sure the tip of the tab is fully on otherwise it will lift off and snag other diapers.

The poop diapers get put back into the bag to be rinsed off. Instead of running a pre-soak on the diapers I run a detergent free regular wash load on cold and then a hot wash load with detergent.

I started off using Seventh Generation free and clear but wanted to try a few other detergents so I ordered some Rockin Green Classic Rock and Charlies Soap.

The Rockin Green seemed to do the job at first but funk started to build and stuck around even after 'stripping' them as instructed on the back. The scent only smelled good on the diapers when you started the wash but they never came out of the wash smelling like the Lavender Mint I ordered.

I have heard about Charlies Soap for a while and since it is so economical I decided to give it a try. It really is amazing! I use it on all of our washes  and our clothes are actually softer. Because the detergent fully washes out there is nothing left in the fibers to make them crunchy. They smell cleaner but at the same time they dont have a smell. In short, I really like it!

Now, because of the new poop Liam is producing, I found that I always have to do a final rinse. If I dont do that rinse, I have a dryer that smells of poo and sometimes even a diaper or two still stinks! I still have some dingy inserts that need some sun but I'm not sure how I can do that where we live. We have a lanai on the east facing side of our home but I would have to put them outside the lanai and that opens up to a common space in our neighborhood. I'm still considering it though so I am sure a nice sun bath will brighten the inserts right up!

For a while I was using cloth wipes. When he was still having breastmilk poops I could just throw them all in the wash and not worry about it. Now I would have to rinse both the wipe and the diaper off so I went back to flushable wipes. I can tuck them into the dirty diaper so I can spray the poop and the wipes down the toilet at the same time. I use my cloth wipes to clean the pee smell off of him each morning and they work great as a make-up removing cloth for me each night! 

I do 2-3 loads a week now and still I don't mind washing and sorting them. I don't even mind spraying them off!

Once I figure out how I will sun my dipes I will post pics!

ali AND swan/BareBebe Dryer Balls and a GIVEAWAY!

I am so excited about today's giveaway! I am an Etsy addict. I freely admit it! A few months ago I ran across a cute shop called BareBebe. I quickly ordered a sampler pack that included diaper wipe solution, pail freshner, a cloth baby wipe and wool dryer ball. I have been meaning to buy a dryer ball for a long time so I was thrilled to finally be able to check that off the to-do list.

The wipe solution smelled awesome(vanilla), the wipe was divine(Organic bamboo and velour!) and the pail freshner worked like a charm! But the dryer ball... that was my favorite part! I could not believe how much it cut back on drying time! And even though we were in the middle of the driest winter Florida had seen in a long time, my clothes did not have static at all and they were nice and fluffy!
I was so excited I ordered more, this time from another shop so I could compare them. Unfortunately the second set(of 3- the more the merrier, right?) were small and light compared to the ball from BareBebe. In dryer balls, bigger is better. Heavier is better.

One of the reasons I love Etsy is because it supports WAHM(work at home moms). Most of the stuff I buy on Etsy is from WAHMs and I have never been disappointed. BareBebe's shop owner Ali is all about WAHMs. She even has a website featuring the products of WAHMs called Ali and Swan

And let me just tell you, I am in TROUBLE! After scanning all of her products, I know where my tax refund money is going!

So, the lovely Ali is going to give away two 

Marshmallow Dryer Balls to one of our lucky US readers. All you have to do is visit the ali AND swan facebook page and 'like' them then come back here and leave a comment letting me know you liked them. And as always, you get double points for re-tweeting or sharing the giveaway on Facebook or Twitter. Just make sure you comment each time you do so. 
Good luck! The giveaway will close on February 15th at 11:59pm and the winner will be announced on the 16th.

CD Detergent Review: Tiny Bubbles vs. Rockin Green

    I recently joined the Cloth Diapering world and quickly learned that the laundry detergent you use is almost just as important as the brand/style CD you decide on. Along my short journey so far I have tried two detergents 1. Tiny Bubbles (60 loads) 2.Rockin Green -Scent Montley Clean ( 90 loads)
    Tiny Bubbles is a good detergent however, I felt my dipes still had a slight odor to them when they were washed and dried. I do like that the formula is a low sudsing formula and that you only need ONE scoop for an entire load of laundry in your Front Loader(FL). The stains still remained after repeat washing with the Tiny Bubbles....This detergent will last through 60 wash cycles.
     Rockin Green is a more modern detergent I feel. They have found a safe way to add scent to their detergents without compromising the formula and you have a selection of scents to choose from! I don't know if it's from the slight scent, but my CD seem cleaner. The stains are still remaining on my dipes after a couple of washings with Rockin Green, so I am assuming that the only way to remove the stains is to allow them to SUN out.If you own a FL then Rockin Green will last through 90 wash cycles.
   All and all they are both great detergents, I am just a little more impressed with the performance and the after smell when using Rockin Green detergent! I will update this post after using Rockin Green for a few weeks!

My Diaper Routine

Every mom has a different way of doing things. I love to see how other people do it so I am posting my diaper routine.

First, get yourself a cute baby like mine :)  and put him under your Christmas tree for a little diaper changing distraction. I like changing my kiddos on the floor because then you get to play!

Lucky me! Not that big of a poo this time. Since my little guy is breastfed I don't have to worry about scooping the poop into the potty(can you tell I have a toddler? It is now potty!). When he does start eating solid food in a month or two I will get a sprayer that attaches to the water line on the toilet.

Slap a new diaper on....

I love the APLIX on the Rumparooz because I know my husband can change a diaper too without snapping it up all weird(he gets confused by rompers). I know they don't last as long as snaps but Liam is our last baby so I don't have to worry about longevity.

Toss the wipies away

And throw the diaper into the wet bag. I then just carry the wet bag up with me each night. I have a small stash so far so I wash my diapers every night. Laundry is the one chore I don't mind doing and I am grateful that my laundry room is right next to my bedroom so sorting clothes is not a big hassle for me. Because of this, my washing machine is always empty(unless I threw a few diapers in earlier in the day.

I use Seventh Generation on  my diapers. The majority of my stash is Rumparooz and it is one of the brands they recommend.

I seperate all of the soakers from their diapers and unsnap any doubled up inserts.

Fold over the laundry tabs. My Rumparooz have never come off of the Laundry tabs but the gDiapers have. I don't know why but it drives me crazy!

I cold soak my diapers in a prewash cycle first, according to my manufacturers directions. I then run a hot wash cycle with half of the recommended amount of detergent. So far I haven't had to run a second rinse cycle... Jodi is jealous, I know! I have a dryer bar in my dryer so I pop that out when I dry my diapers. I am ordering wool dryer balls this weekend and cant wait to try them since I wont have to worry about using dryer sheets anymore!
Since I live in a complex with shared back yards, I can't sun dry my diapers but when it gets warmer I will be drying them on a rack in the bathroom in front of a window. 

Once they are dry,I sort them and stuff them. It takes me less than 5 minutes and I am done!
It is so easy I can't believe I didn't do it earlier. I know that I haven't hit the tough stuff like having to strip them or replace an APLIX tab, but I have been impressed with how easy it is to take care of my diapers.
What is your routine?

Tricks for washing Cloth Diapers in my Front Loader....Sigh!

   So as I embark on this journey into cloth diapering I have already learned a few tricks... It appears that owning a front loader (FL) washer&dryer are not the best for washing CD's- Who'd of thunk it? All these years loving having FL's and BAM they are now a pain. I have researched and tried a few tricks and wanted to share what I've learned so far.
    Ok first off you must soak your dipes in COLD water....Use a bucket, use your tub, or use your good ole top loading washing machine (Jealous if you have one) but I am focusing on FL washing only at this time!
    The tricks : I own a Samsung VRT, and what I've been doing is running a COLD/RINSE cycle first(No detergent yet) - ** add a full size bath towel soaked with water to the load of dipes before It starts first cycle. This adds to the weight of the load and "tricks" the washing machine into thinking more is loaded in and results in more COLD water gushing through your poopy dipes (YAY)!! Step 2 - Run a regular Hot wash with detergent (I like tiny bubbles detergent so far) http://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Bubbles-Detergent-Net-Yellow/dp/B002IA8MO6  Add extra rinse to cycle.
Step 3 - Try to check your dipes while in rinse cycle and make sure there are NO visible suds remaining...if there are still suds repeat step 1 only then Dry on low/normal heat or HANG dry if you can! If there were no suds remaining after step 2 then continue on to the drying step. **If staining remains hang your inserts out in the sun for a natural bleaching and cleaning (After washing in machine first of course) This has worked for me so far, but I will update as time proves if this is still the best cleaning routine for FL machines :)  Happy Diapering!