Washing CDs with a Front Load Washer

[downwarddog]

Hi everyone,
I couldn't find this info anywhere else...

I have a front load washer with a septic system (I'm in NH!). From what I've read about washing CDs, there's a lot of soaking going on which doesn't really happen with a front loader. So, to those of you with front loaders, what is your system?

Also, I routinely use Biokleen or 7th Generation or other natural/dye & perfume free liquid soaps. Are these truly a no-no? I want to give hemp a try as well, & I know that sometimes build-up is a problem & want to avoid that problem!

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
DownwardDog in NH (due in Sept)

[pritchettzoo]

I have a front-loader with a septic system in GA!

I didn't have the front-loader with all the first newborn poops, but I've never soaked either. I have a Neptune and here's my routine:

A "quick" cold/cold wash with Costco's version of Tide and a scoop of baking soda followed by a "normal soil" hot/cold wash with and extra rinse. I'll sometimes throw in Clorox 2 into the 1st wash or Calgon into the 2nd.

I use homemade fleece liners in all diapers and hose remaining poop (because she's started solids and it's not the magically disappearing breastfed newborn variety) off with my shower head because I still haven't gotten a mini shower. Rice papers liners are supposedly a septic no-no. The poop peels off the fleece liners nicely into the toilet for the most part.

There are lots of threads on front-loaders over at MDC. Some people have problems with smelly diapers and blame their machines. I don't have that problem. It's difficult to find the line between enough detergent to get the diapers clean and so much that you get build-up, especially with a front-loader. I check for suds outside the inner tub on the detergent wash. If there are suds, I definitely use Calgon in the next wash.

I can't speak to the "free" or "natural" soaps. I've heard that they're bad for diapers, but I don't use them, so no experience. You may want to ask that question separately for moms who've tried those detergents but don't have front-loaders (they might otherwise skip over the post).

HTH!

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[mudder17]

I have a Kenmore frontloader without a septic system. We played around with different methods, but DH figured out a system that seems to work quite well. We use Tide free (up the the first line on the scoop) for a cold wash with prewash setting. I use a second rinse, DH does not. Then we do a second cycle on hot with a second rinse with baking soda and vinegar. Sometimes, if buildup seems to be a problem, I'll do another hot cycle with no detergent. I tend to do this about once a month.

HTH!

Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya
born 22 February 2004
http://www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya

[RiaHannam]

I don't have a septic system but I do have a front loader (neptune) and in my experience washing dipes is much easier in a top loader!

I do:
a double rinse first.
Then a quick or light cold wash w/ extra rinse w/ 1/2 scoop He Gain Det.
Then a heavy, hot wash with presoak, stain and extra rinse cycles w/ small squirt Granny's old fashioned det
Then double rinse.

Sometimes I skip the first cold wash. But I find if I don't do all these my dipes end up getting stinky. When I remember I also add water to the washes - about 3 huge cupfulls.

Granny's Old Fashioned Det is an extremely mild detergent - I use it for all dh's laundry (he has sensitive skin)and get it at Nat'l food stores. I'm not sure how it compares to Biokleen or 7th Gen.


Maria

[downwarddog]

Thanks Anna, that's a huge help!

Q1: Is Calgon 2 a bleach? Doesn't this mess with your septic system? And what is Calgon -- another detergent or a det. booster/freshener like Borax?

Q2: Do you use a dry diaper pail?

Q3: Your homemade fleece liners: from the other threads I've read here, I thought that not all fleece was good for being the absorbent layer. Do you sew yours or do anything special to them? How many layers do you find works best for you?

Q4: What is MDC (I'm new to this bulletin board jargon!)?

Sorry about all these questions, but with such good info, I want to get the most out of these posts:-)

Thanks,
DownwardDog in NH

[downwarddog]

Hi Eileen,
Thanks!
Do you use a cold 1st wash to get most of the soiled stuff out & then a 2nd hot to sanitize it all?
Is the baking soda & vinegar rinse meant to soften the diapers or remove buildup? Do you use this method for all fabrics?

Thanks for your help!

~Lenore

[downwarddog]

Thanks, Maria! Everyone has been so helpful:-)

Do you find that adding extra water to the last wash helps them get cleaner (more water to agitate/soak in?)?

Thank you,
~Lenore

[crl]

I'm not Anna and I can't help with most of this. But, MDC is Motheringdotcommune at mothering.com. They have a slew of boards, including a diapering one that moves really fast.

Hope that helps a little,

[pritchettzoo]

>Q1: Is Calgon 2 a bleach? Doesn't this mess with your
>septic system? And what is Calgon -- another detergent or a
>det. booster/freshener like Borax?

Clorox 2 isn't bleach--it's marketed as "bleach for colors" but it doesn't contain any bleach. I tried it based on Pam (toomanystrollers)'s recommendation and it cut the strong ammonia smell I was getting with some of my diapers (I think the hemp Sugarpeas). It's not harmful to septic systems. Calgon is a water softener that is used to "strip" the detergent off absorbent fabrics like diapers and even towels (try it if your towels get stinky quickly). It's found on the laundry aisle--I've found it at Wal-Mart and Kroger. You can order it online as well, but then shipping--yikes! Here's a picture:
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/6775.jpg

>Q2: Do you use a dry diaper pail?
Yes--I didn't want to fool with the wet pail method and everyone assured me the dry would work just as well and it has! My mom was very skeptical--she CD'ed me as a baby and remembered the wet nasty pail of poop-water. I have a Sterilite 52-quart can upstairs and a stainless can downstairs. I use a camping sleeping bag bag for the "liner"--I have a Coleman one from Target and another from Wal-Mart that's supposed to be like the Bummis bag you find on diaper sites.
Pictures of cans:
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/6776.jpg
http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/6777.jpg

>Q3: Your homemade fleece liners: from the other threads I've
>read here, I thought that not all fleece was good for being
>the absorbent layer. Do you sew yours or do anything special
>to them? How many layers do you find works best for you?
I got some off-white no-pill fleece from JoAnn's on sale for around $3 or $4 a yard (it's on clearance now since it's summer). I got off-white because I'm a freak and it "matched" the inside of the diapers better. ;) I used a Sugarpea snap-in liner as a pattern and cut out as many liners as I could from that yard. I think I got almost 40. Some people just cut long rectangles, but again, I'm a freak and I liked the contoured look and fit. Fleece doesn't unravel so you don't have to sew it. Malden Mills fleece is a brand that you'll see some diaper covers made from--it's specially treated to be water-resistant. The plain old fleece you get from JoAnn's or Wal-Mart will wick moisture away from the baby's bottom into the absorbent diaper, making baby feel less wet. It also helps prevent diaper rash by keeping moisture away.

>Q4: What is MDC (I'm new to this bulletin board jargon!)?
Sorry--MDC is "Mothering Dot Commune." It's the bulletin board of the Mothering Magazine. Here is a link to the diaper forum: http://www.mothering.com/discussions/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=221

>Sorry about all these questions, but with such good info, I
>want to get the most out of these posts:-)
No problem! Ask away! :)

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[mom2zsel]

I am learning so much! Thanks for all the great questions and for those of you willing to share you expertise! I have a HE washer, too, and was wondering about the soaking step since my washer does not fill up with water. Thanks again!

Michele

[downwarddog]

Thanks! :-)
I'll check it out!

~Lenore

[downwarddog]

Anna,

WOW!!!! I can't thank you (or anyone else for that matter) enough for all this incredible info -- pictures included! It certainly helps take some of the pressure off this pregnant mom-to-be!

This entire community has been so helpful, I am incredibly lucky to have found you!

Of course, one more question;-) Do you know if Borax acts the same as Calgon? I believe the box I have says it's a laundry booster and water softener, but I may be wrong on the w.s. part... It's what my mother used to use on our old fashioned cloth diapers to sweeten them...

Thanks ever so much,
Lenore
Due in Sept in NH

[pritchettzoo]

I don't know about Borax. I got a big ol' box of it when I read an article that clothes washed in Borax were almost as stain-resistant as those Teflon-treated pants (you know, where the woman pours wine down her khakis in front of her MIL?), and I haven't used it except for keeping ants away. That would be a good single question so everyone can see it. Or do a search over at MDC (you know the lingo now! ;) ) for borax. I'll try one later but I'm nak (nursing at keyboard--you're getting cooler and cooler! ;) ) on my way out the door.

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[RiaHannam]

The extra water gives the dipes room to soak and tumble around in. With diaper washing, the dipes are so absorbant that they soak up all the water - so with a front loader there really isn't enough for them to get a good swooshing. Well at least that's my theory right now
;)

[mudder17]

You're welcome! :)

Yes, I use the cold 1st wash to get most of it out so that the hot water doesn't "set" the stains. And yes the hot is to sanitize it all. The baking soda helps with the odor (as does Clorox 2, which I use occasionally) and the vinegar rinse is meant to soften the diapers. I wash all my prefolds, doublers, wipes (velour, terry, hemp, etc), and fleece liners together using this method. I know you wouldn't use this method for wool or my PUL covers. Sometimes, if my PUL covers don't make it in with the baby clothes, I'll throw it in the first cold cycle and then I'll throw them in the dryer to sanitize and help with the absorbency. Apparently a hot dryer cycle once a month or so is good for PUL covers.


Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya
born 22 February 2004

http://www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya

[mudder17]

Oddly enough, I used a new top loader when I was on vacation and I did a soaking step, followed by a cold wash with extra rinse, followed by a hot wash, and I still didn't get all the stains out. I'm not sure why, but I guess it's because I'm not used to a top loader.

Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya
born 22 February 2004

http://www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya

[tarahsolazy]

Lenore,

I have a Kenmore front loader, and am on the city sewers. I do a very simple CD washing routine, with a variety of hemp and cotton dipes, PUL covers, and fleece liners. I throw everything in from my dry pail (just like Anna's), including the pail liner (just like Anna's). I use Tide, about 1-2tablespoons. I do a prewash on cold, then a hot wash with 2 cold rinses, and an extra long spin. I can program all of this at once, and leave the machine. Then it all goes in the dryer (sometimes I leave the PUL and pocket dipes out to airdry, but DH just throws it all in) on hot for an hour. The only problem I have had in three months is some stains, on my fancy dipes, no less (DS loves to poop in fancy dipes). I just need to put them in the sun, and I'm sure they'll disappear. I also use fleece liners (like Anna). Basically, you might want to try something easy, like just one product, and something you can program your machine to do without attending to it, and see how it goes. I'm still waiting for stinky dipes or something, at which time I'll start in with the Calgon and baking soda, vinegar, etc business. Knock on wood...

[downwarddog]

Interesting, I hadn't thought about that! Thanks for the insight:-)

~Lenore

[downwarddog]

How I wish I had a programmable machine... maybe for the next one:-)

I have a Frigidaire Gallery we bought about 5 years ago now. It has a prewash setting but it will stop after that & you have to go down to the basement to tell it what to do next! It does have a heavy wash setting though which is longer than the normal wash, so I'll have to see if that's enough to do the trick. Maybe I'll try a cold water prewash & then the hot water heavy wash with extra rinse.

I'm hoping for that nice breastfeeding-sugary-poop you all tell me about so I won't have to worry about heavy staining for a while:-)

Thanks again for everything!

~Lenore
Due in Sept in NH

[downwarddog]

Thanks, Anna, I'll try that! I hadn't heard about the anti-stain properties of it. I originally bought it because I heard that a solution of that plus water & vinegar takes the tarnish off of anything silver in seconds:-)

~Lenore
Due in Sept in NH

[tarahsolazy]

Just tell yourself, "Stains add character... Stains add character..." Working on this mantra myself, since DS stained every hyena dipe I have! (Got to get around to sunning those, but do you see my username?)

[mudder17]

My Kenmore front loader also has a prewash setting, but if I want to do a hot wash, the prewash button ends up causing a hot prewash. how do you program your Kenmore to do all that at once? Or maybe you have a fancier one than mine?

Thanks.

Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya
born 22 February 2004

http://www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya

[tarahsolazy]

I think the prewash is cold, I better check tomorrow... Our washer is not the fanciest, it cost about $900 this December...

[Momof3Labs]

Tarah, which Kenmore do you have? We're shopping for a new washer and have it narrowed down to a couple of models, but I'd really like to be able to program the entire diaper cycle without having to run to the machine every hour!

[Momof3Labs]

Tarah, which Kenmore do you have? We're shopping for a new washer and have it narrowed down to a couple of models, but I'd really like to be able to program the entire diaper cycle without having to run to the machine every hour!

[tarahsolazy]

We have the second most expensive one, it says He3 on it, just checked. It cost about $1000, and we got it during a sale. I am very happy with it. I do think that it does a hot prewash, I can't figure out for sure by the manual, keep meaning to call the company. Anyway, if I wash the dipes I usually do a rinse and spin, then go back down and restart a prewash-hotwash-double rinse cycle. After three months, we are just starting to have stinky night-time hemp, you know, that grassy smell... So I'm contemplating stripping the hemp dipes. But every three months isn't too bad, I'd think?