Out with the old, in with the new!

Washer and dryer, that is! After four years of cloth diapering, we finally made the switch from our "ancient" top loaders to a new HE front loading set. Excited was an understatement the day they arrived! And then, diaper laundry day came. "Ummm where do I begin?", "Am I suppose to change what I normally do?" , "Am I going to run into smelly diapers because of these things not using as much water?" , just a few of the issues I had to figure out. Dreading it, as it took me so long to find what worked for us with the old set!


Trial and error, right? I tried every combo imaginable! Rinse, rinse, wash, rinse. Wash, rinse,rinse, rinse. Rinse, rinse, rinse, wash, rinse. But as I feared, my diapers still had an odd smell to them before I would even dry them! Hot water, cold water, warm water, homemade detergent, different diaper detergents, and nothing. Finally after about a month I figured out a new washing system to along with the new washer! Our system now is cold water rinse, hot water wash with detergent, hot water rinse, cold water rinse, cold water rinse. Phew! I do end up rinsing a bit more than I did with the my top loaders, but I don't mind! I'm thankful to have our new washing system down and perfectly smell free diapers again! Green and energy efficient!

Shay is a stay at home mom of four children, cloth diapering for four years, a foster mom, and a regular TCDW blog contributor. When she's not homeschooling, changing diapers, or snapping pictures, she spends time blogging about their journey in the foster care system, family, cloth diapering, and raising kids. You can follow along at http://www.busybudgetmom.blogspot.com

Out with the old, in with the new!

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Washing Cloth Diapers in HE Top Loaders

If you’re a green person like me you probably have, or want, a HE washing machine. Less energy, less water, and less money at bill time are all big perks. So, when the day came that our ancient washer literally went “KA-PUT”, we bought a brand new HE machine. I wanted a front loader, but had to compromise on an HE top loader. A Whirlpool Cabrio to be exact (what happened to women always getting what they want?). It was clean, bright, and super quiet. Nothing like the ancient metal mammoth I was used to.

I washed all the laundry as I normally would, and for the first week - week and a half I was very impressed! Clothes and diapers were all coming out clean and very soft. Then it happened. Yes, IT. The smell of ammonia. The thing is, it didn’t slowly creep into the diapers, it hit like a ton of bricks! It was the kind that burns your nose hair and eyes. It was horrible! Terrified that an ammonia burn could happen I frantically stripped with hot wash after hot wash, and rinsed, rinsed, rinsed. Satisfied that I had sterilized and killed every last bacteria cell that could possibly be lingering in the dipes, we went about bedtime as usual. The next morning IT was still there, and this time my son’s “area” was all red. I hadn’t had issues with diapers in a VERY long time, since I was a beginner, so I was convinced that I needed to change my wash routine because of the new HE washer.

Here is what I’ve discovered since traveling down a very long road of trial and error with our HE top loading washer:

1. HE top loader (HETL) washers ARE NOT THE SAME as front loaders (FL)
2. HETL let you add a lot of water (great, so the diapers can get nice and clean!)
3. Adding too much water in an HETL will make the diapers float (not so great, because the agitator is on the bottom)
4. A happy medium must be found for diapers and washer to get along- before going insane J

With that said, here is the wash routine that works for us. Clean diapers, no more smells, and happy baby:

Cold Rinse/No Spin
Cold Rinse/Medium Spin
Cold Heavy Duty/Medium Spin
(These are initial rinses to get residue off)

Cold Heavy Duty + detergent + ¼ cup baking soda/No Spin
Hot Heavy Duty + detergent + ¼ cup baking soda/STOP after agitating and soak for 1 hour or overnight
(push START to finish previous cycle)/Medium Spin
(These are the wash cycles to get the diapers clean)

Hot Heavy Duty/No Spin
Cold Heavy Duty + Extra Rinse/Medium Spin
(These are final rinses to get all the left over detergent out)

I know, it looks like a lot. But remember, you don’t have to stand in the laundry room and wait for everything to finish. I start when I get home in the evening, let the diapers soak overnight and finish the next day. On weekends, I start in the morning and finish in the evening. This is what I’ve found to work for us over a long period of time (months). It took forever to find a routine that worked and there wasn’t much about HETL online. So, I hope this helps others out there! Have you found a wash routine that works for you and your top loader?

Gina is a green living advocate, and mom of two boys (ages 2 & 3), who has cloth diapered exclusively for 3 years. A self-proclaimed tree hugger, she loves to share the benefits of all things natural and organic.

Washing Cloth Diapers in HE Top Loaders

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My Weird Alternative to Washing With A HE Front Loader+Hard Water

HE Front Loader+Hard Water….You can’t fool me! My alternative to Not Having a Machine Agitator!

I FINALLY found a wash routine that works for my horrible circumstances. With my HE front loader, and extremely HARD water I have been battling to find a good wash/stripping routine that works for me. I’ve read every post on The Cloth Diaper Whisperer, posted on facebook for advice, but I always had this funk smell before and after the diaper got soiled (worse after). Having a front loader also makes for a big hassle when you CD.

One day, laying in my bed wondering how could I get these diapers clean like they were when I first bought them, I thought about how normal washers have an agitator in them, and unfortunately HE’s do not!! Maybe that was the answer. I glanced at my garden tube with Jacuzzi jets, AND my eyes lit up, I finally had an “ahhh ha moment”! I use my bath every once in a while, but not enough! I thought OMG the jets will agitate things a bit and let them soak since my HE doesn’t allow a lot of water in the machine no matter how much I add! So I tried this little concoction I made up to see how it would go ……and it worked!!!

1. I ran hot water only in my Jacuzzi, letting it get over the jets, put in my diapers, and then I poured 1 tbsp of Tide original into the running water, 3 tbsp of Rockin Green, & ½ cap of Calgon water softener into the stream of water.
2. Let it soak for 2 hours, with occasional agitation from jacuzzi jets. (optional)
3. Drained the water, did a good rinse to get most of suds off, transfered all soaking wet diapers into something (my big blue tub), and took them to the washer.
4. Placed heavy diapers in washer (now machine thinks I have a huge load = more water will be added). Did a quick rinse, no spin.
5. Put 1 tbsp of Tide Original, 1 tbsp of Rockin green, 1 cap full of Calgon mixed together in detergent dispenser.
6. Put my HE setting on “Whites” which includes a hot&cold wash cycle, I chose a no spin cycle, (to keep them soaked after the initial wash) and chose “light soil” cycle = 38 minute for my wash.
7. When that cycle was done, I did a Rinse+ Spin cycle = 20 minutes. Repeat until no suds!!

Line dry your covers and PUL material things, and I throw my inserts in the dryer for 40 minutes on low heat sometimes, or hang them outside, depending on the size load I have.

I’m so happy I can finally wash and get an great outcome. Alternative to this if you don’t have a tub, would be a big bucket like I have, I’ll do that next time, I just stripped them this time and had a bigger load! I think soaking with Calgon & detergent when you have hard water and an HE machine is really important. There just isn’t enough water in the HE to get a good wash!

For my next regular wash, I will do a mini soak for about an hour the same way with less diapers in the blue tub, do a quick rinse in my tub, and then follow through with steps 4-7.

BIO: Traci is a full time working mom cloth diapering her 10 month old and happy to finally have a good routine down for her washing.

My Weird Alternative to Washing With A HE Front Loader+Hard Water

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$5.98 Changed My Washing Routine

While standing in our darkened laundry room, my husband and I shine a flashlight through the front window of our HE (high efficiency) washing machine. We smile and give each other a high five. How did we get to this point? Our story starts about eight months ago when we purchased a new washer/dryer for our home. At the time, I was seven months pregnant with our first child and cloth diaper laundry wasn’t even on our mind. I was still one of those people who thought cloth diapering was a crazy reality I wasn’t ready for, but that’s another story. We’re both engineers who study each purchase we make, but leap at the introduction of new technologies. We were excited to buy a new HE front loading washing machine that promised to be a wizard in our laundry room.

The machine performed above and beyond my expectations. I could wash two full sets of bed sheets in one load! In March, our daughter was born. By May, I became curious about cloth diapers, and by June, we were cloth diapering full time with only two regrets. My first regret was why had I not started cloth diapering sooner? It was so easy, totally cute, and saved us money (my husband’s favorite reason). My second regret was purchasing the HE front loading machine 6 months earlier. Yes, I could wash a huge amount of clothes in one load within the minimal water requirements of the machine, but, and this is a critical exception, one load of diapers became one huge problem for those minimal water requirements. I searched the far ends of the internet and read all kinds of tips to trick my machine into adding more water. As suggested, I added wet towels with the intention of adding more water to the process. I tried different settings, even adding water to the wash basket while interrupting the cycle. I wanted a flowing river and all I could get was the equivalent of the little stream that runs through my backyard after a rainfall.

As engineers, we saw this problem as a challenge. And as new parents, we were anxious to save our budget-minded investment in cloth diapers. After exhausting all the tips online, I decided to call the manufacturer. I spoke with a nice man who informed me that my HE machine weighs the load and then adds the minimum amount of water for that load. Yeah, I already knew that! I informed him that cloth diapers like to suck up water, leaving no measure of rinse water available to them and requiring more water than the usual load of laundry. Obviously, we and many other frugal parents were in uncharted territory with no help from the manufacturer.

Finally, one frustrating evening, we decided to pause our wash cycle and manually dump water into the machine. Of course, we could only add water until it reached the lip of the front door seal. As expected, the diapers came out slightly cleaner than our previous washes. Empowered by our small victory, my husband suggested that we find a way to add larger amounts of water without opening the washing machine door, thus allowing us to avoid water spilling out the front of the machine. My husband had already modified the plumbing in the bathroom to accommodate the addition of a cloth diaper sprayer, so why not modify our washing machine as well?

The next evening, my husband purchased a short hose meant for dehumidifiers for $5.98. He attached the hose to the sink in our laundry room and then positioned the other end into the soap dispenser on the washing machine. I’m sure that the manufacturer would frown on our modification of their HE machine, but water already flows through the soap dispenser at the beginning of the wash cycle, so I felt certain that we weren’t asking too much of the system. We turned on the faucet and watched as a river of water flowed into the wash basket.

Since we started adding water through the soap dispenser, my baby’s cloth diapers have never been cleaner! We’re proud of our search to find a low-tech solution to a high-tech problem and happy that it didn’t deter us from cloth diapering. And every once in awhile, I still turn off the laundry room lights, shine a flashlight into my washing machine, and watch happily as a river of water flows onto my cute cloth diapers.

Please research any methods of modifying your washing machine to make sure warranties are not voided.

By Natalie J.

$5.98 Changed My Washing Routine

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Fear Not The Front Loader!

My family recently moved to a new house, and along the way inherited a beautiful front loading HE washing machine and dryer. I was very nervous, because although I was sure it was going to save me loads of laundry (it has), I was also sure that it would do my cloth diapers no justice. I heard that from people, but boy was I wrong!

Do not fear the front loading washing machine! It is your friend! Here is how I do my diaper laundry.

Step One: I put my diapers in and select the “Rinse/Spin” cycle. My machine automatically does this on a cold setting, but you could choose it if it didn’t. These machines give you LOTS of choices.

Step Two: I then add ¼ tablespoon of Charlie’s Soap (powder) to the tray. Charlie’s Soap is HE compatible, and because I was using ½ tablespoon with my “regular” washer, I went ahead and put less in. I have also been using less on our regular laundry, as instructed by my washer’s manual. PLEASE read your washer’s manual, it will give instructions on how much detergent to use…and remember cloth diapers always need less.**

Step Three: Select the “Heavy Duty” setting. This cycle washes my diapers hot and rinses them cold. It takes about an hour and twenty minutes. The first couple of times I used my machine I was using the “Sanitary” cycle thinking I was really getting my diapers clean. Then I read on the Kelly’s Closet website that setting could damage the PUL in my diapers. Did you know they have helpful hints at the bottom of their page? Check it out!

Step Four: I use Imse Vimse disposable liners in my diapers and if only urinated on, I go ahead and throw them into my wash and re-use them. Before I send my diapers into the dryer I pull these out and set them on top of the washer to dry out. If they don’t go through the dryer they work better the next time.

Step Five: After checking to make sure that any of my diapers that use Velcro/Aplix (such as my Thirsties covers/fitteds and my Kushies All-in-Ones) still have the tabs secured, I put them into the dryer. I have found that the front loading washer makes them come undone more than my other one did. I put my dryer on “Heavy Duty” setting which isn’t any hotter, just runs longer than “Normal/Casual” and gets my fitted diapers and All-in-One’s dry. In the summer I plan on line drying my diapers as it gives them a chance to sun (which gets out stains) and gives them a longer life.

That’s it! Not the nightmare I had heard about. When my son has had particularly “bad” diapers I will sometimes do a double rinse cycle before I wash them, but the HE washer uses less water so I don’t feel too bad about it. Remember to check with both your owner’s manual and your diaper’s manufacturer to make sure you are following the best recommendations for washing success.

By Jenney D.


**Important note: The general rule of thumb when it comes to detergents is to use ½ the recommended amount for your washing machine. Therefore, if the recommended amount is 1 ounce you would use ½ ounce. However, with Charlie’s Soap and a few other detergents which have been specifically formulated for use with cloth diapers (such as Rockin’Green, Tiny Bubbles, and bumGenius Detergent) you should use the detergent’s manufacturer recommendations for use with your cloth diapers and do not decrease the recommended amount!

Fear Not The Front Loader!

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My Wash Routine

Being somewhat a newbie to cloth diapering, I was completely baffled by the "complicated" washing routine for cloth diapers. I think I was more worried about finding the right detergent than diaper! After a lot of research, I decided to use Country Save detergent. I purchased it on Amazon and although one needs to buy it in bulk, I figured I would use the detergent for all of our washing needs and the four boxes will last at least a year, probably longer.

We have a Whirlpool Duet HE washing machine. Here is our cloth diaper washing routine:

- Diapers are stored in a wetbag
- Wash usually every three days
- Everything is washed together- wipes, inserts, covers, pockets, wetbags
- 1 regular wash cycle on COLD with no detergent...56 min
- 1 regular wash on HOT with 1/4 scoop of Country Save and an extra rinse...70 min
- As long as it is not raining, the diapers are hung outside to dry. If it is raining or especially windy, the diapers dry on the rack in the laundry room.
- Wipes, prefolds and liners are usually put in the dryer for 20 minutes

Personally, I have bleached my diapers, inserts, wipes, and liners twice so far. BumGenius (the main brand I use) recommends using bleach monthly (on their diapers).

All of my diapers smell fresh when I take them out of the washer and they remain stain free with the sun's help!


- by Elizabeth S.

My Wash Routine

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The Cloth Diaper Whisperer Answers: Any detergent advice for someone using an HE washer?

This question was posted by Shannon on January 4th. (Shannon: You get one EXTRA entry on the giveaway cause your question got chosen).

We just purchased an High Efficiency (HE) washer machine last summer. I honestly thought I would NEVER purchase an HE machine. We had been needing to purchase a new machine for months. We didn't purchase a new machine until the old machine literally died in the middle of washing cloth diapers. Yes, really!

So, the hunt for a washing machine was on. We currently had a stack able washer/dryer as the space was super small. Being that Riley was just a newborn we decided to go on-line when Sears was having a big sale. My husband insisted that we purchase a HE machine- I was dead set against it. Why you ask? I have heard HORROR stories of people who used cloth and would always had odor problems. I also had this image of diapers not completely cleaned- still having traces of bm (number 2)! Much to my husband's disappointment we purchased a stack able thru Sears on-line.

Well- to make a long story short the transaction was a nightmare! We arranged to have the old machine hauled away and the other one completely installed. Three guys showed up and they informed me that they couldn't install as the valves weren't easily shut off?? So, they left the machine on our deck and it proceeded to rain...for 2 days. Normally I would have covered the machine but I just had Riley and I even asked them if it was Ok to leave uncovered and they said YES. Hubby was traveling and when I told him what happened he was so upset that he called up Sears to have it taken back. Essentially the machine was ruined as it was exposed to the elements.

Fast forward- we decided to purchase local and the sales person assured us that an HE machine would work just fine. Also, I didn't realize that the dryer could stack on top of the machine. The transaction and installation went perfect. Now, the inaugural load. These were done by my 11 year old and Scott (hubby). They were so excited to try the new machine out that they proceeded to get a huge mound of laundry done. (This excitement has unfortunately ended and I am doing all the laundry- except for my son Hanz who folds/snaps/stuffs all the diapers!)

So it was my first time to do Riley's diapers and I was bracing myself for a disaster of icks when the load was done. I set it to a regular load with a pre-rinse and an extra rinse cycle and added Charlie's Soap. At the end of the cycle I opened the door and inspected EVERY diaper/insert. PERFECTLY clean. No odors, no traces of bm. Hurray!

We use the Charlie's Soap powder for our entire clothing and cloth diaper laundry and have never had an problems with odor or build-up. I do every week and half or so wash the inserts and wipes (not diapers) in hot water and add half cup of bleach. (I know the dreaded B-word.) I know many prefer not to use bleach so you can wash with bac-out stain/odor remover.
Now if you reading about Charlie's Soap on-line there are a few people who say that baby has received a diaper rash from using Charlie's. The rash is actually not caused by the Charlie's itself but can be caused from 2 things:

1) By using other detergents in the washing machine- We HIGHLY recommend to use one detergent for your clothing and cloth diaper laundry. You don't necessarily need to use Charlie's but once you find a detergent that works great for cleaning your diapers make sure to convert your entire laundry. By switching back and forth with detergents you are essentially creating a scientific experiment with the both detergents.

2) We HIGHLY encourage disinfecting inserts, etc every 10 days or so. Bacteria build-up (usually lurks in inserts) will cause diaper rash. As Charlies isn't a disinfectant it is recommended to disinfect every 10 days or so with bleach or bac-out.

Here is a list of HE safe detergents recommended:
Charlie's Soap
Allen's Naturally-For high efficiency washers use ¼ of the recommended amount."
Country Save
Planet
Nellie's

If your baby develops any rash when using a detergent please discontinue using and evaluate your washing procedure before continuing using the product. (Kelly's Closet,Inc, DiaperShops.com,The Cloth Diaper Whisper cannot be reasonable for any occurrences when using a detergent product.)

A statement from Charlie's Soap:
Manufacturers Note: "We have found that by following proper procedures with our detergents... we have remedied nearly all the problems. We know there can be a problem with hard water with our detergents" -Charlie Sutherland

(Cloth Diaper Whisperer Note: If you do have hard water and use Charlie's Soap adding a small amount of Calgon water softener should eliminate any problems.)

For more information on how he machines work visit the following link and download this PDF document.

The Cloth Diaper Whisperer Answers: Any detergent advice for someone using an HE washer?

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