Tuesday Tips & Tricks 2/23

[cam]

Topic: Laundry

Whites are my problem area. Deodorant buildup on MH's undershirts is also a pain in my rear (or rather my hand if we are being literal, from the scrubbing and scrubbing). 

What are your problem areas?

Since I started using various combinations of blue Dawn, peroxide, and baking soda, I have finally beaten a lot of stains that I would have previously failed at.

Anyone else have tips or tricks, related to someone's problem area(s) or in general?



Any topics you want to discuss next week and beyond?

[penguin129]

I can't remember if anyone one else uses Cloth Diaper's or not. I use a liquid free and clear and bleach them every couple of months. I have used the blue Dawn to strip them before too. Any other tricks for dealing with CD's. I've been CD'ing for 2 years and feel like I still have tons to learn at times.

[younglove316]

Feb 23, 2016 15:12:19 GMT -5 penguin129 said:

I can't remember if anyone one else uses Cloth Diaper's or not. I use a liquid free and clear and bleach them every couple of months. I have used the blue Dawn to strip them before too. Any other tricks for dealing with CD's. I've been CD'ing for 2 years and feel like I still have tons to learn at times.

@babylentilbean probably has some tips & tricks

[Deleted]

Feb 23, 2016 15:12:19 GMT -5 penguin129 said:

I can't remember if anyone one else uses Cloth Diaper's or not. I use a liquid free and clear and bleach them every couple of months. I have used the blue Dawn to strip them before too. Any other tricks for dealing with CD's. I've been CD'ing for 2 years and feel like I still have tons to learn at times.

I have been CD'ing for almost 2 years. I'm still learning a lot too. I will say I just switched from a free and clear to a powder bc the free and clear wasn't getting my diapers clean. I also have hard water so the powder helps soften it too.

Honestly, I still feel like a newb sometimes bc I have had to troubleshoot some problems lately.

[penguin129]

Feb 23, 2016 16:28:47 GMT -5 @babylentilbean said:

Feb 23, 2016 15:12:19 GMT -5 penguin129 said:

I can't remember if anyone one else uses Cloth Diaper's or not. I use a liquid free and clear and bleach them every couple of months. I have used the blue Dawn to strip them before too. Any other tricks for dealing with CD's. I've been CD'ing for 2 years and feel like I still have tons to learn at times.

I have been CD'ing for almost 2 years. I'm still learning a lot too. I will say I just switched from a free and clear to a powder bc the free and clear wasn't getting my diapers clean. I also have hard water so the powder helps soften it too.

Honestly, I still feel like a newb sometimes bc I have had to troubleshoot some problems lately.

I'm glad we're in the same boat then. I plan to CD the next lo as well. We started cloth diapers when DD was 7 months old and have never used them overnight. I mostly use them at home now.

[Deleted]

Feb 23, 2016 16:52:04 GMT -5 penguin129 said:

Feb 23, 2016 16:28:47 GMT -5 @babylentilbean said:

I have been CD'ing for almost 2 years. I'm still learning a lot too. I will say I just switched from a free and clear to a powder bc the free and clear wasn't getting my diapers clean. I also have hard water so the powder helps soften it too.

Honestly, I still feel like a newb sometimes bc I have had to troubleshoot some problems lately.

I'm glad we're in the same boat then. I plan to CD the next lo as well. We started cloth diapers when DD was 7 months old and have never used them overnight. I mostly use them at home now.

I pretty much do it full time. I use a bamboo insert with a FST. I sewed the FSTs into inserts so they aren't as bulky.

Eta: this is my nighttime solution. She wets through disposables and not this combination.

[tincupchalice]

I CD! I use tide powder. I find with CD that it's really dependent on your water and machine, and can take some experimenting to get right.

[luvboston]

I CD as well and it took my a while to get our routine and detergent right. We use Nelllies, I get it at Tjmaxx. We also use vinegar in the rinse cycle. The most important thing I have found is its really important to do a thorough rinse at the beg.

I'm having trouble right now bc we moved and the HE washer is not working out for my diapers.

[richaroodo]

penguin129 I CD exclusively. I would definitely switch to a powder detergent. How often do you wash? I use Tide Powder and have moderately hard water and wash EOD. My wash routine is:

Pre rinse warm water no soap
Normal wash hot water Tide Powder to line one
Extra rinse cold

The CD board is very helpful too with questions.

My problem is socks! I am forever missing socks it's so frustrating. Currently I have a random sock bucket on my folding table that anything without a pair goes into and I match from that when it get full.

[penguin129]

richaroodo I wash about every 3rd day. I used the Tide Powder in the past. I stopped using it in hopes of finding something that worked for a lower price.

[Deleted]

cam , can he switch deodorant? I don't remember what my H uses, but it doesn't leave any stains. Although he usually wears black shirts on weekends and no undershirts, just professional button down shirts during the week. I also have been known to make him do his own laundry- mostly his shirts, which he usually soaks in Oxy Clean.

for laundry stains, I have pre-treated with a stain remover and also soaked. I also use Oxy clean and will do a soak in that, and then wash. If they still don't come out, then I wash the sucker each time I do laundry for like a month without wearing it. Like wash with the lights, wash with the darks, wash with towels. Probably not the best, but I got some breastmilk stains out finally doing that.

I tried to strip my diapers once because I thought they weren't as absorbent, but I found that really wasn't the case. It was that I needed more inserts. I have bum genius snaps with inserts. So for newborn, I do the little insert. Once they start peeing through that then I do the big insert. Eventually they pee through that so I do big insert little insert in each diaper. Once they pee through that (usually first morning urine) then I start setting them on the potty to see if they will go in the morning. At night is 2 big inserts. She was going through that, so I suppose I could have done 2 big and 1 little insert, but her bladder control has gotten better.

As far as washing- we do Woolite with Oxyclean in the pre-rinse. We wash on cold, then wash on hot/ Sanitize. She only wears them at night now, so I only wash weekly.

richaroodo, I feel like random sock things make the problem worse.  Not sure why, just my own opinion.  I throw random socks in with my regular socks.  They either find their match or after looking at them a long time, and them annoying me then they go in the trash.  I usually don't have a problem with mine or DH's socks.  its the kids socks that are random, but they don't care if they wear matching socks and sometimes don't want them to match, so I roll with it.  Or like I say toss if annoying. 

[cam]

richaroodo, I don't think I have ever lost socks that didn't turn up in my dog's "nest" (she has separation anxiety and cuddles my clothes, shoes, anything she can access when I am away, even if I am just outside and she is watching me from the window). For small kid socks, I use a garment bag. If I have a load with flannel sheets or just lots of flannel and/or fleece, static electricity seems to increase, so an occasional sock, pair of undies, or dish cloth clings to the dryer, so I have to double check (or it shows up when I empty it after the next load). I regularly check behind the hamper, along side the washer and dryer, etc for small stuff that might have fallen.

[cam]

Feb 24, 2016 10:49:56 GMT -5 @clarypax said:

cam , can he switch deodorant? I don't remember what my H uses, but it doesn't leave any stains. Although he usually wears black shirts on weekends and no undershirts, just professional button down shirts during the week. I also have been known to make him do his own laundry- mostly his shirts, which he usually soaks in Oxy Clean.

I have encouraged him to switch, but I don't think he thinks about it when he is buying some. His now leaves the white residue. It doesn't wash off like mine does if I happen to get a bit on my clothing (which doesn't happen often), and it just keeps getting more and more each time until it starts to get a stiffness, like it had been starched. He wears the tees under his dress shirts to protect them as it has that wet look from the outside so it appears like constant sweaty pits even though the antiperspirant component is doing its job.   I insist on doing the laundry because I have random shirts and sweaters that all have different washing instructions, and I remember easier (some have labels that faded so he can't just check). We do all laundry together because not doing so would mean taking forever (and having more clothing) just to be able to wash full loads.

[cam]

Feb 24, 2016 19:22:43 GMT -5 forevermorgan said:

cam - have you tried a vinegar/water spray for the deodorant buildup? You can also add 1 dishwasher pod to your load of whites. I think I learned that from One Good Thing by Jillee. I have a white slipcover couch. I will do what it takes to keep that thing clean.

I haven't tried vinegar-water. I scrubbed with blue dawn. I'll try the vinegar next. I haven't heard of using a dishwashing pod for whites. I don't know much about dishwashing detergent; is a pod different from other liquid detergent? I think I saw some liquid in a box the other day when I was looking for something else, so I might actually have some on hand.

[younglove316]

forevermorgan I think I'm going to try the vinegar/water and dishwasher pod on my husband's undershirts, they are looking a little rough. Is it a 50/50 ratio?

[lo95]

SQ: anyone cd-Ing without access to a stationary tub? We have one bathroom and no s. tub so that ruled cd-Ing out for me back when.

[penguin129]

Feb 25, 2016 15:30:36 GMT -5 lo95 said:

SQ: anyone cd-Ing without access to a stationary tub? We have one bathroom and no s. tub so that ruled cd-Ing out for me back when.

What is a stationary tub?

[lo95]

Feb 25, 2016 15:51:21 GMT -5 penguin129 said:

Feb 25, 2016 15:30:36 GMT -5 lo95 said:

SQ: anyone cd-Ing without access to a stationary tub? We have one bathroom and no s. tub so that ruled cd-Ing out for me back when.

What is a stationary tub?

The sink that stands by your washer/dryer. Wish we had one of those!

[penguin129]

Feb 25, 2016 16:24:27 GMT -5 lo95 said:

Feb 25, 2016 15:51:21 GMT -5 penguin129 said:

What is a stationary tub?

The sink that stands by your washer/dryer. Wish we had one of those!

That's what I thought you meant. We don't have one of those. I just rinse the poopy diapers out in the toilet with the swish method (can't remember exact name), wring them out, and put them in a dry pail until diaper wash day. Pee diapers go straight into the pail.

[Deleted]

Feb 24, 2016 8:56:05 GMT -5 penguin129 said:

richaroodo I wash about every 3rd day. I used the Tide Powder in the past. I stopped using it in hopes of finding something that worked for a lower price.

I use Foca. It's a powder and it's super cheap. My diapers have never been so clean. I will warn you though, I hear it's super sudsy if you have soft water. I have hard water and I don't have that problem.

[Deleted]

Feb 25, 2016 15:30:36 GMT -5 lo95 said:

SQ: anyone cd-Ing without access to a stationary tub? We have one bathroom and no s. tub so that ruled cd-Ing out for me back when.

I don't have a tub like that. I just scrape poopy diapers or plop the poop and place in my dirty diaper basket. Wet diapers just go in my diaper basket. The only diapers I rinse are my toddlers night time diapers.

[lo95]

No kidding? Huh. Guess I didn't investigate the entire thing very thoroughly. I just figured it would be a train wreck in our one bathroom house.

[cam]

Is this where I confess bleach scares me? I am too paranoid that I will ruin something.

[younglove316]

forevermorgan thank you! I think I'm going to give it a shot this weekend and see if I can clean up some of his shirts

[ashiscute]

What do you do if you accidentally wash a shirt with a sticker on there? How do you get that sticky, gluey mess off?

Also, why do I keep doing this?!?!