Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day Four

 When I decided to take this challenge I wasn't sure whether I was going to save all the diapers until the end of the day and wash them all together, or do like my neighbors told me and wash them as they come off the baby. I tried washing them all together Monday and Tuesday and as then tried washing throughout the day on Wednesday.

Just reading this paper in my flat, nothing to see here!

Washing Method One

Monday I washed the diapers in the Wonder Wash at the end of the day and it worked out well, but I felt the rinsing got a little tedious. Monday morning I filled the Wonder Wash about a third of the way full of hot water and added Baby's overnight diaper. Throughout the day as she wet her diapers I'd stick them in the WW with some more water. We have a 24 oz cup Baby loves to play with in the tub, so I just filled that each time and added that much water since I was leaving the WW in the tub anyway. I knew I didn't want to just toss a bunch of poop in my WW so when Baby eventually soiled a diaper I plopped off the majority into the commode and then used my shower head to spray off the rest. The whole procedure only took about a minute and then it was feces free and ready to be put in the Wonder Wash. At the end of the day once Baby went to sleep I put the lid on the washer and gave it about 30 seconds of rotation. After that I took the lid off and let it drain and fed our rotten dog and got some laundry detergent. We're a Tide family. (I know some people panic when you say you wash with Tide because it's not the most eco friendly, but I figure that with everything else we do it makes up for the Tide.) After the first prerinse drained I refilled the washer 2/3rds of the way up and added a tablespoon of Tide. In hindsight, I should have used less, probably 2 teaspoons since it was only 6 diapers. I agitated that for two minutes and then while I was checking on Baby Papa agitated it for 2 more. After draining it I did two rinses with hot water, filling it and agitating for about a minute each time. After that Papa helped me wring them out and we hung them on our indoor drying rack and made sure the ceiling fan was on. This all took place at about 8pm and they were dry the next morning at 7am when we got up. They were a tad stiff so I shook them out a bit and they softened right up. Now I should have refolded them and put them in their cute little basket to prepare for the day, but I didn't, I just used them off the rack all day, that's life sometimes!

Aforementioned rotten dog, we love her.

 

Here's the short version of the wash routine using a Wonder Wash:

1.) Fill Wonder Wash 1/3 full with hot water at the start of the day.
2.) Insert wet diapers as they come off the baby adding a bit more water each time.
3.) Prerinse poop out of soiled diapers and add the diaper to the Wonder Wash along with some more water.
4.) At the end of the day top off with water, put on the lid and agitate 30 seconds.
5.) Drain and refill with hot water and 2-3tsp detergent powder.
6.) Agitate two to four minutes.
7.) Drain, refill with hot water and agitate one minute.
8.) Repeat step seven.
9.) Ring out diapers, hang to dry.
10.) Eat victory brownie. 

Washing Method Two

 On Wednesday I decided to try washing the diapers as they came off the baby and I've got to say, vastly preferred it! When Baby wet I'd just rinse the diaper in the bathtub with hot water, transfer it to the sink, add 1/4 tsp Tide and agitate with my hands for about 2 minutes. After that I'd drain the sink and rinse the diaper under the running bathtub tap, this took about 20-35 seconds and then I'd wring it out and toss it on a towel hook. When Baby and I went outside in the afternoon I took them with me and hung them on the laundry line for some sunning. None of them were stained but UV rays make a great disinfectant so I figured I might as well. They were all dry in about 30 minutes by the time I was finished putzing around in the garden but I left them hanging up still and went and visited with our neighbors.

Four diapers and a onesie hanging out to dry.

Short Version of handwashing as they come off of the child:

1.) Rinse in bathtub.
2.) Put in sink of hot water and add 1/4 heaping tsp laundry power.
3.) Agitate two minutes by hand, about how long it takes to sing Baa Baa Black Sheep and have your baby wander off.
4.) Drain and rinse under bathtub tap with hot water until the water runs clear and you don't see any soap.
5.) Chase baby.
6.) Hang to dry.

For the rest of the week I'm definitely going to be washing them as they come off, it's so much easier I think. It takes about 3 minutes per diaper which isn't so bad and it doesn't take away from Papa and I's time together after Baby is asleep.

Does anyone else have any tips for hand washing diapers? I feel like this is a really easy way to launder flats and I might keep it up even after the challenge on days when we use flats*.


*Completely unrelated to the challenge but does anyone else who cloth diapers find themselves cycling through diaper types? Some weeks I find myself using lots of flats and totally digging it and then some weeks I'm like "pffft, gimme a pocket diaper, who wants to fold!". Then the next week I'll find myself using the prefolds a lot and then swapping off to another diaper. Papa is a very consistent pocket/AIO user, he wants the easiet diaper possible, but some days I like folding and pinning diapers. We originally planned to only use prefolds so we have 24 prefolds and some covers, but then we were gifted AIO's and pockets and Papa got totally spoiled, so we have 12 of those for him.