No this is not a post detailing my never ending piles of laundry...no one really wants to hear about anyone else's literal dirty laundry.
As I was taking sun bleached cloth diapers off the line today, I noticed they do not look as good as they once did. The cloth inserts are developing holes and general wear and tear, likely worsened by the occasional tumbling in our gas dryer. I love to see the white diapers hanging on the line since it appeals to my frugal and green sensibilities. The honest or as I call it, I can't tell a lie to save my soul, side of me must admit that this has not occurred with every diaper cycle recently. Due to weather, ongoing family illness, and working hours I made a laundry compromise to use the gas dryer more often. I really enjoyed hanging almost all of our laundry on the line this Summer. It saved us money and became a new way to be green, plus I learned a new skill...aka I got good at it. I know just how to hang most things to prevent wrinkles and we found out that only towels are a problem. The first use of each sun dried towel provided an after shower exfoliation (they were scratchy). So, I am back to machine drying most things since the cool of Autumn does not keep up with the frequency of my loads even though I have two long clothes lines.
Diapers due to poop stains and durability get on the line as often as possible. I wash diapers every other day and each time about 2/3 of the diaper stash is washed. So, I figure in his 16 months of life, I have washed each diaper 160 times...Wow!!! I really should be amazed they only have holes in them. The thing is I want them to last through potty training (yep, that's the frugal and green part of me again) and since as you know Mr. B is of the boy persausian this will not likely be anytime soon. If each diaper has been used on average 160 times, I wonder how many diaper changes I have done so far? I am currently refusing to do that math. If I change my mind, you all will be the first to know.
BTW, the laundry confessions will likely continue since our washing machine appears to be dying. This should come as no surprise since it has been in hospice for several years now.
Sincerely,
Mr. B's laundry service
I'm finding the shorter days and less sunlight make sun drying trickier also. Fortunately, we have lines in our basement, which is surprisingly dry for a basement, and the diapers dry well down there.
ReplyDeleteWe have temporarily resorted to the gas dryer, as I think we're dealing with a yeast-based diaper rash. I'm hoping the high heat of the dryer will kill any yeast lurking in the diapers.
I am curious about your diaper washing system. We do a cold wash, then a hot wash, then an extra rinse. I don't know that much about diaper rash since the most we have had is reactions to foods and not a true diaper rash. One thing you may want to try is stripping the diapers. One Tablespoon of Blue Dawn in the washer and 2 rinses afterwards. That helps if diapers get leaky too. My current diapering issue is getting through the night time without needing a change.
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