If you didn't know already, HE washer means low water. Your cloth diapers need A LOT of water. You got poo and pee, and you need to dilute that sh** (heh)! Note to you: if you want to cloth diaper and you're in the market for a new washer, DO NOT buy an HE washer. I know this seems weird, but trust me, you'll be happier. If you already have an HE washer, keep reading.
Just so you know. I have the Whirlpool Cabrio. In case you are googling this. I am going to use this keyword combination like six times: Cabrio cloth diapering cabrio cloth diapering cabrio cloth diapering. I want you to meet me here. Because yous and mes. We gotta go a different route.
What I've learned....
Here are some simple tips to follow with your HE washer:
1) Microfiber, and all synthetic fibers for that matter, hold in stink more. This probably won't matter if you got one of those fancy rickety old top-loaders that fill magically to the top with water. But when you are knee-deep in your HE already, I recommend you pick other fabrics: Bamboo is one of the most non-stinky dipe fabrics out there, and it is also one of the most sustainable to grow. Organic Cotton is also pretty awesome. Hemp sucks. Micro-anything is pretty much synthetic. Save these for your old washer.
2) All-in-one diapers sound rad right? They act just like a disposable. Therefore you are eco-friendly AND indulging your lazy self right? Not so much. With an HE washer, these things with their fancy pancy sewn-in soakers are tough to clean. Still stuck on convenience? Stick with pockets (like Applecheeks with bamboo insert
or AI2s (like Grovia shell set
) in an appropriate fabric (see #1). Exceptions I've discovered thus far include: Bumgenius AIO Elemental
with organic cotton. Stay clear of all AIOs with microfiber. I'm not saying it's not possible to, I'm saying it's harder.3) Trick your washer. Do a rinse cycle first. No spin. This creates weight. So when your washer 'weighs' the load to determine water size, you've beat it. Throw in a towel. Add water in the wash cycle. Do what you need to do.
4) Rinse out your diapers after changing. Sink works fine, but if you want to be all sophisticated about it, buy a diaper sprayer
. This 'helps' your washer reduce gunk moving around in the cycle.5) Do you have hard water? Check. If you do, add a little Calgon water softener
to help your soap make suds.If you don't cloth diaper, this sounds insane right? But if you do cloth diaper, you've got the bug. You might be obsessed. I am. Beat your washer. You can do it. Trust me. More to come later...
Any other tips to share, mamas?
12 comments:
So what did you think of the G diapers?
I like them! The flushable liners I used and think they would be great for traveling, however, to use all the time it would take away the cost-advantage of using cloth IMO. So I want to buy the inserts for them that are cloth. However, the ones made specifically for them by gdiapers are made of the HE washer no good fabric :-)! BUT if found a store online that makes bamboo inserts specifically for the gdiapers and am actually waiting for them now!
I will let you know if we dig. I like the trimness of the gdiaper. I like you don't have to change whole diaper everytime. The less dipe in my wash the better!
I have BG 3.0s and used to love them, but now I'm growing a little discontent. (I have an HE, and usually end up rinsing, then pre-washing, then washing, then rinsing, then rinsing again - I'm not sure if I'm working twice as hard to wash them, or if it all evens out - but it's kind of ridiculous using an HE machine with cloth diapers.)
But this is my problem: my little one is a heavy wetter. I use pockets, so I stuff with a double regular insert. Sometimes I add a third newborn insert. And it's like her urine just puddles in the middle, because anytime she's wearing pants, babylegs, etc., they end up totally wet around her crotch. When she wears cloth, I am changing her diaper every 1.5 hours or so. But when she wears disposables (or GroVia bioliners), it's more like 2.5 hours. Does this make me incredibly lazy? I'm not sure what to do to make them more absorbent or to make the leg casings tighter to hold the liquid in. Suggestions?
Hi Chirky!
It sounds like you have a case of detergent build-up! This is a frequent occurrence with cloth diapers, ESPECIALLY those with HE washers. I would purchase Rockin Green's Funk Rock. Follow the instructions on the bag. This will 1) get rid of any build-up and 2) get rid of any stink.
Microfiber (what those BG 3.0 inserts are made of) are incredibly absorbent, and they will hold in a lot of liquid and unfortunately a lot of detergent. Your diapers are doing what is called 'repelling' the liquid, a frequent occurrence with build-up (ugh HE washer). There should be no pool and no wetness at the legs! Your girl should be able to go atleast two hours for sure. Those inserts and covers need to be 'stripped.' Whether it be funk rock or another method (google 'stripping cloth diapers'), I believe it would help.
Also the detergent you use is very important, which you probably already know. What are you using? Some cloth diaper detergents are not good with some dipes.
As another resort, those diapers are actually under warranty with BG! They can help so much in getting to the bottom of it. But three inserts for a daytime dipe is too much for sure!
This is great! I'm visiting my mom in April and she has an HE washing machine. I'm so nervous because I have a top loader washing machine at home and I can do water level EXTRA LARGE and it cleans superbly. The good thing is she lives in the country in Alabama, so I can hang the diapers to dry.
Oh, and why do you hate hemp? I love hemp. Only thing I use to stuff. Although I am loving my new Applecheeks triple layer bamboo insert. That sucker can absorb like crazy.
I think I got carried away in my words hehe....
Hemp does NOT suck, hemp holds in more stink, that's all. And in HE land, that sucks! I should change that in the post....:-)
I really do wish I had a regular washer at this point, but if you gotta do it with an HE, I think rinsing well before putting in the pail is a lifesaver. That includes pee soaked ones too. Not a must, but totally helps me.
I can't for the life of me find where I read this little gem of information, but I have a Cabrio too. Lots of issues with getting them rinsed properly, and started to have stink issues. I was doing all I could-rinsing them prior to washing, throwing in a wet towel, water softener... Anyway, I read a suggestion to do a delicate wash warm/cold and then a sheets cycle, heavy soil, hot/cold, extra rinse. Tried it tonight and checked my final rinse cycle...NO SUDS! I never would have thought to use that cycle!
Can you send a picture of your he washer with the amount of water and diapers you put in it?
info@crawlmomma.com
I just got an HE washer, And I Hate it for my CDs!!!! For all of the reasons you've stated! I want my old clunky machine! I never had an issue with build-up or stink with it!
I have an HE machine and I have had no issues. I also only use GroVia diapers for all the reasons you stated. I do however use the heavy duty cycle, a pre-wash and an extra rine and it takes 3 hours to do my diapers...which is a LONG time!!
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