Mailbox Mondays 1/17/11 - Wet Bag/Pail Liners and Washing Natural Fibers

 

Every Monday (if I receive submissions, that is!) I will answer reader submitted questions in my Mailbox Mondays post. Questions don't have to be cloth diaper related, just email maria at change-diapers.com with "Mailbox Mondays" in the subject!

Tamara says:

I have a question! I meant to get it in in time for submission today, but alas, life got in the way. So.....Which side of the pail liner do you put toward the diapers? I have a planet wise pail liner, one side is the shiny PUL and the other side is the fabric. I've always put it in the pail so that the diapers are touching the shiny side. But, I had a friend of mine ask if that was right and it made me wonder..... I investigated and noticed that the tag is on the fabric side and I know that sometimes manufacturers recommend putting a drop of essential oil on the tag so then I was confused. Does that make sense? What do you do? Does it matter? Have I been doing it wrong this whole time?

Diapers do go on the shiny PUL side, so you are doing it correctly! 

Whamies Pail Liners have a patch of fabric at the seam for essential oils, but as far as I know, Planet Wise's tags are just for brand identification and laundering instructions.  If you're having trouble with smell, you might try keeping the pail open a crack.  It seems counterintuitive, but I find that air circulating actually helps with the smell.  Washing every 2-3 days at most helps of course too!

Hope this helps!


Stephanie says:

Hi Maria!

I was wondering if there was any rule of thumb about washing microfiber inserts with natural fibers. If so, do you have any recommendations?

Thanks! :)

--
Stephanie

When you get a new diaper or insert that is made from natural fibers, wash it separately to prep per the manufacturer's instructions.  For example: a hemp product may say to wash and dry it 2-3 times before use.  This will remove the natural oils and get it ready to use.  It will continue to gain absorbency up to 10 washes.

Once you have prepped it, there's no issue washing them with your microfiber products!

Mailbox Mondays 11/8/10

Every Monday I will answer user submitted questions. They don't have to be about cloth diapering! I'll always answer questions via email, but if you would like your question to be answered in a Mailbox Mondays post, send an email with the subject "Mailbox Mondays" to Maria at change-diapers dot com.

Naomi says:

Hey Maria,

Talk to me(us) about hemp vs. bamboo. Any recommendations of brands for a hemp or bamboo insert?

Overnight diapers for my 3 year old are getting pretty bulky. I usually sandwich a terry hemp doubler between two microfiber inserts in a generic pocket. That usually does the trick, but I've only got two of the hemp guys and when I'm out, I stuff the poor pockets to the gills with microfiber (3 inserts or 2 inserts with a mf towel). While dd doesn't seem to care about the bulk, it gets hard to stuff and when family sees her overnight diaper it is pretty comical.

I don't mind bulk, but am wondering which material to try and get inserts of. I've heard a lot about wool covers, but right now can only afford to stay with my pockets for overnight and just get a couple used inserts.

Great question!  I've been fortunate in that several of the diapers I've purchased/reviewed came with natural fiber inserts, and they are definitely top notch for nighttime diapering.

In no particular order, first is the insert that came with my Babykicks Bumboo Pocket Diaper.  This is 55% hemp and 45% cotton.  Babykicks also sells Joey Bunz, Joey Bunz Premium (both sized) and doublers separately.  (There should be some in the CSN giveaway in the Merry Fluffy Christmas event!)  

My Amp Duo Diaper came with a 2-layer hemp insert, as well as a bamboo insert.  The inserts look like a smallish prefold that you trifold, and they also come in 3-layer hemp, as well as organic cotton.
 

My Blueberry Minky was one I bought after only cloth diapering for about a month, and it was my first experience with a microfiber/hemp combo.  It's a one size insert that snaps down to different sizes, and a 3-pack retails separately for $19.95.
 

 
These doublers were kind of random.  They were loose in the package with the Blueberry diapers I bought last year.  I believe they are organic cotton and bamboo doublers but I'm not entirely sure.  I use both of them at night.  I have 4 night time diapers in my rotation right now.  My Guerilla Fluff Utilitarian with a Mobums Wool Interlock Night Night Soaker, a Dypes by Dixon Sweet Slumber fleece pocket stuffed with the superdo, and two Bumgenius 3.0 pockets, one stuffed with a microfiber insert and one of the random hemp/cotton doublers, the other stuffed with the loopydo with the second random doubler in between.
 

 
Speaking of which, I wholeheartedly recommend the Knickernappies Superdo and Loopydo inserts.  I purchased these out of utter desperation when my son was soaking every insert I had, and I was creating a monster leg gap by putting 3 inserts in a pocket.  They really are rather pricey at $7.50 for a loopydo and $12.95 for a superdo, but I think they are worth it.  I tried to be cheap and buy the large size for my son's medium diapers, but they are quite bulky folded over.  I love the microfiber/hemp combo because the microfiber whisks the moisture away from my son's skin, and the hemp locks it away. 

OK, I feel like a paper towel commercial.  Really though, if you are looking for a solution for a heavy wetter, I highly recommend them.  The only problem I have with them is that they can become quite stinky.  When I notice that, I wash (inserts only) with about 1/4 cup of bleach, then rinse rinse rinse until the water is clean and the inserts don't smell like bleach anymore!
 
If I had the money to spend, I'd love to have more superdo/loopydo inserts.  I've been wanting to buy some mediums for a while but I've been trying to stick to the budget!

These are just the inserts I own, there are of course lots of other natural fiber inserts/prefolds out there!

So how about the rest of you?  Do you have a favorite natural fiber insert?

Mailbox Mondays 10/4/10

Make sure you check out the "Year of Fluff" post for all of the upcoming giveaways.  There are two active giveaways right now, and three more coming this week!

Every Monday I will answer user submitted questions. They don't have to be about cloth diapering! I'll always answer questions via email, but if you would like your question to be answered in a Mailbox Mondays post, send an email with the subject "Mailbox Mondays" to Maria at change-diapers dot com.

I am looking for submissions for late October and beyond!

Heidi says:

What's the best natural fiber doubler that is inexpensive and effective?

Heidi
 
For natural fibers, I like hemp. Very absorbent and naturally anti-bacterial. Bamboo/cotton blends are also great!
 
Unfortunately, natural fiber products are also more expensive than their microfiber counterparts, and natural fiber doublers aren't as easy to find as full-size natural fiber inserts..
 
A small Baby Kicks Joey Bunz Hemparoo (13.5" long and 6" wide at it's widest) retails for about $5.00. I really like the organic cotton/bamboo doubler that came with my Blueberry Bamboo diaper, but I don't think the doubler is sold separately. The one size insert and doubler sell for $8.00.
 
Bethany says:

How many scoops of Tiny bubbles do you have to literally use on dirty diapers with an older washing machine?

Bethany

Tiny Bubbles is designed for cloth diapers, so I would suggest using the recommended amount (not 1/4 or 1/2 like you would with a standard detergent.) I believe that would be two scoops in a top load washer with normal water (use less if you have soft water.) If you don't already, I'd suggest doing a cold wash (without detergent) first to rinse the diapers, then a hot wash with the detergent.

So how about you guys?  Have you used Tiny Bubbles?  How much do you use?  Do you have a favorite natural fiber doubler?

My post on The Village of Moms today is about my experience with baby wearing.  I'd love for you to check it out!