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I just wanted to warn everyone about Oxy-Clean and what it did to my Sandy's.
I was trying so hard to keep my CDs in great condition since they were bought new and I plan on using them for more children. So, I was trying to be meticulous in my wash routine. Since I was living in an apartment and couldn't sun my CDs, I used an 1/8 scoop of Oxi-Baby to get rid of stains. I also used the Simple Green recipe for a while and have since switched to soap nuts.
In August I noticed some bald spots on my bamboo Sandys that I had bought new just 8 months before. I sent one in to ME for them to look at. They told me that there was a chemical reation with the Oxi-Clean and the natural fibers in the diapers. They sent me back a replacement to show what my CDs SHOULD be like.
The end result is that I have that one good Sandy and 35 Sandys that are much thinner than they should be for their age. I still hope that they will last through any other children that we may have since I really can't afford to by new ones.
The moral of the story.....DON'T USE OXI-CLEAN ON YOUR CDS!!!!!!!
Tara, home-birthin' mama to Avery 19/12/06 |
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Sorry to hear that this has happened to your diapers.
I use oxi-clean on mine occasionally but mine aren't bamboo and it could be causing thinning but my diapers are older. I was really in need of getting rid of some soap build up and it seems to have helped with that.
Lona E |
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Just so you know, I have thinning on ALL my CDs, both bamboo and cotton. If you need to strip, I would suggest vinegar and hot water. Erika from Mother-ease suggested that I not use Oxi-Clean at all on any natural fibers.
Tara, home-birthin' mama to Avery 19/12/06 |
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It would be nice if there was a definitive list of "do not use" products from ME that cause harm to the cloth diapers, cotton bamboo or organic. I don't think any of us buy our diapers with the intention of ruining them. Quite the contrary, I believe most of us are super careful since they get used so often on our most precious little babies.
Any insight ME? |
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| Are the bamboo ones any worse than the Cotton?? Just wondering since i'm trying to figure out if i should buy cotton or bamboo. I'm wondering if the bamboo wears out similarly to cotton?? |
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Hey Tara,
Sorry to hear about your bad experience with Oxy-clean. I was thinking about what it must feel like to have this big stash that you aren't sure if you can count on lasting as long as you'd hoped, and thought I'd say, although you've likely already had this thought, that with subsequent children as long as the diapers themselves are still snapping and all, you can make them functional longer with liners for a lot less money than replacing. |
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Hi Everyone,
Mother-ease has stayed away from recommending laundering products because this is not our area of expertise. Our customers are free to experiment with whatever detergents work best for them. This said, however, we have long suspected that oxygenated/peroxide products cause very rapid deteriorization of fabrics. A few months ago we took a sample to a local chemist whose expertise is laundry detergents (20+ years working for Proctor and Gamble in the USA) and he confirmed no chlorides, no fluorides, no peroxides or harsh solvents of any kind should be used on natural fibres, which would include both cotton and bamboo. Oxy Clean, Baby Oxy Clean along with many other products would fall into this category. Synthetic fibres are unaffected. He went on to say that most manufacturers of laundry detergents now make environmentally friendly detergents and stain removers. There are many different kinds and you would have to experiment a little to find something that will work for you.
Some time ago a comment was made on this forum suggesting that Mother-ease washing instructions were dated. I beg to differ and would suggest that a wet pail and changing the water on a daily basis is still the best storage method for used cloth diapers prior to regular hot water washing. This said, we do recognize that many (most) people choose to use a dry pail and so we have updated our washing instructions to indicate how we think it should be done.
Please see below and comment if you care to:
Erika Froese
Mother-ease Wash and Care Instructions
Wash Before Use- *See return policy on washed products
Diapering products – Wash no more than 8 -10 diapers at a time (minimize lint
accumulation) before use with hot water and your favourite laundry detergent.
Swim Diapers – hand wash in warm water and line dry. Do not wrap wet swim
diaper in towel. Garment may bleed colour.
Breathable Diaper Pail Meshes – wash in hot water with detergent before first time use. Colour may bleed.
Wet pail or Pre-soak system – best for reduced staining
1) place Mother-ease Breathable Mesh Pail Bag into diaper pail, add water and a tablespoon of detergent to desired fill level. Place used diapers into pail and let soak (soiled diapers are rinsed in toilet). When ready to launder the mesh bag may be lifted out of the pail and placed over/near a drain. Empty the remaining water from the pail. When much of the water has drained from the bag, place bag back into pail and transport to washing machine. Be sure to open the bag so that the diapers can work their way out during the wash cycle. (Best for front loading machines)
2) Pre-rinse or do a short cycle with warm water and detergent.
3) Wash the diapers in a full cycle, at highest water level, using hot water (70°C), and the manufacturers recommended amount of your favourite detergent. Avoid bleach as it can be very harsh against your baby’s skin and will damage the diaper’s fibers and elastics. Avoid the use of fabric softeners or use just a small amount. Over use will result in reduced absorbency.
4) Washed diapers may either be line dried or dried in the dryer on med. heat.
Or
Dry pail system –
1) place Mother-ease Breathable Mesh Pail Bag into diaper pail, add used diapers (soiled diapers must be rinsed in toilet). When ready to launder lift the mesh bag out of pail and transport to laundry machine. Be sure to open the bag so that the diapers can work their way out during the wash cycle. (Best for front loading machines)
2) Pre-rinse or do a short cycle with warm water and detergent.
3 and 4) Follow Mother–ease washing and drying instructions above
For both wet and dry pail systems wipe pail clean with warm soapy water regularly.
Used Covers
Hand or machine wash with your diapers using your favourite detergent and tumble dry on low, or line dry.
Close Rikki covers before washing or drying.
*Return Policy
Mother-ease® will provide a full refund, less actual shipping costs, on unused, unwashed, resaleable products for a period of 6 months from the date of purchase. Please call for authorization before shipping back your order and include your receipt with the return.
Helpful Notes and Hints
Waterproof Covers – Use over cloth diapers to prevent leakage. Can usually be used 3 to 4 times before washing, provided they aren’t soiled.
Line Dried Diapers – Line drying in the sun is an excellent way to naturally bleach your diapers. You can soften up your line dried diapers by placing them in your dryer for a few minutes.
How to Prevent Odours and Staining with the Wet Pail Method- add a tablespoon of detergent or Borax and fill your pail with enough water to cover the diapers. Change the water daily. Before putting the diapers in the washer, tip off some of the water into the toilet to ease the weight of the pail or if using Breathable Mesh Pail Bags, remove mesh and let some water drain off, then place open mesh containing diapers into machine. Rinse and refill the pail. Clean the pail well regularly.
How to Prevent Odours and Staining with the Dry Pail System – Important: to avoid odours from setting into fabrics when using Dry Pail Method, do not leave diapers sitting in a closed pail for days at a time. At the end of each day used diapers stored without pre-soaking should be run through a rinse and spin or equivalent machine cycle. Rinsed diapers can be returned to the pail or ideally spread/hung to dry. *Remember set odours are difficult to remove.
Diaper Stains- Rinse soiled diapers promptly in the toilet to minimize stains. Biodegradable paper liners or Stay Dry liners will also help. Should you have a tough stain, soak it in a concentrated solution of Ivory Snow or Dreft gently rubbing occasionally until the stain has lifted. Repeat if necessary.
Mother-ease does not recommend the use of oxygenated products, chlorides (bleach), fluorides, peroxides nor any harsh solvents.
Help ensure more hot water gets to your machine by running the hot water tap nearest to your machine until water is hot.
Dreft, Ivory Snow, Amaze (for pre-soaking, available in Canada) are well suited for washing cloth diapers while formulated to be gentle on infant’s skin
Sticky barrier creams used to help prevent diaper rash can leave residues making diapers water repellent. Disposable paper liners will help prevent residue from accumulating on diapers.
Disposable Liners - To simplify the clean up of soiled diapers, disposable liners may be laid into the diapers.
Diaper Rash - A number of factors can cause diaper rashes. The first thing to try is more frequent diaper changes. Should the problem persist, run another final rinse cycle and add a cup of white vinegar. For more information visit our web site under Information & Education / Health.
Warranty
Mother-ease® strives to please it’s customers by providing them with durable, well designed diapers and accessories. We warrant our products against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of three months from the date of purchase. |
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Erika,
First, thanks for taking the time to read and respond on this forum. And for providing the space and maintenance for it. This really is an invaluable resource for so many us (not to mention just good fellow CDing company!)
I think that the part of the directions that I would really question is the detergent use in both the pail and the pre-rinse, and I think that's what (at least some) people have referred to as out-dated in the directions. Personally, it was when I followed the directions and added detergent to my wet pail that my 3-mo-old suddenly had diapers that reeked of ammonia and his first rash (literally, that same use/wash cycle). When I eliminated that extra detergent (thanks to reading back posts on this forum), happy diapers again. When visiting my in-laws with terrible water and a different detergent, I've also had problems. Having participated on this forum for four years, I know that I'm not alone in this and I think that detergent issues have to be taken seriously. Modern detergents are formulated to stick around, and I think that water or machines that aren't conducive to thorough rinsing exacerbates that tendency. That being said, I would imagine that these sorts of problems are more the exception than the rule, since people don't usually post to say that everything is hunky-dory.
There are so many factors in every CDer's situation: water hardness (and mineral content that makes it hard), washer type, washing routine, detergent, detergent quantity, etc., that I appreciate that there is no one magic formula for the perfect washing routine and that some personal tweaking may be necessary. But although I think that the recommended steps (pre-rinse, hot wash) are the right ones, I think that the extra detergent recommended is not only unnecessary, but potentially problem-causing. |
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Hi,
I'd have to agree about the detergent in the wet pail. I'm on my second child and have always wet pailed but anything more than a very small blip of detergent (1/4 to 1/5 of a tsp.) will lead to build up probs. The rest of the directions are very clear though.
Lona E |
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We will not be replacing my Sandys, we can't really afford that. We will likely buy more liners to increase absorbency. And, we do have that one good diaper that ME sent to us to replace the one I sent!! Wish I could get Oxi-Clean to replace all of them. Although, I hate to admit it, the fault is really mine.
Tara, home-birthin' mama to Avery 19/12/06 |
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| Thanks for some clarity ME. But my concern is what you said about Floride. Most city water in the US is floridated along with chlorinated. The chlorine has never worried me since it is so small an amount(only used to keep bacteria out of the water supply lines) but the floride is worrisome. And since we wash & soak our diapers in it, is that floride doing bad things to our diapers? I believe the floride amounts are higher since the point is to have kids injest it for stronger healthy teeth. Is the floride/chlorine/oxygen peroxide only an issue if it's like actually applied to the diapers themselves as a pre-treatment stain remover or laundry additive or is even the water itself an issue if it's treated city tap water? |
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| How horrible for your diapers!! Here's a mini-lesson my chemist friend taught me years ago. She told me that Oxyclean is an enzymatic cleaner. The enzymes clean by "eating" away organic stains. That's why Oxyclean is so good on food stains, blood stains, and grass stains--all organic matter. My friend told me not to use Oxyclean in every load, because the enzymes also "eat" some dyes and fabric fibers (like cotton or bamboo). Unfortunately, the "eating" seems to have been magnified with your diapers. Hopefully you'll be able to make them still work for you--or find other diapers at an affordable price. |
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| Doesn't Dreft contain fabric softeners, and therefore would be bad for CDs? Someone correct me if I'm wrong here. |
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I agree with aavt about ME's recommended washing routine. I have no real issues with a wet pail or daily water changes. I do think they're too much trouble and don't really offer any substantial advantages but overall it's a totally personal choice. But I do think the idea of putting detergent in the pail, in the pre-rinse and then a full amount in the wash could be problematic for many people. Before detergents had all the additives they do now (like optical brighteners, stain lifters etc etc), that might not have been a problem. Nowadays detergents are made to actually stay in fabric (that's the only way these additives can work is if they stay in fabric even after rinsing) so in that sense they're probably vastly different than detergents from even just 10 years ago...
As for Oxy-Clean, I find this all very confusing. I've always had reservations about it personally, just seemed natural to me that something that whitened would have the potential to be harmful to fabric. But after years of reading how safe it was (not necessarily on this site, but many other cloth diapering sites, including large online stores etc...), I'd come to just accept that it was probably pretty safe stuff. One website I distinctly remember that they said they'd talked to people in the textile industry and they'd been told they could see no reason why Oxy-Clean would be harmful.
Now I don't know what to think anymore... I guess this is a case of "better safe than sorry" and either avoiding it altogether or using it very sparingly only when absolutely necessary.
Karen.
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| Could you please advise of your washing routine on the "attention..." thread? I am trying to get all the important info in one area so ME can trouble shoot the problem. Perhaps if it is all in one spot perhaps ME might see an issue or element they hadn't noticed before. Please wpg_mama? |
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| I think the motherease rule of no more than 8 or 10 diapers at a time in pre-wear period to cut down on lint is a good rule of thumb for washing diapers in general to prevent diapers from being rinsed in water that is too concentrated with urine. I don't have smell problems because I do this. (I also wash towels or other clothing, at the same time, but I never have more than 10 diapers per load) |
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I have a small apartment-sized washer, so that is never an issue. I don't have room for even 10 diapers in one load
Tara, home-birthin' mama to Avery 19/12/06 |
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Hello fellow forum users,
In response to some of your comments on our updated washing instructions we have made the following change to reflect your suggestion to remove adding detergent to the pre rinse cycle.
Mother-ease wrote:Hi Everyone,
Mother-ease has stayed away from recommending laundering products because this is not our area of expertise. Our customers are free to experiment with whatever detergents work best for them. This said, however, we have long suspected that oxygenated/peroxide products cause very rapid deteriorization of fabrics. A few months ago we took a sample to a local chemist whose expertise is laundry detergents (20+ years working for Proctor and Gamble in the USA) and he confirmed no chlorides, no fluorides, no peroxides or harsh solvents of any kind should be used on natural fibres, which would include both cotton and bamboo. Oxy Clean, Baby Oxy Clean along with many other products would fall into this category. Synthetic fibres are unaffected. He went on to say that most manufacturers of laundry detergents now make environmentally friendly detergents and stain removers. There are many different kinds and you would have to experiment a little to find something that will work for you.
Some time ago a comment was made on this forum suggesting that Mother-ease washing instructions were dated. I beg to differ and would suggest that a wet pail and changing the water on a daily basis is still the best storage method for used cloth diapers prior to regular hot water washing. This said, we do recognize that many (most) people choose to use a dry pail and so we have updated our washing instructions to indicate how we think it should be done.
Please see below and comment if you care to:
Erika Froese
Mother-ease Wash and Care Instructions
Wash Before Use- *See return policy on washed products
Diapering products – Wash no more than 8 -10 diapers at a time (minimize lint
accumulation) before use with hot water and your favourite laundry detergent.
Swim Diapers – hand wash in warm water and line dry. Do not wrap wet swim
diaper in towel. Garment may bleed colour.
Breathable Diaper Pail Meshes – wash in hot water with detergent before first time use. Colour may bleed.
Wet pail or Pre-soak system – best for reduced staining
1) place Mother-ease Breathable Mesh Pail Bag into diaper pail, add water and a tablespoon of detergent to desired fill level. Place used diapers into pail and let soak (soiled diapers are rinsed in toilet). When ready to launder the mesh bag may be lifted out of the pail and placed over/near a drain. Empty the remaining water from the pail. When much of the water has drained from the bag, place bag back into pail and transport to washing machine. Be sure to open the bag so that the diapers can work their way out during the wash cycle. (Best for front loading machines)
2) Run a pre-rinse or a short cycle with cold water.
3) Wash the diapers in a full cycle, at highest water level, using hot water (70°C), and the manufacturers recommended amount of your favourite detergent. Avoid bleach as it can be very harsh against your baby’s skin and will damage the diaper’s fibers and elastics. Avoid the use of fabric softeners or use just a small amount. Over use will result in reduced absorbency.
4) Washed diapers may either be line dried or dried in the dryer on med. heat.
Or
Dry pail system –
1) place Mother-ease Breathable Mesh Pail Bag into diaper pail, add used diapers (soiled diapers must be rinsed in toilet). When ready to launder lift the mesh bag out of pail and transport to laundry machine. Be sure to open the bag so that the diapers can work their way out during the wash cycle. (Best for front loading machines)
2) Run a pre-rinse or a short cycle with cold water.
3 and 4) Follow Mother–ease washing and drying instructions above
For both wet and dry pail systems wipe pail clean with warm soapy water regularly.
Used Covers
Hand or machine wash with your diapers using your favourite detergent and tumble dry on low, or line dry.
Close Rikki covers before washing or drying.
*Return Policy
Mother-ease® will provide a full refund, less actual shipping costs, on unused, unwashed, resaleable products for a period of 6 months from the date of purchase. Please call for authorization before shipping back your order and include your receipt with the return.
Helpful Notes and Hints
Waterproof Covers – Use over cloth diapers to prevent leakage. Can usually be used 3 to 4 times before washing, provided they aren’t soiled.
Line Dried Diapers – Line drying in the sun is an excellent way to naturally bleach your diapers. You can soften up your line dried diapers by placing them in your dryer for a few minutes.
How to Prevent Odours and Staining with the Wet Pail Method- add a tablespoon of detergent or Borax and fill your pail with enough water to cover the diapers. Change the water daily. Before putting the diapers in the washer, tip off some of the water into the toilet to ease the weight of the pail or if using Breathable Mesh Pail Bags, remove mesh and let some water drain off, then place open mesh containing diapers into machine. Rinse and refill the pail. Clean the pail well regularly.
How to Prevent Odours and Staining with the Dry Pail System – Important: to avoid odours from setting into fabrics when using Dry Pail Method, do not leave diapers sitting in a closed pail for days at a time. At the end of each day used diapers stored without pre-soaking should be run through a rinse and spin or equivalent machine cycle. Rinsed diapers can be returned to the pail or ideally spread/hung to dry. *Remember set odours are difficult to remove.
Diaper Stains- Rinse soiled diapers promptly in the toilet to minimize stains. Biodegradable paper liners or Stay Dry liners will also help. Should you have a tough stain, soak it in a concentrated solution of Ivory Snow or Dreft gently rubbing occasionally until the stain has lifted. Repeat if necessary.
Mother-ease does not recommend the use of oxygenated products, chlorides (bleach), fluorides, peroxides nor any harsh solvents. Do not rinse diapers in toilets containing automatic toilet bowl cleaners. Use of these products will cause fabric disintegration on all natural fibres evidenced by balding spots throughout one or all layers of diaper and will adversely affect product longevity.
Help ensure more hot water gets to your machine by running the hot water tap nearest to your machine until water is hot.
Dreft, Ivory Snow, Amaze (for pre-soaking, available in Canada) are well suited for washing cloth diapers while formulated to be gentle on infant’s skin
Sticky barrier creams used to help prevent diaper rash can leave residues making diapers water repellent. Disposable paper liners will help prevent residue from accumulating on diapers.
Disposable Liners - To simplify the clean up of soiled diapers, disposable liners may be laid into the diapers.
Diaper Rash - A number of factors can cause diaper rashes. The first thing to try is more frequent diaper changes. Should the problem persist, run another final rinse cycle and add a cup of white vinegar. For more information visit our web site under Information & Education / Health.
Warranty
Mother-ease® strives to please it’s customers by providing them with durable, well designed diapers and accessories. We warrant our products against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of three months from the date of purchase. |
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I have read numerous times that Ivory snow causes build up on diapers, thus causing stink & repelling issues. Is this not the case with ME products?
I would also like to double check that using natural stain removers on your products will in fact NOT harm them?
Also, why do you (ME) believe that a wet pail is preferrable to a dry pail? It seems that it would be a greater waste of water.
Thank you |
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Ivory Snow -
About 20 years ago Ivory Snow was a soap but it has been a detergent for many years. I am not aware that it builds up causing stink and repelling issues but I have said that we are not detergent experts.
My sister in law has used Ivory Snow exclusively with her ME diapers for at least 5 years. She recently showed me some of her diapers and I was surprised to find them looking almost new. No lint accumulation (like I had using Tide) on the insides, and the outsides thick, fluffy and thirsty. She has no stains on her diapers. All of her diapers look the same whether unbleached or white fabric, they are all white. She used a wet pail based on my recommendation with a small amount of Ivory Snow for her diapers to soak in. She did not change the water every day as our washing instructions indicate but left the diapers for 3 days in the wet pail before washing.
Natural Stain Removers -
Natural stain removers without harmful solvents should not be a problem, however, try finding a complete list of ingredients on any product. They all have vague descriptions that tell you nothing.
Wet Pail -
The purpose of the wet pail is to help prevent stains from setting onto diapers so stain removers don’t need to be used. Changing water on a daily basis helps keep the diapers fresh and much cleaner before they ever enter the wash cycle thereby making your detergent more effective. Once the diapers are saturated, changing the water once a day in a seven gallon pail would not use much water. Depending on the type of toilet you have it could be the equivalent of one flush. On the other hand the amount of washing that gets done trying to remove odours from diapers stored for too long in an air tight container is considerable.
Erika Froese |
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