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| I have MEOS that I used with our third child but after line drying them most of the time they are pretty crunchy even after using the dryer and I don't want to put them on our newborn. Can I get them soft again? How? |
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Lots of mamas swear by ecover fabric softener on DS. I can't find anybody who's tried it on ME diapers but apparently on other cloth fitteds, it works wonders. Supposedly, it doesn't cause repelling issues like other fabric softeners.
I personally use dryer balls and vinegar to soften my dipes. 1 cup vinegar in the rinse & 6 wool dryer balls in the dryer to beat the tar out of 'em.
I'm not brave enough to try ecover. I try to use as little chemicals as possible on my dipes. Especially since my dipes are bamboo. |
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| Nakedbabytoes, my understanding was that drier balls are pretty hard on the fabric, have you looked at that before deciding to use them? Is it a myth (I didn't research it)? Do you see faster wear and tear than you normally would? |
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I haven't found that to be true. I did lots of research on dryer balls prior to using them starting last year. People couldn't even agree whether or not they even work, let alone wearing out fabrics faster.
I do think they make a difference in fluff. We use dryer balls on all our clothes, not just dipes.
BTW: I'm typing this on our family's new Wii gaming console we bought for Valentine's day.
Off topic, sure. But I think it's pretty neat. We're a gadget kindof family. |
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| when I used to line dry my diapers they would get crunchy too. I found if I completely washed and dried them with machines they went back to normal immediately no line drying at all, well, I just got some used ME diapers that were crunchy, I washed and dried but still crunchy. anyway, I make sure I decided to treat them like they have too much detergent and wash and rinse a few times and use fabric softener in the dryer, there are kinds that use paper so its recyclable and non animal or petroleum based softeners. Anyway, dryer sheets and lots of rinsing and low detergent will bring them back |
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Drying on the line won't make diapers permanently crunchy, dryer drying after washing will make them as soft as they would have been if you'd dried in the dryer all along. Your diapers are just less soft just because they're getting older. In fact, they might actually be softer because you line dried so much that you saved a significant amount of wear on them.
If they have build-up in them this will definetly make them crunchier so stripping will definetly help.
But be wary of dryer sheets, even the more 'natural' kind. The natural kind may be healthier and better for the environment but I don't know that this makes any difference in gradual build-up on the fabric. Maybe it does help, but I've never heard that so I would be cautious. Don't know anything about the Ecover softener though so I can't comment on that...
Karen. |
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I'd think it would be worth giving vinegar a shot. Its efficacy can really depend on water type, I think, but it's not going to hurt anything to try. It may serve two functions to help: vinegar is a softener (I line-dry, and can tell the difference even as I hang up the diapers, that they are a smidge softer), and it may also help to break up detergent residues in the diaper. If you are thinking of doing one or more very hot washes to strip them, chuck in (or better yet let them soak in) a bunch of vinegar.
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| my oldest diapers (10 years) is the softest, they have bald spots but not too bad, and they have some piling inside liners but overall they are very very soft and I think they are softer because they have thinned out. |
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| Well...I washed them on hot, soaked them for a couple hours with vinegar, did a cold wash with no detergent and then rinsed about 4 times. Finally on the last rinse there was less sudsing so I think I got most of the build up out but they're still not soft. It's not so much that they're crunchy as rough. I think I might try fabric softener but don't like buying online. Any ideas for something like ecover that I can buy in Canada? |
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| You should be able to get Ecover in Canada. Try health food stores or independent bulk food stores. |
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| I have the exact same problem, and a newborn coming in July, so I want my diapers to get soft again too! I tried the same stripping, vinegar soak method, and it didn't really make a difference. In my opinion, what makes a difference is when I dry them inside on a drying rack, vs. drying outside on the line on a warm, windy day. It's the friction of outside line drying that helps make them softer. (Not near as soft as they would ever be in the dryer with a dryer sheet though). I have had my diapers for 10 months and have never dried them in the dryer, since I want them to last through 4 (hopefully) kids. Please let me know what works for you, if you find out! I am a little leery of trying ecover since ME hasn't really put their stance on it, and I know they recommend no fabric softeners. |
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Well, I tried ecover.
Curiosity got the better of me.
Oh my gosh!
Like buttery soft brand new fluffy dipes!
They seem to be absorbing just fine.
I plan on only using ecover every other time though. I know they say it won't build up or affect the dipe's absorbency, but I worry.
This is a big deal for me. I've only used soapnuts, washing soda or vinegar on my bamboo up to this point. I try to stay as natural as possible.
Ecover says it's all natural plant based ingredients. So I can hope.....
All the mamas on DS love it except for BG users. I guess the microsuede doesn't like it.
We'll see. |
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I find that drying them in the dryer for 15 minutes and then line drying keeps them from getting too crunchy.
Also, I found that the diapers feel very crunchy in my hands and against my face but not if I put them on a less sensitive part of my body like my arm or my leg. I think that it probably doesn't feel as bad as we think on their little tushies.
Keep us updated on the Ecover. I can get that locally and would use it in the summer when I exclusively line dry. |
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