This week I am participating in the 3rd Annual Flats and Hand Washing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry.
Today's topic: Hand Washing!
"Say WHAT?!"
More like, "say yuck!!"
Actually, it hasn't been so bad. But let's face it, my career choice involves the extensive handling of other people's feces, so I'm kinda used to it. But at least when I handled poop at work I had gloves....
Since I wanted to be as cheap and frugal as possible with this challenge, I opted out of making a sweet camp-style bucket washer, and decided to just wash in the tub. Then, one of the other moms in the challenge mentioned that she washes as she goes in the sink. This seemed like a much better option. So here's my routine:
Once I take off a dirty diaper, I bring it to the bathroom where I will hopefully be able to wash it right away. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. But once I do get around to washing, I rinse a pee pee diaper in the sink with some cold water. If it's a poop diaper, I swish it in the toilet till the solid pieces fall off. Yes, its a little gross, but I don't actually have to touch a wet or poopy part of the diaper, I can hold a dry, clean corner. Then it goes in the sink under the cold water just like the other diaper. If necessary I will rub the diaper against itself to scrub off a few remaining little pieces of turd. That's the grossest part, because you are kind of touching poopy water. But you get over it, because you know there's soap and you can wash your hands, and besides you get gross stuff on your hands all the time because hey, you're a mom!
After I have thoroughly rinsed the diapers in cold water, I switch to hot water and let it get as hot as it will, which is about as hot as I can handle. Ideally, I would plug the sink and let it fill with hot water. I say ideally because my plug is broke, so I have to clog it with a wipe or something to get it to semi-fill and drain really slow. While it's semi-filling with hot water, I add just a few drops of 7th Generation Free & Clear detergent, depending on how many diapers I'm using. Swish the diapers in the hot soapy water, squeeze water through them, scrub them against each other, whatever you feel like doing to get them clean. Then drain.
Fill (or attempt to fill) the sink with water again, and rinse. Again, squeeze water through the flats, swish around in the clean water, anything to get the soapy water out. I usually do about two rinses until the diapers smell like nothing and leave no soap bubbles when rung out.
Then, you squeeeeeeeeze out as much water as you can. The less water in the flat, the less time it will take to dry. Once it's properly wrung out, I will hang it on the front porch, or the garden fence, or over the shower curtain, depending on the time of day. In direct sunlight, the flats dry in less than an hour. They are really stiff and rough after line drying, so you have to give them a few snaps, wring them again, rough 'em up a bit till they soften back up. Then, you're ready to fold and re-use.
Because the flats dry so fast, and I'm washing right after he uses them, I haven't even touched my t-shirt diapers. So I'm really only using only 9 diapers for the challenge. But it's nice to know if something happened and I couldn't wash, I'd have a back-up stash.
I haven't left the house much this week, but there was one day I was out for several hours. I simply put the diapers in a plastic bag (I know....so UN-crunchy) and washed them once I got home. He didn't have too many, since we were only gone a few hours. So it was still very doable.
Another thing that makes hand washing easier is that we're doing a form of elimination communication (EC), where if I sense Squishy needs to go to the bathroom, I will set him on his little Cars potty and say, "Go pee pee! Psssssssssssssss." And he looks at me with this giant grin and pees. It's super adorable, and it saves me from having to wash a diaper!! I usually take him right after he wakes up from a nap, since I've notice he doesn't pee while asleep and won't pee until a few minutes after waking. Also, if I notice him straining to have a bowel movement, I will rush him to the potty and let him finish it in there. Usually I can get him to the potty before the poop gets on the diaper. It's a super diaper saver, and its helping Squishy get adjusted to doing his business NOT in his pants. Hopefully it will make potty training easier.
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| Apparently shaking out diapers is hilarious. |
So there you have it! How I wash diapers by hand. It's really simple, and honestly, I think I almost prefer it to the pockets. Especially since we have a community laundry room, I hate having to haul my dipes down there and then remember not to leave them in there all day. This way the diapers can be washed on my terms, and I don't have a big pile of laundry waiting for me. I really wish I had known about this before I bought all my expensive pocket diapers. I'm sure DH would have been so much more on board with the whole cloth thing if he had known it would only cost $2. :p
Until tomorrow!
Deo Volente
Breanna
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