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 Cloth diapering mamas and front loader machines
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Prairie Princess
True Blue Farmgirl

1075 Posts

Jodi
Washington
USA
1075 Posts

Posted - Jul 29 2016 :  11:25:22 AM  Show Profile
Do any of you mamas who cloth diaper use a front loader washer? Our new house came with a front loading machine (and only has space for stacking units, so I can't get a top loader). I've cloth diapered my son since he was about 2 months old, and haven't ever had wash/stink problems until we started using this machine about a month and a half ago. The problem started pretty much right away, and I've adjusted my wash routine and tried several different detergents/amounts, but I'm still having problems. I feel like it just doesn't agitate them sufficiently to clean them properly...even our other laundry seems a bit musty. Any thoughts or suggestions? Could it be a water problem here, not the machine??

"Women are like teabags...you never know how strong they are until they get into hot water." Eleanor Roosevelt


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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl

7577 Posts

Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts

Posted - Jul 29 2016 :  11:43:53 AM  Show Profile
Jodi - SO happy to hear your using cloth diapers! I loved them! When our son was in diapers we had a top loader and I had no problems. However, I would venture to believe this is a problem with the washer itself. Front loaders are notorious for mold problems. I know that it's very important to clean well behind the rubber gasket, especially; and then, of course, they have commercial machine washing detergents that are supposed to be used after so many loads in order to keep the machines clean internally. Again, I have a top-loader, but instead using the commercial detergents to wash my machine, I use bleach, filling it to the top of the mark in the bleach cup and then run the machine on the machine cleaning cycle. If you do not have a machine cleaning cycle (I am not familiar with front-loaders), then perhaps you can just run the machine on a heavy-duty cycle with super hot water. It would probably be a very good idea to check with the manufacturer. Usually you can find information online, but whenever I've called a manufacturer's consumer's help line, they have always been extremely helpful, so you might just want to try that instead.

Hope this helps! Oh - and by the way - I have a teabag angel hanging from a peg in my kitchen with that same saying... One of my all-time favorites, and so very, very true! ;)

Hugs -

Nini

Farmgirl Sister #1974

God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!


Edited by - Ninibini on Jul 29 2016 11:44:34 AM
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl

7577 Posts

Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts

Posted - Jul 29 2016 :  11:48:34 AM  Show Profile
Oh, and Jodi - one more thing. I was recently trying to find a laundry booster to help with odor on my son's work clothes and found out that ammonia is an excellent deodorizer. Here is the link I just posted about what I've learned: http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=77230 In the link, I didn't mention this, but I did read on several sites that it is very good for cloth baby diapers. Perhaps this might help with whatever is going on with your machine, as well! :)

Farmgirl Sister #1974

God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!

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Prairie Princess
True Blue Farmgirl

1075 Posts

Jodi
Washington
USA
1075 Posts

Posted - Jul 29 2016 :  5:37:17 PM  Show Profile
Nini, thanks so much for the advice! I absolutely love cloth diapering, too, but this problem has me a bit frustrated. My babe gets rashes periodically from the buildup now. :-/ I've never cleaned a front loader before, but was thinking I should probably do it, since I'm not sure when the previous owners last did so. I'll try to find the info online, but running bleach through a wash seems like it would be simple and effective... I'll give that a go to start with. I may try bleaching my diapers, too... I never have before, but I've read that some routines call for monthly bleaching.

I've heard of ammonia cleaners, but never for laundry. That's very interesting! I am surprised to hear that some sites recommend using ammonia for cloth diapers, as ammonia is usually the culprit in stink and rashes...as baby pee is ammonia? I'd be afraid to try it, but am intrigued as it pertains to stink on man clothes... my hubby leaves his shop clothes saturated in car grease and sweat... I'll have to research using it for that perhaps. Thanks for the idea! :)

"Women are like teabags...you never know how strong they are until they get into hot water." Eleanor Roosevelt


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nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl

2857 Posts

Lisa
Georgetown OH
2857 Posts

Posted - Aug 01 2016 :  4:51:36 PM  Show Profile
My friend Linda (woolispinner here) had her front loader serviced and the guy said to run bleach and Cascade powdered dishwashing detergent on the sanitary cycle to get rid of the odor . This is to clean only, not wash with. It works. I HATE my front loader and always have the door open and clean regularly, but it would still smell after a period of time.
Since I do this (maybe every 2 or 3 months) it has no odor. Sorry I don't know the ratios for sure, but I think it was one cup Cascade, and 1 or 2 cups bleach.
And DON'T mix bleach with ammonia!!! Nini, you have peaked my interest. We always have stains on everything. Dirty country folk I guess. And I always have olive oil or tomato stains on my white tees.
Can't take me anywhere!
Good luck Jodi!


"We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.” – R.R.
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl

7577 Posts

Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts

Posted - Aug 01 2016 :  8:33:33 PM  Show Profile
Hi girls!

LOL - Lisa... I was told by my sister's godfather's former wife that the key is to always wear the same color as the food you're going to be eating! Has served me well for YEARS! LOL!

We always manage to get stains on stuff, too. I think you were the one who told me about Dawn, right? AMAZING STUFF!!!!

Oh - and one more thing... Mary aka Madelena posted the following warning to my post about the ammonia... I just think it's super important, so I want to post it here, just in case - always better safe than sorry, so.... Just FYI:

"READ READ. ... SAFETY ALERT..... DO NOT !!! Mix bleach with dish washing products...

They often contain an ammonium compound -- think ammonia like--- and can react badly with bleach and
Some may create toxic fumes. Often it is NOT included in the list of ingredients on the label. Just assume....

You can mix bleach with most laundry detergents."

So help me remember... I did not use bleach on our cloth diapers... I remember they were organic, shaped to fit the body, and specifically stated not to use bleach when washing.... What the heck did I use, then? Dreft, maybe? Ivory Snow? Dang... I am getting old! Why can't I remember?! That WAS twenty years ago, though (TWENTY!). I can't for the life of me remember what I used, but I know I was extremely concerned about keeping the diapers clean and sanitary... AGH!!!!

I do remember the horror on my mother's face when she learned I wasn't using disposables, though. She hated using cloth when we were babies and couldn't understand why in this day and age I would choose cloth. To her, the whole cloth process was unsanitary. It served us well, however....

Well, anyhow... Never mix bleach with ammonia, and be sure not to use bleach with dish detergents... But, Lisa's solution to use Cascade with bleach in the washer to clean the washer is okay... is that right????

And whatever you do, don't breathe in the ammonia... Dear Lord, don't do that, either! Don't breathe in the bleach, either! <<But I'm sure you all know those already! :)>>

Hugs -

Nini

Farmgirl Sister #1974

God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!

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