 Above picture: 9:15 am- stains visable on prefolds -picture to left-11:30 am same day stains removed One of the most common questions I get asked is how to remove stains from diapers. If the stain is organic(ie poop/ or food related..ie you are eating a plate of spagetti over your baby as you nurse and you drop some red sauce on the diaper-don't laugh this has been done-by me), then the stain "should" come out by simple washing and hanging in the sun. Keep in mind some foods stain more then others: carrots/blueberries/prunes/peas are some of the ones off the top of my head. The prefolds are washed with The laundry tarts all natural soda, and then hung to dry in the sun. Morning sun works the best, and also the diapers need to be wet. In the summer time if the stain is still there after 2-3 hrs, we put the hose on the diapers and rewet. In the winter months the diapers are still hung to remove stains, however they are only removed from all the lines when it isn't -30 degrees. If it is too cold the clothespins will rip the prefolds, as well my fingers get frostbite. Another solution is to use soap nuts. When you add 3-5 soap nuts into a spray bottle, add boiling water- it will turn into a natural stain remover. If you are dealing with a stain that isn't organic(ie grease), the best solution I have found is Buncha farmers stain stick- available at Tag along toys in kanata. Simply wet the material, wet the stick- rub on and then wash as normal. This has removed marker from sofas/grease stains/ and even breastmilk-as it can stain too. If you are using pocket diapers, or any diapers with fleece inside beware of using diaper creams. All diaper creams stain, and can cause build up. Natural or zinc. The natural diaper creams contain beeswax, and/or oils in them which will make liquids repell (ie urine will hit the diaper and repell off and therefore causing leaks), zinc will cause buildup-so that you can see it and scrape off with a fingernail. Zinc will also repell and stain as well. Sample of a prefold with zince diaper cream used on it below. You can see after numerous washings it still has zinc on it, and has beaded up. If using diaper cream is a necessity, then use either a fleece liner with your diapers, or a Bio-liner. Bio-liners are very thin(almost like toliet paper) you place on the diaper use cream, and then you can toss into green bin, or flush in toliet. If you don't desire to head outdoors in winter and freeze to remove stains, you can also hang in front of a window and then can sun out that way as well. 
 Photo from NDS Photography Cost breakdown:Cloth diaper service 0-24months (children who wear cloth diapers potty train faster) Regular service: $2,213.71- this includes all your prefolds, diaper pail rental, scented disks, wipes, and boosters. Only add-on's would be extra covers(the above price includes 2 covers) so if you got One size covers 4 x 11.99(47.96) you would be set. Organic service: $2, 948.98- again includes all your prefolds, diaper pail rental, scented disks, wipes and boosters. Also means No chemicals are touching baby as diapers are washed in all natural laundry soap, and hung out to dry in sun. Only add-on would be extra covers if required which are offered at 10% discount to diaper service customers.Average child will go through over 4,000 diapers in 2 years. Keep in mind the first 0-3 months infants are getting changed 10-14 times a DAY. That's right 84 diapers a week. So picture that diaper genie sausage of 84 diapers. Then picture that in Ottawa, it is Bi-Weekly garbage pickup unless you get put on the list for weekly garbage due to disposable. Another myth is that cloth diapers smell. Well considering I spend most of my time driving throughout Ottawa with loads and loads of dirty diapers in my car, I would have to say it is the opposite. Disposable diapers when wet or dirty have a very nasty smell. If you are one of those pregnant moms whose sense of smell increases after having a child, you will agree. Yet another Myth..Cloth diapers aren't as absorbent. Not true. During a recent home visit, where I was explaining how to fold a prefold into a cover, I was explaining how elastics at the back of the cover kept poop explosions in. As I was speaking the new first time parents lifted the infant up as she had been sleeping on her back on a blanket, and there was the proof. From high back(shoulder blades) to the crotch the newborn was covered in yellow/orange poop. And she was wearing a little onsie. Has anyone experienced this where they have to carefully pull the poop covered onsie over the infant's head without it getting in hair/arms/ basically everywhere. The infant was wearing a disposable diaper, as they hadn't started with cloth yet.I recommended changing her in the bathtub or kitchen sink. Cost of child in a disposable: Keep in mind this is an estimate. I calculated the disposable diapers at .10 cents each( which is on the low-end). Average of 12 diapers a day for first 3 months, then 8 diapers a day for 1 year, then 6 diapers for 1 year. So the grand total is $3,768. Keep in mind this does not include diaper genie refills, the times you go and put a disposable on and the tab breaks, wipes, or the times you put a clean diaper on, only to have baby poop right away. Also this estimate is for 27 months...most babies who wear disposable will be in diapers longer as they don't feel the wetness. So you could be adding another 1 year to this estimate. Also this estimate is NOT based on "natural" disposable or the "green" disposable. |
AuthorAnne Loucks: mother of 2 child who used cloth diapers throughout. Archives
May 2020
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