I am considerig using cloth diapers with my second child. I am most concerned with washing them in my regular washing machine. I have been trying to research the Wonderwash compact washer from the Laundry-Alternative. It appears to be great for small loads, environment friendly, & well priced. Has anyone had any experience with this or like items?
I thank everyone very much for the wonderful advice. I think Karen's response was the deciding factor, but everyone has been a great help. It does sound like more work than it's worth & unlikely to do the job, so I will not purchase the Wonderwash compact washer. I am still debating cloth diapers versus disposable. I will have to research them more.
There is no need to buy a separate washer for cloth diapers. They are fine in your regular washer. If your baby got poop on his clothes you'd wash them in the washer, right? I just dump the solid poop in the toilet. Everything else comes out in the wash, including breastfed poop.
As for soaps, Charlie's and Country save are both recommended.
I use Charlie's and it is GREAT. I also bought the cheaper cloth diapers, which was a mistake. I'm trying to talk my DH into letting me get the Fuzzi Bunz for the next size up. The ones I ended up buying are WAY too bulky.
A., I used disposables for my first two babies and have used cloth diapers for a year now with number 3. In a heartbeat, I would recommend it. The laundry thing can be a bit daunting at first, but you will work out a system that will become second nature. I use CottonBabies BumGenius diapers - they are fabulous - very infrequent leaks, much better fit than disposables...I could go on and on. I use Country Save detergent; it's an environmentally safe, enzyme-free powder I got at Chamberlain's, our local health food store. I think it was about $17, but I've had the same box for almost a year. Check out cottonbabies.com; they have some very good, clear instructions on how to wash cloth diapers. Good luck, and have fun with your babies! J.
Everyone I know that CDs uses Charlie's. I use it on all my laundry.
I've never used it myself but heard other moms have:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=695351
May I ask why you're considering washing cloth diapers in a separate machine? That might be able to help us help you better. :) Like other moms, I've been washing diapers (for 3 plus years now) in my regular washing machine and it's been great (though I also rinse poo off the diapers before I wash them). Hope this helps some!
I don't have the wonderwash, but we've been doing cloth diapers since my 6 mo old was born and the regular laundry machine does a good job. We did buy a hose that attaches to the toilet for pre-washing the poopy diapers into the toilet. Also, hanging them on a line in the sun to dry helps get the stains and smell out.
K.
I was once "sold" on a similar item, the Powerwasher. My old college roomate and I were up late watching TV one night and saw an infomercial for it and thought "this sounds amazing and it is so cheap! Let's get it!" LOL We often had really dirty field clothes to deal with in small loads so it seemed perfect. Well, like everything, you get what you pay for.. there is a reason it is so cheap. We put in a small load and sat and cranked that thing for at least 10 min. When we pulled the clothes out they were still dirty. Then we tried it with just ONE dirty sock..it was still dirty...and I don't mean just smelly, but full of dirt. So I can't begin to imagine the Wonderwash, which looks identical and is described the same ("patented pressure sytem" yada yada), handling a poopy diaper.
Aside from what I think are its basic limitations on cleaning, there will be additional effort with boiling water, repeated hand cranking and then wringing out the clothes. Because of it's size you may have to do this 1-2 times per day I think. Doesn't seem worth the effort to me, but maybe if you soak them first and buy a wringer it might be worth it.
See the following link: http://typewriting.org/2005/01/31/wonder_wash_update/
Lots of good info from people who have used it and ordered from the Laundry Alternative. Also,
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=695351
http://community.livejournal.com/naturalliving/3858207.html
Some people report good experiences, but there are a lot like mine. Major review themes are that it is poorly constructed (lids and handles breaking), doesn't handle really dirty items and the capacity is not what they say it is; BUT that can work for some people if you don't mind the extra effort, like the physical aspects of cranking and wringing and you prewash stains, soak, etc., and do only very small loads of things that would typically be hand washed.
Good luck if you try it. For the price it may be worth it for you if you don't mind the negatives. But if your primary concerns are germ related, maybe consider soaking the poopy diapers and doing 1-2 loads per week in your regular washer and then disinfecting the machine during and afterwards with a bleach alternative (if that is also a concern). It sure would be a lot less work for you
