Washing and Lanolizing Wool

Washing and Lanolizing Wool
Washing wool in a washing machine is incredibly simple. Fill the machine with just enough warm water to cover your wool items and add a teaspoon of Eucalan No Rinse Fabric Wash or other wool cleaner for each gallon of water. Soak for 1/2 hour. Squeeze gently by hand and remove. Spin the remaining water out. Of course, you may also use a bucket or the kitchen sink as well. Avoid hot and cold water as they will distress the natural wool fibers.

To dry, simple wring out excess water and either line dry or lay flat on a towel to air dry. Never tumble dry. If you notice your wool diaper product is leaking, you may need to lanolize it. Simply put one to two drops of pure lanolin in a basin of hot water. Dunk your wool and saturate for 15-20 minutes. Wring out excess water and roll in a towel to remove as much water as possible. Hang dry. Lanolizing your wool covers should usually be done once a month.

Laundering Mistakes

Laundering Mistakes!
The following products and processes are not recommended for use in laundering cloth diapers:

Chlorine Bleach - Yes it is great for killing germs, but it is bad for cloth diapers, covers and your family. It will actually eat away at the fibers in your diapers, leaving holes and frayed edges. It also decreases their durability and absorbency. It may adversely affect the waterproofing in certain cloth diapers. Baking soda and oxygen bleach are great whiteners to use in its place.

Fabric Softener - This product is equated with super soft and fresh smelling clothing, so it is only natural that you would want to use it on your cloth diapers. This would be a serious mistake. Fabric softener, either in liquid or sheet form, leaves a water-repelling residue on your diapers, making them less absorbent and useless in the very purpose that they serve. It also coats your diaper covers and can deteriorate their water-proof laminate. We recommend these re-usable dryer sheets by Static Eliminator. The Static Eliminator Re-Usable Dryer Sheets contain no chemicals and are hypoallergenic. In addition, they don't affect the flame resistance of clothing. Want to know the best part? They are safe for cloth diapers!

Pure Soaps - Pure soaps are the more natural choice in the world of cleaners, but will leave a residue on your diapers and covers similar to the soap scum you find in your tub. Soap scum on diapers makes them repel moisture rather than absorb it. It is also harsh on the laminates used in your diaper covers, making them absorb rather than repel water. The best choice for washing your diapers is to use a natural clothes detergent.

Stripping Cloth Diapers

If you have used pure soap, fabric softeners or have hard water, you may find you need to remove the build-up these conditions leave behind in the fibers of your diapers. Also, if you wash natural fibers with synthetics or do not rinse all the detergent out of your diapers each time you wash, you may notice your fleece begins to repel or your diapers begin to leak. If your diapers start to stink, this can also be a sign that it it time to bring out the laundry big guns. The industry term for this process is called "stripping" your diapers.

So how can this be done? There are couple of different ways:

1. Take your clean diapers - not necessarily dry, but clean is important - and wash them on hot 2-3 times without detergent. You might want to turn up the mixing valve on your hot water heater for the day as well to make sure the water is nice and hot (please keep kids away from faucets if you do this.) Rinse them until the water runs clear and there are no suds left in the rinse water.

2. Wash your clean diapers on hot with a squirt of original Dawn dish liquid soap. Beware! If you own a high efficiency washing machine, Dawn dish washing liquid is NOT a low sudsing, HE approved detergent. Check with your washing machine manufacturer before choosing this method of stripping your diapers.