I hope everyone has a good moisturizer! My hands are starting to feel the effects of handwashing diapers. I tried the sink method last night, the jury is still out on which method I prefer.
If you have missed my past vlogs you can catch Day 1 ,Day 2, and Day 3.
I’ve been picking up a ton of new tips and tricks from blog entries, tweets, and forum threads. I am listing some of my favorite ideas and giving credit to the person who I saw mention it when I can.
Washing and Rinsing Tips:
Random Mom Brain suggested using a baby hairbrush to scrub out poop stains on flats and on covers. Why a baby hairbrush and not a stiffer bristle brush for dishes? These should be soft enough for covers without harming the PUL.
@thegnomesmom tweeted about reusing her baby’s bath water to rinse her diapers! That inspired me to wring out my wet diapers over the plants on our back porch instead of running new water for them.
Folding and Diapering:
I learned about the “Diaperbag Fold” from the gigantic thread for the Flats Challenge on Diaperswappers.com. It was linked in that thread (original tutorial) and I knew it was going to be a hit for me. Since that day I’ve used it almost as much as the pad fold. I even made a video and picture tutorial of it.
MonkeyBunns shared two picture fold tutorials, one for an Origami with a Twist, and one called the Accordion Fold.
Stacey, guest posting for KellyWels.com, also shared a way to trim up the Origami in the hip by folding the wings up. She has coined this the “Butterfly Fold.”
Milk Bubbles is a blog I’ve really enjoyed reading along with because she has upped the ante and is diapering her baby for 0$. Yep. Free. She has repurposed everyday items around her home to make diapers and covers. You can find out how to make a T-Shirt diaper on her blog post.
Drying:
Shultz Family Adventures taught us to roll our covers up and squeeze them in a clean towel to make them dry faster. Love this tip and I used it last night (but with a clean prefold that happened to be around) which worked just as well.
Twitter chatter on the #flatschallenge hashtag has resulted in lots of tips. Here are some I have read. I can’t remember who to attribute them to, and many were suggested by multiple people.
Use your ceiling fan or oscillating fan when drying your flats indoors.
Dry your flats in the bathroom with the vent on.
Iron your flats on HOT with no steam (that was me!)
Use a blow dryer if you are desperate and need dry flats NOW.
Other fun tips for hanging flats:
Use skirt hangers. Use clothespins on a hanger.
Miscellaneous:
To make your flats softer, twist, wring, snap, and rub them together after they are dry. I’ve also been beating the daylights out of mine against the screen door.
The Eco Chic says maybe try vinegar in your rinse cycle.
One participant on Twitter (lost the tweet to attribute credit) has been adding a tiny bit of Ecover (cloth safe laundry softener) to her final rinse cycle. I use Ecover for my diapers in the washer so I know it is safe.
If your baby has solid bits in their poop you might want to put one of those screens to catch debris and hair over your drain. (tip from Twitter also)
Now for Bloggers, if you post today add your linky! I’m seeing lots of blogs who are posting that aren’t linking up. I’d love to have you add your post so that we can all share in the collective wealth of knowledge we are creating.
get the InLinkz code
Have a tip of your own? Leave it in the comments. Feel free to link your blog in the comments if your tip or tutorial is posted there but be sure to let us know what it is so we want to click!