Comments on Crunchy Chicken: Cloth wipes - the good, the bad and the stinky

why is it that I've cloth diapered three kids, use...

2007-09-08T00:21:00.000-07:00

why is it that I've cloth diapered three kids, use cloth pads, and can't bring myself to even think about using cloth for #2s??? I'm working on it.....

I had never heard the word "scat" before. I am so ...

2007-09-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

I had never heard the word "scat" before. I am so totally adding this to my everday vocabulary!

I was using a peri bottle for a while and then jus...

2007-09-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

I was using a peri bottle for a while and then just got lazy and started skipping it. But it definitely helps make the "leap" into cloth :)

I juts have to say...

I think Emerald Moon ...

2007-09-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

I juts have to say...

I think Emerald Moon hit on it! This takes all the ick factor out for me. I even vaguely remember having a similar thought after Little Sprout was born.

Ok -- I am in. I hated cloth diapers, but I will ...

2007-09-07T09:27:00.000-07:00

Ok -- I am in. I hated cloth diapers, but I will give this a try! :)

RVM

If you have had a baby, you probably know what a "...

2007-09-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

If you have had a baby, you probably know what a "peri bottle is". If so, fill one of those with water and leave it on the back of the toilet to use before the cloth wipe. That way, the cloth wipe is really just for drying, not cleaning. I've heard the analogy that you would not just wipe your dinner dishes with a dry tissue and then put them back in the cupboard, so why not give your personal hygiene the same thorough cleansing. Makes sense to me and we find it especially useful for my toddler for whom wiping is like wrestling a greased pig.

Why is it that men are so squeamish about cloth TP...

2007-09-07T02:29:00.000-07:00

Why is it that men are so squeamish about cloth TP?! Lucky for us they are minimal users. This idea has been percolating in my mind for quite a while and I think this post is providing the final push I need to get going. Thanks crunchy chicken! I felt the same way about diva cups and vermicomposting, and now they give me the warm fuzzies each time I think about them.

I am going to start out slow and try it for #1 at home, and then hopefully "graduate" to full-time use. I use a hand-crank laundry device (called wonderwash) instead of a washing machine and air dry my clothes in my apt (no sun unfortunately) so I'm not sure yet how comfortable I am about using it for #2.

One more thing, I'm a microbiologist, and I honestly don't see any concerns whatsoever about sanitation using cloth TP. I think hot, hot water and/or drying in a machine or out in the sun should easily do the trick for bacteria from #2. Cold water is fine for #1. In fact, if cloth TP is really a better wiper as most say, it should be more sanitary than paper.

I've been using cloth for #1s and just this week "...

2007-09-06T22:20:00.000-07:00

I've been using cloth for #1s and just this week "graduated" to #2s.

I use small cloth pads made from squares of flanelette folded over and zig-zagged around the edge to stop fraying. I try to use as little water as possible so I put the cloths in a dry bucket and hand wash them every morning with a couple of drops of teatree oil and add vinegar to the rinse water. Mostly they are sun dried.

We still use TP because the other half of this household won't even contemplate the thought of cloth.

barefoot gardener - I totally had the same reactio...

2007-09-06T18:01:00.000-07:00

barefoot gardener - I totally had the same reaction. But then I started thinking too and it's not that far off from cloth diapers. And, frankly, if you're just doing it for #1, it's pretty easy peasy.

You know, my first thought on this whole thing was...

2007-09-06T17:54:00.000-07:00

You know, my first thought on this whole thing was "UGH!". But now you have me thinking about it, and.....maybe.

ashley - letting the #1's sit around a while shoul...

2007-09-06T12:49:00.000-07:00

ashley - letting the #1's sit around a while shouldn't be a problem if you are using some sort of mesh bag so they can air out and not get moldy. I had a bunch that I didn't get time to wash before I went on vacation and they were fine going for the two weeks or so. You could always give it a try and see what happens?

um. i live in an apartment and only do laundry 1 ...

2007-09-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

um. i live in an apartment and only do laundry 1 or 2 times a month. is it still okay to use wipes for #1 if they have to sit around that long? i've been using luna pads and not washing them right away...that's seemed to be okay. let me know what you guys think!! thanks :)

I was thinking about the baby washcloths myself. I...

2007-09-06T10:47:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about the baby washcloths myself. I am waiting to read more details.

I can't believe people thought they were supposed to use the dirty wipes more than once!!

This is where you could reuse all those baby washc...

2007-09-06T04:59:00.000-07:00

This is where you could reuse all those baby washcloths.....at least for the #1s.....
cant wait to see the next post.

Hi. I wrote a post about dealing with the cloths y...

2007-09-06T04:38:00.000-07:00

Hi. I wrote a post about dealing with the cloths yesterday. I thought it might help to see how other families deal with the cloths. I like my system because no body has to touch the cloths once they enter the bucket. It helps take out the "ick" factor.

Kim

I'm looking forward to the next post about this be...

2007-09-06T02:47:00.000-07:00

I'm looking forward to the next post about this because this has been my main stumbling point so far. (And the fact that I threw away the bucket with a lid I used to store soiled cloth diapers in.

(People really thought they were supposed to use each wipe several times? Yuck.)