What has this cleanser got to do with diapers?

Your baby’s cloth diapers have been working well for a while but start leaking after 1 to 2 hours. Sounds frustrating, right? If the diapers are repelling pee due to build-up, try doing a strip wash. Causes of build up? Too much detergent, insufficient rinsing, natural oils from fabrics and diaper cream.

Strip Wash Method 1: Use Hot Water

1. Start with clean diapers (i.e. already washed and dried diapers)
2. If you have a washing machine with temperature control, choose the 60 degree Celsius wash cycle
3. Use NO detergent
4. Put the cloth diapers into the washing machine and run the cycle
5. Add extra rinses until no more soap bubbles are present (Soap bubbles stay around longer than agitation bubbles.)

If Method 1 can’t remove the build-up, try Method 2.

Strip Wash Method 2: Use Dishwashing Liquid Detergent

1. Start with clean diapers (i.e. already washed and dried diapers)
2. Fill a pail halfway with warm/hot water (turn the shower tap to the hottest mode). Or add warm/hot water from a flask into the pail. (Recommended water temperature: at least 40 degree Celsius)
3. Add a few squirts of dishwashing detergent (I use Pigeon Bottle Nipple & Vegetable Liquid Cleanser, shown in the picture above). Agitate.
4. Place cloth diaper with build-up issue into the pail
5. Wash the layer which is supposed to touch baby’s bums by rubbing fabric against fabric. Rub REALLY hard. (But DO NOT use a scrub.)
6. For pocket diaper: turn it inside out and rub the inner layer too.
7. Rinse at least 3 times until no more soap bubbles are present
8. Throw the handwashed diapers into the washing machine for 1 more rinse. Spin dry. Hang dry.

Try using the cloth diapers on baby. Hopefully, they start working again.

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Any more questions on cloth diapering? Just fill up the comment box.

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This is a follow-up article of How to Prevent Cloth Diapers From Leaking.

Related posts:

1. How to Prevent Cloth Diapers from Leaking
2. Wahmies Multi-Purpose Cloth Wipes
3. Revealed: Cloth Diapering Essentials – A Quick Guide

I am very excited to share this Review-cum-Giveaway with you! For months, I have been wanting to try washing clothes with laundry balls (and with NO detergent), so when thegreenpocket.biz and baby-mel.com offered me a set for review, I jumped at the opportunity. Yes, I absolutely love eco- and pocket-friendly solutions.

First Impressions

These laundry balls can save me from buying detergent for 3 years!

Each box contains a set of laundry balls (large blue rattles that Vee would love to play with), a stain remover and a brochure with instructions. As a careful Mummy, I studied the instructions and emailed the sponsor for some clarifications. Here is what I found out:

How It Works
The Green Pocket Laundry Ball generates strong infrared rays wavelength to break the bond between molecules, enabling the individual water molecules to penetrate into the fabric. The water is also highly charged with negative ions. The dirt, which is positively charged, is attracted to the individual water molecules and is flushed out with the water during the rinse cycle.

Tips

• The laundry ball works more effectively in a top-loading washing machine. (Reason: The laundry ball needs soaking to carry out its function.)
• When using the laundry ball for hand-washing clothes, you would need to shake it and rinse it often. You would also need to dry it more often.
• It can used for washing cloth diapers and would not affect the absorbency. Rinse the diapers clean before washing them with the laundry ball.

The Tests

I have a front-loading washing machine while my mother has a top-loading type, so I brought the laundry balls to her place for my “experiments”. We followed these simple steps — soak the laundry for one hour, wash without detergent, spin-dry, and line-dry under sun. Ta-da…. the clothes turned out clean and smelled clean too!!! This was repeated throughout the entire week and we still got clean clothes, without using any detergent.

Eco-friendly stain remover

The next test was for the stain remover (made of natural ingredients such as coconut oil), which is meant to remove all types of dirt. An old T-shirt was dabbed with patches of soy sauce, chilli sauce, and mud (from the surface of lotus roots). After creating the stains, a layer of the stain remover was applied and left on for five minutes. It seemed like doing a facial mask for the stains. The T-shirt was then rinsed with water and the stains disappeared! With a toddler who loves self-feeding and making a mess during craftwork time, the stain remover would certainly come in useful.

Conclusion

Overall, we are very pleased with the cleaning effectiveness of The Green Pocket Laundry Ball and the stain remover. My mum is so pleased that she has kept the laundry balls for her own use! Now, I wish I were eligible to participate in the Giveaway…

What we like about them:

• Easy to use
• Clean clothes well
• Save time, effort and money on buying heavy bottles of detergent
• Especially suitable for people with sensitive skin (like Vee and myself)
• Stain remover does its job very well

What can be improved:

• Wish they could be as effective in front-loading washing machines (If the machine has a soak function, I think they may work.)

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Get Your Own (with Discount!)

Visit thegreenpocket.biz and baby-mel.com for their wide range of eco-friendly and organic products for baby, Mummy and the family.

Details:

• Special Treat (on Laundry Balls): RM20 discount + free shipping throughout Malaysia
• Special Treat (storewide): 10% discount + free shipping for order above RM80
• Extra Special Treat: RM10 voucher off for all BUDS baby skin care range with purchase above RM50.00
• Discount Code: MMR2010003
• Validity Period: 15 March to 15 June 2010

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Win Your Own

ONE (1) lucky subscriber will win a set of The Green Pocket Laundry Balls worth RM169! And save on buying detergent too! This is how to participate:

• Subscribe to Mummy’s Reviews in a reader or via email (existing subscribers counted)

• Send an email to me with the following information:
  • Your name
  • Facebook nickname, if any
  • Visit here and tell me one reason why you would like to win The Green Pocket Laundry Ball
  • If you are a new reader, mention how you got to know of this Giveaway
  • Blog / Website URL, if any

• To get EXTRA entries:
  • 1 extra entry: First 3 participants (Hurry!)
  • 1 extra entry: Become Mummy’s Reviews fan on Facebook (existing fans counted)
  • 1 extra entry (unlimited total): For each participant referred by you (e.g. through sharing the Giveaway on Facebook)
  • 3 extra entries: Share this Giveaway on your blog / website and link it back to Mummy’s Reviews

Other Information

• This Giveaway is open to subscribers with a mailing address in Singapore or West Malaysia.
• It will run until 18 April 2010.
• The usual Giveaway Terms apply.

Send in your entries now and good luck!

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Disclosure: I received a set of laundry balls (including stain remover) for review.

Related posts:

1. Winner of Giveaway #5: The Green Pocket Laundry Ball
2. Pureen H-A-D Liquid Detergent
3. Giveaway #3: Naforye Multi-Function Baby Bibs

After reading up on cloth diapering, I realised that the choice of detergent is important to protect the performance of cloth diapers. Most importantly, the detergent should not contain whitening enzymes, fabric softener and chlorine bleach.

Pureen H-A-D Liquid Detergent meets the requirements needed to wash cloth diapers; it is also specially formulated for babies’ sensitive skin. For the past 6 months, I have laundered Baby V’s clothes and diapers using the detergent. It is very foamy; 1/4 cup or less is sufficient to clean Baby V’s daily laundry load.

It leaves his clothes clean and smelling fresh (no artificial fragrances). Although I stripwash his cloth diapers only once in every 1-2 months, I have not had an issue with detergent build-up (that could cause diapers to repel liquid and lead to leakage).

Price could vary significant at different retailers, ranging from RM16+ to RM18+. I have found the detergent at Village Grocer at Bangsar Village and BabyJaya and do hope that they still carry it.

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Update on 30 August 2010:

Village Grocer (Bangar Village, KL) does not seem to carry it anymore. I found it at Parkson, Pavilion, KL.

At a recent baby fair, a Pureen staff told me that they are still importing Pureen H-A-D.

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Pros:

• Cleans cloth diapers well and does not affect their performance
• 1/4 cup or less is sufficient to clean a full-load of baby clothes and diapers (Baby V’s clothes/diapers are washed daily and each 1-litre bottle can last about 3 months.)
• Gentle on baby’s skin (no artificial fragrances)

Cons:

• Only available in 1-litre bottle (I would prefer 2-litre bottles for cost-savings and environmental-friendliness.)
• Few places retail it

Related posts:

1. Giveaway #5: The Green Pocket Laundry Ball