Diaper Pails

~gd

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Can anyone tell me how soiled cloth diapers should be stored between use and washing to keep odors under control. I remember Mother put mine in a diaper pail and washed the contents twice a week. My memory of what else might have been placed in the diaper pail does not exist. I remember the solid material was discarded, but the liquids were still there absorbed into the cotton. There is a solution of some make up added to the pail? What is that solution? I have tried detergent alone, bleach diluted, bleach and detergent and just plain tap water. I was not happy at the results since the pail and contents smelled quite a bit at the end of the three days. If there is a secret please tell me.~gd
 

freemotion

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All I can tell you is that I remember my mother rinsing the solids into the toilet first, then putting the diapers in the soaking pail. Twice a week may not be often enough. Since all my kids are four-legged and fuzzy, this is not from personal experience. :p
 

Wifezilla

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Some bleach was added to the mix if I remember correctly.
 

Wildsky

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Baking soda, or try tea tree or lavendar oil drops into the bucket.

I used the dry method, never had diapers soaking in water, and washed at least every two days.


I never rinsed diapers out either, it went straight into the pail unless there were solids that could be dropped into the toilet - then I did that, I never dunked the diaper into the toilet.

Edit to add, my babies were breastfed, so not a lot of poop and it never smelled really strong either.
 

patandchickens

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~gd said:
Can anyone tell me how soiled cloth diapers should be stored between use and washing to keep odors under control.
You will find about as many answers as the number of different people you ask ;)

IMO a lot of it depends on what exact KIND of diapers you're using, and (in terms of how well odor/stains wash out) how hard your water is.

But, that said, using plain old-style rectangular cotton prefolds (just one step up from the really old-style ones where you had to fold the middle section yourself to double it up for better absorbancy), the kind you use with diaper pins or Snappies and plastic pants over top, I had by far the best result with a dry pail. No soaking, no nothin'.

We had an attachment that goes onto the toilet plumbing to give you a handheld "squirty thing" so you can hose the solid stuff off into the toilet, and/or dip dirty diapers into the toilet itself for a "swirly rinse"; then kind of mash them against the inside of the toilet bowl above the waterline to squish out the worst of the water and put directly into diaper pail.

This really produced much less odor than what you get from a bag of pooey disposable diapers sitting there in the room; and the odor and stains came RIGHT out with laundering, no need to presoak or anything like that.

Also it is *simple* ;)

(we did TRY other procedures, including having various forms of soaking solution in the diaper pail, but it always ended up much nastier. So, I highly recommend at least trying the dry-pail method)

(e.t.a - fwiw, I mostly did a load of diaper laundry every 2-3 days; occasionally it would stretch to more like 5 days but at that point it was a bit smellier *and* more importantly there was some degree of permanent staining)

Good luck, have fun,

Pat
 

Panther Creek Homestead

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I did the wet diaper pail method. I washed about every 3 -4 days. My pail (trash can with set on/pop up lid) I filled with cold water and baking soda. I washed the solids in the potty using the swirl and dunk method. Then put all diapers in the pail. On wash day I put everything (water and all) in the washer and ran the diapers through a spin cycle and then started the washer and let it run like a regular load. I also heard that hanging them on the line in the sun gets alot of the staining out, but I never seemed to have much problem.

Sheila
 

dragonlaurel

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You might try putting 20 Mule team (borax) in your soak water. Grocery stores usually have it in with the laundry additives.
 

MountainMom

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used to use a diaper pail. I rinsed in the toilet, then put it in the diaper pail. I think that was it. Did it have water in it? I don't recall. I had 6 children, the oldest is 32 and the youngest is 14. I was more fanatical about cloth diapers with the older ones, and with the last 3, I used them only for the first year or so. With the youngest, I switched to disposables after only a few months.
 

MorelCabin

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I agree with using the mule team...that's what I use in a pail for my feminine napkins, and they haven't stained yet.
 

~gd

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How kind of yall to assume I was talking about diapers for children, they are for myself. If you get old enough both men and women often have to deal with incontinence to one degree or another. Mine is due to my prostrate. Drugs help but there is often leakage. When in public I wear a disposable pad in my tightly-whiteys, at home I dont since I can make it to a bathroom in record time but either way there is always a little leakage and I change often. Since I cant keep the washing machine running all the time there is the storage problem and I dont want my house smelling like I am keeping a herd of unfixed tomcats. Lucky me I dont have a solids problem-yet. I mentioned the solutions I had tried, but never thought of dry storage. Yesterday night I got a container that I can seal air tight and will give that a try, I still plan to do laundry twice a week however. Again thanks and I am still open to new Ideas. ~gd
 
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