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How to Disinfect Your Diapering Products

Simply washing your diapering items on hot with a good detergent will routinely help to wash away bacteria. If you are able to put your laundry in the sun to dry, that will also help to kill most germs.

However, if your baby has an infection in the diaper area, your diapering items (diapers, covers, wipes, inserts, and liners) will need to be disinfected each time you use them until about a week after the symptoms disappear. Below are some remedies that may help. Please keep in mind that we are not scientists or doctors, and cannot diagnose or offer treatment for any medical condition. This is simply information that has been researched and compiled from various sources. Also, please be sure to check with manufacturer’s washing instructions and warranty information before starting any disinfecting routine.

Remedy chart for disinfecting cloth diapers

*GSE is said to be 10 to 100 times more effective than chlorine bleach, tea tree oil, colloidal silver, and iodine.

The most common disinfectant used in laundry is Chlorine Bleach, which kills 99.9% of germs. We have not included Chlorine Bleach on our chart, as it is toxic to the environment.

Sources include:

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/washing-machines-loaded-bacteria-dirty-clothes/story?id=10751420#.T5BG3Nn4yeI

http://answers.flu.gov/questions/6062

http://econutssoap.com/how-to-disinfect-laundry/

http://jac.oxfordjournals.org/content/45/5/639.full

http://moldremovalfacts.com/tag/kill-mold-with-hydrogen-peroxide/

http://preparedness.families.com/blog/germ-laundering#

http://presscore.ca/nbg/index.php?entry=entry100824-114627

http://thehousingforum.com/how-to-disinfect-laundry/

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/three-ways-to-kill-mold-naturally.html?page=2

http://www.ehow.com/facts_7466895_kill-yeast-laundry.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_12132108_kill-mrsa-bacteria-bedding.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_4969090_kill-bacteria-grapefruit-seed-concentrate.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_5638063_sanitize-laundry.html

http://www.ehow.com/info_7956702_natural-oil-kill-black-mold.html

http://www.ehow.com/way_5587959_homemade-mold-cleaner-concrete.html

http://www.howtocleanstuff.net/how-to-disinfect-laundry-without-bleach/

http://www.landofvos.com/articles/kitchen7.html

http://www.nutriteam.com/gsewhat.html

http://arizona.openrepository.com/arizona/bitstream/10150/194201/1/azu_etd_10340_sip1_m.pdf

As always, let me know if you have any questions!

~Sonya

~Written by Sonya Choron 5/17/13

Depression. Miscarriage. Infertility. These are three words that carry a huge stigma in our mommy culture today. Three unfortunate experiences that make women everywhere either hide their face in shame or keep quiet so that no one will question what they did to cause this. It may sound really abrasive to you but think about it: If you’ve ever experienced any of these did you go and shout it off of the roof tops for the world to know? My guess is that you probably didn’t and if you did, well, my hand goes out to you for you are braver than I have been.

I know, I know; you’re probably wondering why on Earth I’m thinking about this. Well, it was all prompted by my friend’s Facebook status on Mother’s Day. My friend, Daphne, posted this on her Facebook profile, “It’s a bittersweet Mother’s Day today. Grateful for [my son] E and the joy, laughter, love and entertainment he brings to our life and has for the last 2.5 years. But also mourning for the two sweet babies we recently lost to two miscarriages. So this Mother’s [D]ay, hug your little ones just a little tighter, hold them just a little longer and remember we get to be moms because of them! Thank you God for E!” When your friend hurts you hurt; it’s the law of friendship. I wondered how Daphne was feeling, if she had confided in someone or at least let others know the loss she was mourning that weekend.

Depression. Miscarriage. Infertility. All three are isolating. No mother chooses to struggle with depression. No mother wants to feel the pain and loss of life from within her womb. No woman longs to feel emptiness as she walks through infertility. And yet sometimes we feel like we have to walk through this alone.

Daphne shared with me that her reason for sharing the news of her miscarriage with people was because people had been asking her when she was going to become pregnant again. The pain that the question caused encouraged her to be open with people about what she was going through. By sharing her own experience with others she’s found comfort in the arms of friends, encouragement in the form of living plants given to her by friends and prayers whispered to help heal her heart.

What are we waiting for? Are we waiting for someone to ask us if we’re struggling? Here I go: Hi, my name is Bert and I’ve been diagnosed with depression since my son was four months old. The first four months of my son’s life were very dark and while I have slipped back into my depression twice since my diagnosis. I’m in a good place now and I’m so thankful for this. 

Thirsties Thursday Giveaway:
1-Thirsties Duo Diaper
1-Thirsties AIO Diaper
a Rafflecopter giveaway

I have put together some packages that will show you what you will need to start cloth diapering – including the accessories. When you are first starting off, it is difficult to know what you will need. The diapers in the packages are enough to last two days between washings.

Thirsties Duo AIO is an All-In-One diaper. This means that the waterproof layer and absorbency are sewn together. There is a tunnel inside the diaper, in which you may add a Hemp Insert if additional absorbency is needed.

I have made two charts. One for size 1 and one for size 2. You will not buy both at the same time. The warranty for your diapers starts from the day of purchase, so only purchase the diapers that your baby can wear now.

Size 1:

Product		System	Sizing	Price Each	Qty needed	Cost
Duo AIO Starter Package 6-18 lbs
Duo AIO		All in One diaper	1	$15.75	20	$315.00
Hemp Insert		Insert	Small	$9.00	5	$45.00
Booty Love		Diaper Ointment	2 oz	$14.95	1	$14.95
Booty Luster		Wipes Spray	4 oz8 oz	$6.25$11.00	11	$17.25
Fab Wipes		Cloth Wipes	8×8	$12.25	5	$61.25
Diaper Pail Liner		Diaper Pail Liner	One size	$20.00	2	$40.00
Diaper Duffle		Diaper Bag Duffle	One size	$7.25	1	$7.25
					Total	$500.70

Size 2:

Product		System	Sizing	Price Each	Qty needed	Cost
Duo AIO Starter Package 18-40 lbs
Duo AIO		All in One diaper	2	$15.75	14	$220.50
Hemp Insert		Insert	Large	$9.00	7	$63.00
Booty Love		Diaper Ointment	2 oz	$14.95	1	$14.95
Booty Luster		Wipes Spray	4 oz8 oz	$6.25$11.00	11	$17.25
Fab Wipes		Cloth Wipes	8×8	$12.25	5	$61.25
Diaper Pail Liner		Diaper Pail Liner	One size	$20.00	2	$40.00
Diaper Duffle		Diaper Bag Duffle	One size	$7.25	1	$7.25
					Total	$424.20

Please choose from the two charts depending on what size your baby is. Weight and age recommendations are general, so please take a look at our sizing chart for your baby’s measurements.

Please send me an email at support@thirstiesbaby.com if you have any questions!

(*This post originally posted in July 2012.)

~Sonya

Call me crazy but I am an Aplix loving mama and sometimes I wonder if I’m the only one. I know that can’t be the case; surely one of you reading likes Aplix. My oldest, Brennan, was very easy to distract during diaper changes. When he was still in diapers snaps were still fairly new to the cloth diapering scene so my stash consisted primarily of diapers that had Aplix closures. Then my daughter Kendall came into the world and the cloth diapers that I used to make her stash were snaps. That’s when I realized that I preferred Aplix over snaps. If you prefer snaps or simply haven’t tried Aplix you may be asking yourself, “Bert, why do you like Aplix? It wears and tears with washes. Sooner or later you have to replace it and what a pain that will be!” That may be true but there are many other benefits to Aplix and I’m ready to list them out to you:

• Fast diaper changes: If you have a squirmy baby like my little Kendall then all of those snaps can be a major pain. Aplix makes for an uber fast diaper change. You don’t have to match up snaps to get the perfect fit. Wham bam thank you ma’am, diaper change doneso! 
• Less intimidating for those who aren’t familiar with cloth diapers. My mom always comments on the number of snaps on some of my newer diapers. It’s not that it’s more difficult to use a diaper that has snaps but in my opinion it’s the intimidation factor.
• No indents on baby’s skin. Now, this is probably more telling in how I put a diaper on than anything else but I have found that some snaps leave an indentation on the hips of my daughter. Is it a deal breaker? No, but it just further cements my feelings on Aplix.

This is why I love Thirsties; they offer BOTH my beloved Aplix and the close second is, of course, snaps. And my all time favorite diaper cover is Thirsties’ diaper cover…look at the closure. Mmmmhmmm! I rest my case.

Tell me, are you an Aplix Babe or a Sassy Snaps Mama?