Do you clean your washer?

My washer has always lived in the garage with very little lighting. Due to a recent move now my washing machine is inside our home and I am embarrassed to say it had a black mineral ring in the  inside tub. I had never noticed it before.  I have always cleaned the top and outside of my washer, but never the inside of it. So my Google search begin on to find a green and eco-friendly way to clean my washer. I came across this great blog from our good friends at Thirsties and simplified it. Here is a link to their blog. http://www.thirstiesbaby.com/blog/how-to-clean-your-washing-machine/

How I clean my Washing Machine

1. I wiped down the outside of  of my washer including the lid with vinegar,  You can also use Biokleen All Purpose Cleaner, or your favorite cleaner. You may need to use a toothbrush to get inside all the nooks and crannies in the lid.

2. I removed the bleach and fabric dispenser and soaked them in hot water with Baking Soda.

3. While the dispenser was soaking  I cleaned the washing machine tub with Baking Soda and a scrubber and a wet cleaning rag . I scrubbed the inside till the mineral ring was gone. Then I poured vinegar on my cleaning rag and washed the tub down. I then poured maybe 1 cup or more into the washing machine and watched the bubbles begin. After the bubbles settled down I washed down the inside of the tub and on top of the tub.

4. I then filled the washer with hot water and did a quick rinse cycle. While the washing machine was rinsing I scrubbed the bleach and fabric softner, rinsed them and dried them.

5. After the rinse cycle was done I couldn't believe the inside of my washer looked brand new. I put the dispenser back into their places and put my washing machine back to work. I couldn't wait to put a load of laundry to wash. !!!


Do you clean your washer? What is your routine to get your washing machine cleaned?

What's my night time diaper solution?

Fitteds and Wool !!!

After researching and discussing with other CD'ng Mom's.  I decided to try wool and fitteds for night time use. And I fell in LOVE. My daughter and I both woke up dry, my bed was dry and her Little Bum was not red.

Benefits of using Wool :

1. Wool is self-cleaning and naturally anti-microbial.
2. Wool can also absorb up to 30% of it's weight in moisture without feeling damp. 
3. Wool is breathable and insulating. And can be used all year long.
4. Wool treated with Lanolin is water resistant. 
5. Wool is surprisingly low maintenance and simple to care for. Wool only needs to be washed every 2-4 weeks. Once it starts to smell like urine it's time to wash. 
6. And you only Lanolize when the Wool starts to leak. 
7. Wool comes in may different styles Undies, Shorties(great for summer), Longies (great for winter), and Skirties. 

Benefits of Fitteds:

1. Fitteds are breathable. Using Fitteds with no cover or with wool is a great way to prevent or heal a diaper rash. 
2. Fitteds are more absorbent then pockets. Because pockets are also only as absorbent as their inserts and they only absorb in the center of the diaper. Where as with fitteds the ENTIRE diaper is absorbent. The tabs, the front, the back, and the middle. Which makes them BULLETPROOF! 
3. Fitteds are require a cover (they are not waterproof)

How to care for Wool:

Baby Wash & Lanolin

1) Get a bit of hot water to melt a 1tsp.of  lanolin in. I like to use my microwave to get the water really hot to melt the lanolin well. A bottle of some sort would work well too. And shake it till the lanolin is completely melted.

2) Fill a sink or bowl  with lukewarm water. Add a few drops (small squirt) of baby wash (I use wool wash, or baby wash), mix well. Swish around a little to evenly distribute.

3) Put your wool into the water and gently push it into the water. Move it around gently to saturate it. I turn my wool inside out at this point. Gently swish it around again.

4) Let it sit 20-30 minutes up to overnight .

5) Leaving the wool in the sink, drain the water.

6) Gently squeeze water out. DO NOT WRING!

7) Lay it on a towel and roll it up to get out excess water.

8) Lay flat to dry. (This part can take a couple of days if it's a thicker wool piece.)

If you are having diaper leaks at night try Fitteds and Wool. You too will fall in love !!!