By: Jessica Dunn
Today’s topic bloggers participating in the Flats
and Handwashing Challenge is handwashing. Laundry was the scariest part of
the challenge for me. I hate washing laundry as it is and I have a washer and
dryer in my garage. The thought of washing by hand really scared me, but I
figured it was only seven days and I can survive just about anything for seven
days.
Surprisingly, laundry hasn’t been that difficult. I keep the
wash bucket in the bathtub and when I change Emma, I put the diapers directly
in the wash bucket after rinsing the poppy diapers. I am using a diaper
sprayer, which I realized that I didn’t include on my list of supplies on
Day 2’s post. I used my store credit from Kissed by the Moon to
purchase it, so I paid less than $5 for it.
Dirty diapers stored
in the bathtub ready to be washed
I wash diapers in the afternoon or early evening, after my
husband gets home from work so he can be on baby duty and take care of Emma
while I wash diapers and hang them to try. I have a drying rack that my mother
in law bought me last summer after she saw my make shift clothes line (heavy duty
string and dollar store clothes pins) set up under our patio cover. She decided
if I was going to go green and stop using our dryer that I needed a decent
drying rack. For those of you who don’t follow my blog and facebook fan page, let
me give you a little background information. I decided last June that we were
spending entirely too much money on electricity so we stopped using the dryer
90% of the time. I dry my husband’s work pants, and our sheets and towels
completely in the dryer. Everything else goes in for 10 minutes to get the
wrinkles off and then is hung to dry. Giving up the dryer for Flats
and Handwashing Challenge was definitely the easiest part of the challenge.
Here is my step by step picture tutorial showing you how to
handwash the diapers using a camp style washer. I wash diapers in the utility
sink in our garage because I get hot water faster in that sink than in the
bathtub. The added benefit is that the sink is next to the stairs leading into
the house so I can stand on the second step and not have to bend over the
bucket like I would have to do if the bucket was in the tub.
- Cold
rinse: fill the bucket with cold water to cover the dirty diapers and
covers. Place the plunger in the bucket and put the lid on the bucket.
Plunge up and down and side to side making sure to swish and mix the
diapers around. Plunge for 3-5 minutes.
- Drain
the cold water
- Hot
wash: fill the bucket with hot water to cover the dirty diapers and 1
teaspoon of detergent. Place the plunger in the bucket and put the lid on
the bucket. Plunge up and down and side to side making sure to swish and
mix the diapers around. Plunger for 5-7 minutes.
- Drain
the hot water
- Cold
rinse: fill the bucket with cold water to cover the dirty diapers and
covers. Place the plunger in the bucket and put the lid on the bucket.
Plunge up and down and side to side making sure to swish and mix the
diapers around. Plunge for 3-5 minutes
- Check
for suds. I take one or two of the diapers out and see if they are rinsed,
if not I continue to plunge.
- Drain
the water and then wring out the diapers into the sink.
- Hang
on the line to dry.
About the author: My
name is Jessica and I am the author of Parenting and Living Our Way
blog. I am a busy stay at home mom to a 9 month old daughter who has recently
learned how to crawl and is keeping me on my toes. I was invited by Kissed by the Moon to be
their guest blogger for the week documenting my experience. I am so excited about this opportunity and
look forward to sharing my experience with you. If you’d like to read more about
me, my family and our life, you can read our blog Parenting and Living Our Way. We
can also be found on facebook.
I am posting throughout the day on facebook
and twitter about how our
day is going, so you can follow along.
About the challenge: I'm
participating in the Flats and Handwashing Challenge hosted by Dirty Diaper Laundry.
This event aims to bring awareness to the challenges that low income
families face when trying to diaper their children. There are not publicly
funded programs that supply diapers to families in need. Using cloth diapers
and handwashing is an affordable way to families to diaper their children.
Flats are the most inexpensive of commercially available cloth diapers;
receiving blankets, flour sack towels, cut sheets, and t-shirts can also be
used as flats making these diapers available to all families.
Don't forget to RSVP and attend Kissed by the Moon's May Moon Moms Night In. This Friday May 24th at 5pm PST/8pm EST here.
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