Using and Washing Wool Diaper Covers
Wool diaper covers are easy to care for, as wool does not need frequent laundering; once every 2-4 weeks will keep your baby nice and fresh. Most covers require hand washing, but this will only take a few minutes.
Between uses hang covers in a warm place or lay them over a radiator or on top of a running dryer, to air and dry, after each diaper change. They may smell like urine to begin with, but this will dissipate quickly, unless the cover needs washed and relanolinized. (As stated before, it is the lanolin that keeps the cover water proof and anti-bacterial.) If there is poo on the cover, rinse it off in temped water, scrubbing gently. Squeeze (don't wring) out extra moister, and hang to dry.
When the diaper cover begins to smell of urine even when dry, wash it gently by hand in lukewarm water with 1/4 of a cup of lanolin soap. Swoosh gently and let it soak for 15 minutes. Rinse in lukewarm water. Squeeze it out, then roll it up in a towel and press the excess water out (or spin in the washer on the spin cycle ONLY). Give the diaper cover a quick, brisk shake, stretch it to shape and place it to dry, preferably over a mild heat source. If a heat source is not available, then lay it on a cotton towel in the sunshine to air dry.
I also like to rub some lanolin between my hands till it is a liquid and then rub it the inside of the cover on the wet zone area for extra protection, or you can get a lanoline spray and do the same.
Trouble Shooting:
If you are having trouble with your wool covers leaking, check the diaper. The cover is only as good as the diaper beneath it. If your baby can pee through the diaper or thoroughly soak it in one pee, then you need a thicker diaper. To solve this problem, you can double up the diapers or use liners for extra absorbency. Also if your covers are not coming clean, it may be your water. Try washing them in distilled water, as a very hard or soft water may distort the color.
Homemade Wool Wash
While there are many great wool washes available, you may want to make your own. By making your own, you choose the scent and know exactly what is in it.
Ingredients:
Pure Lanolin -- look for quality. (breastfeeding lanolin works great)
Baby Wash or Shampoo -- use something that you would use on your baby.
Essential Oils -- Essential oils are optional. Lavender, Eucalyptus and Cedar are bug repellent, helping to keep your covers safe from moths. Lavender is relaxing and often recommended for babies.
Boiling Water
Directions:
· Pour about 1 cup of water into a heat proof container, like a mug.
· Drop in 1/8 teaspoon of Pure Lanolin per cover being washed.
· Add 2-3 drops of Baby Wash.
· Add a few drops of Essential Oil.
· Stir to dissolve Lanolin. It will float in little beads on the water.
· Pour Wool Wash into lukewarm wash water, and use like a commercial wash.
This is borrowed from http://christadovel.hubpages.com/hub/Wool-Diapercovers
Please feel free to check out my facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/funnymammasewsalot
An excerpt from the Wool Comprehensiveness Guide on wool care.
( http://reviews.ebay.com/Wool-Cloth-Diaper-Covers-The-Comprehensive-Guide?ugid=10000000000884763)
WHAT ABOUT WASHING THE WOOL?
Since wool is naturally anti-bacterial, throw out the idea that it needs to be washed each time it is worn. That is sooooo…..cotton. Simply rotate two or three covers throughout the diaper changing day, allowing them to air out between changes, and they’ll stay fresh as a daisy for many, many days. How long? Depends. Many mamas report going a month or two between washes. You’ll know when it’s time to wash when the wool doesn’t smell fresh anymore.
Of course, if poo escapes the confines of your diaper for a wool field trip, that’s another story, since poo doesn’t turn to vapor. Relax, cleaning it will still be a lot easier than you think.
Remember, lanolin has natural cleansing properties, which make it very easy to rinse soil deposits off of your wool with lukewarm water. Once the poo has rinsed away, you’ll need to wash the cover.
There are a bazillion ways to wash wool. Some people use baby shampoo, bar soap, or specialty commercial wool washes, like Eucalan. All are fine, but DO NOT use Woolite. It is not compatible with diapering because it strips the precious lanolin from the wool.
Here’s my lazy but effective wool wash regime:
WHAT IS LANOLIZING?
This is a term you may see in ebay auctions for wool diaper covers: "freshly lanolized," or "needs lanolization" or something like that. What are they talking about?
For many people, using a lanolin-rich wool wash, like those mentioned above, is enough to maintain stability in the lanolin content of their diaper covers, and therefore the performance. Some, though, may find that their covers’ ability to act as a wetness barrier decreases over time and needs a boost. This is where lanolization comes in. Again, not so scary as it sounds; read on.
To lanolize a cover, basically all you need to do is dissolve some pure lanolin, like Lansinoh brand nipple ointment for nursing moms, in water and soak. Spin in washer and air dry as above.
Are you a "need-hand-holding" kind of person like me? Okay, here’s a little more detail on the process:
How much lanolin to use? If squeezing out of a tube, like Lansinoh, then squeeze a line of lanolin about ¼ inch long.
How to make it dissolve in the water evenly? Start with about a cup of hot water, either hot from your tap, or boiled and cooled slightly. The heat will help the lanolin soften up and dissolve. Then add that small amount of hot water/dissolved lanolin mixture to your sink/pan/bucket of lukewarm water. Adding a small squirt of your lanolin-rich wool wash in this step would also be helpful, as it will keep the pure lanolin from clumping and staining your cover.
How long to soak? About 20 minutes should do it. Spin it out in your washing machine, just like you would if you were washing the wool, and air dry.
Since wool is naturally anti-bacterial, throw out the idea that it needs to be washed each time it is worn. That is sooooo…..cotton. Simply rotate two or three covers throughout the diaper changing day, allowing them to air out between changes, and they’ll stay fresh as a daisy for many, many days. How long? Depends. Many mamas report going a month or two between washes. You’ll know when it’s time to wash when the wool doesn’t smell fresh anymore.
Of course, if poo escapes the confines of your diaper for a wool field trip, that’s another story, since poo doesn’t turn to vapor. Relax, cleaning it will still be a lot easier than you think.
Remember, lanolin has natural cleansing properties, which make it very easy to rinse soil deposits off of your wool with lukewarm water. Once the poo has rinsed away, you’ll need to wash the cover.
There are a bazillion ways to wash wool. Some people use baby shampoo, bar soap, or specialty commercial wool washes, like Eucalan. All are fine, but DO NOT use Woolite. It is not compatible with diapering because it strips the precious lanolin from the wool.
Here’s my lazy but effective wool wash regime:
- Using a lanolin-rich, no-rinse wool wash, like Eucalan or Kookaburra, mix about 1 teaspoon wool wash to 1 gallon lukewarm water or so. You can use a sink, pan, or bucket.
- Gently place wool garment in. Allow to soak for at least 20 minutes, but no longer than 24 hours. DO NOT RINSE! (You want to leave that valuable lanolin from the wool wash in the wool.)
- Pour contents of bucket, including water and wool, into washing machine. SET TO FINAL SPIN.
- Allow machine to spin out liquid, and lay flat to dry. Voila! Now that wasn’t bad, was it?
WHAT IS LANOLIZING?
This is a term you may see in ebay auctions for wool diaper covers: "freshly lanolized," or "needs lanolization" or something like that. What are they talking about?
For many people, using a lanolin-rich wool wash, like those mentioned above, is enough to maintain stability in the lanolin content of their diaper covers, and therefore the performance. Some, though, may find that their covers’ ability to act as a wetness barrier decreases over time and needs a boost. This is where lanolization comes in. Again, not so scary as it sounds; read on.
To lanolize a cover, basically all you need to do is dissolve some pure lanolin, like Lansinoh brand nipple ointment for nursing moms, in water and soak. Spin in washer and air dry as above.
Are you a "need-hand-holding" kind of person like me? Okay, here’s a little more detail on the process:
How much lanolin to use? If squeezing out of a tube, like Lansinoh, then squeeze a line of lanolin about ¼ inch long.
How to make it dissolve in the water evenly? Start with about a cup of hot water, either hot from your tap, or boiled and cooled slightly. The heat will help the lanolin soften up and dissolve. Then add that small amount of hot water/dissolved lanolin mixture to your sink/pan/bucket of lukewarm water. Adding a small squirt of your lanolin-rich wool wash in this step would also be helpful, as it will keep the pure lanolin from clumping and staining your cover.
How long to soak? About 20 minutes should do it. Spin it out in your washing machine, just like you would if you were washing the wool, and air dry.