Cloth Wipes: The Final Diapering Frontier

If you've been with me this long you probably know that I cloth diaper. And I absolutely love it! Like many others, cloth wipes were the final frontier. Uncharted waters that I was very cautious to dive into.

However, once you make the switch to cloth diapers disposable wipes become an annoyance. Where can you put the wipes while you're changing a diaper so you can throw them away without touching poop?? Why are you still throwing money away with each diaper change? And why are you still putting harmful chemicals onto your baby's bottom? (even the "sensitive" wipes have some pretty harsh chemicals in them-- take a look!)

Using cloth wipes really is a no-brainer once you start using cloth diapers. They get thrown into the pail and washed with the diapers so there's no fuss there. I make my own wipes (flannel on one side and terry cloth on the other), make my own solution, and store them in an old wipes container. I'm becoming a sewing junkie, so there will be diaper tutorials in the near future  ;)



Sew Your Own Wipes:
I'm definitely NOT a seamstress or a tailor, so this is in no way intended to be a professional opinion. This is just the way I make my baby wipes. These are turned and top-stitched, since I don't own a serger and zig-zagging wasn't holding up as well as I would have liked.

1. Decide what kind(s) of fabric you want to use. I use flannel and terry cloth since I like the way each of them works (gentle when I need it to be and capable of some heave "dooty" cleaning when I need it to be). You can use old baby towels (terry cloth) and receiving blankets (flannel) to make this a no-cost project (except for thread). Make sure you wash whatever fabric you choose to pre-shrink.
2. Decide on what size you want your wipes to be. Mine are 4"x8" so they'll fit into an old commercial wipes container, and so they're big enough to get the job done. I've had 4"x4", but they seemed to just be too small for us, and 8"x8" is too big, but you might prefer the extra surface area. 
3. Trace your pattern and cut out your wipes. I traced a pattern onto an old cardboard box and used that as my template. If you're going to turn and top-stitch remember to add 1/4" all around your pattern (for my 4" x 8" wipes I cut the fabric out 4.5" x 8.5"). If you'd like rounded corners you can use a quarter to trace in the corners of your pattern.
4. Start sewing! This will vary a little depending on what style you choose, but this is the way I put mine together when I first started, since I don't have a serger. Don't follow these steps for T&T!

• Place the two fabrics together, wrong sides facing. You should see the print(s) on the outsides.
• Pin all the way around.
• If you have a serger, you just serge all the way around your wipe here and you're all done! Admire your work!
  
  If, like me, you don't own one, keep going:
• Straight stitch all the way around your wipe, making sure to back-stitch at the beginning and end so your seams won't pull out. I do mine about 3/8"" from the edge, leaving just enough room for my zig-zag. You can adjust this if you'd like your zig-zag to be taller or smaller than mine.
• Zig-zag stitch all the way around your wipe, between the edge and your straight stitch. You want the top of your stitched to go over the edge of the fabric a little to prevent fraying as you wash your wipes.
• Trim off your excess thread and any frayed edges and admire your work! They'll get better the more you make, and no one will care if they aren't perfect :)

         Turned and Top-Stitched Baby Wipes:

• Place your two fabrics together, right sides facing. You should see the backsides of your fabrics on the outsides.
• Pin all the way around. You might want to mark a place about 2 inches long where you won't sew (this is where we'll turn it right side out when we're done stitching).
  
  
• Start at the bottom of your mark and straight stitch all the way around your wipe, stopping at the top of your mark so you leave an opening. I use the edge of my presser foot as a guide
• Trim the corners of your wipe by cutting across the corner at the peak of your stitch and then down the sides near your stitches. This alleviates some bulk. Be careful not to cut into your stitching!
  
  
• To start turning, place your thumb into the opening you've left and put it into one of the corners of your wipe, pinch it with your index finger, and turn that corner. Repeat for the three remaining corners and then flip your wipe right-side-out.
  
  

  

  1. Thumb inside

  

  2. Pinched

3. Corner turned

Turned right side out

• Press your seams with an iron. Be sure to fold in the fabric at the opening and press it evenly with the rest of the wipe.
  
  
• Straight stitch all the way around your wipe, as close to the edge as you can. You want to make sure you close up the opening we left earlier. Again, use back-stitches to keep your stitches from unraveling. And we're done!
  
  

Storing Your Baby Wipes:
There are essentially two ways you can store your babywipes: wet or dry. You can store your wipes in an old wipes container and pour your solution over the wipes so they're ready to go whenever you need them, or you can store them dry and use a squirt bottle to add solution to your wipes whenever you need them.

Wet storage is more convenient, however you will have to add tea tree or lavender oil to your solution to keep them from getting mildewy or moldy (ewww...).

While there is no chance of mold or bacteria growing on your wipes, dry storage means you'll have to wet wipes every time you need to change a diaper. They both work equally well and you can use the same solution, so it's just personal preference.



Baby Wipes Solution:

This is a very basic cloth wipes solution recipe that can be changed to suit your needs and personal taste, but will still get the job done. I opt for organic ingredients, but you can use whatever you have as long as your baby isn't irritated by it. When you mix, be sure to mix water, oils second, and soaps last so you don't create bubbles.

This recipe makes enough to cover about 20 wipes if you're using wet storage. If you're using dry storage you can just mix this up in your squirt bottle and shake it up a little before each use.

• 1/2 Cup Oil
• 1/2 Cup Soap or Baby Wash
• 2 Cups Water

If you're using wet storage, be sure to add a few drops of lavender and/or tea tree oil to prevent mold and bacteria growth.

For dry storage, use a squirt bottle or spray bottle to spray the solution either onto your wipes or directly onto baby's bottom. 

Ammonia Burns, Every Momma's Nightmare

Ammonia burns are terrifying. Burns anywhere on your baby aren't pleasant, but it's even worse when it happens on an area you personally try to protect. The fact that I knew exactly what (luxurious) materials were brushing Bug's bottom made me very proud, so I can imagine the panic that sets in when you see the redness turn into blisters and sores. 

I really feel that in order to effectively combat ammonia burns we need to know what they are and what's causing them. I live in the southwest and have incredibly hard water, so ammonia burns were almost inevitably looming in my uninformed future. 

What Causes Ammonia Burns?
When the urine in your diapers/inserts dries out, it can leave behind uric acid crystals. If we aren't using enough detergent (which is very common since many resources say to use as little as possible) or wait too long between washes, the crystals don't get washed out. 

If you have hard water where you live, the minerals in your water will penetrate the fibers in your diapers, making convenient little pockets for uric acid crystals to hide out in. 

We wash and dry the diapers and put them on baby's bottom as usual, but you will notice the stench of ammonia creeping into your home. As soon as your baby wets their diaper those crystals convert into pure ammonia, right against your lil one's bum! I don't have to tell you that ammonia is some pretty nasty stuff. It's a very caustic (capable of burning) base (as apposed to an acid). 


Does My Baby Have Ammonia Burns? 
Bug's ammonia burns began as redness on his thighs and some bumps on his "package" that turned into sores and blisters. One of the surest ways to know if your baby's rash is an ammonia burn is to smell their diaper right after they pee. 


Diapers will usually smell like urine, but if the smell of ammonia is so strong it makes your eyes water (or even just strong enough that you know it's ammonia), your baby most likely is suffering ammonia burns. Be sure to talk to your baby's doctor to rule out the possibility of a yeast infection! 

The beginning stage.
I thought Bug's diapers were just too tight, but it got much worse.

How Do I Treat My Baby's Burns?
Your doctor can prescribe a cream that will heal the burns, but it will most likely not be cloth safe. I personally don't have the money to spend on sposies while we treat burns, so I did some homework and came up with this cloth safe way to treat Bug's bottom without destroying our stash. 

Coconut oil is a staple in our home. We use it with every change. When dealing with burns I added 1-2 drops of Lavender Essential Oil to a dollop of coconut oil and slathered it onto Bug's bottom generously. I also gave him oatmeal baths every night until he started to heal up enough for me to give him regular baths. I felt horrible putting soap on his open wounds.


How Do I Treat My Diapers? 
This is the tricky part. If you live somewhere with "soft" water, you can use continuous hot washes until the stink is gone. 

1/2  a cup of vinegar in the wash will also help to get those nasty uric acid crystals out of your diapers. ONLY if you have soft water! 

NEVER, EVER under ANY circumstances add vinegar to hard water! The minerals that make the water "hard" will react with the vinegar and make it worse. Bad. Very bad. 

If you are blessed with hard water, as I am, these are the steps I used to get every last little crystal out of my diapers and inserts. Every step is necessary, and I promise that it won't destroy your diapers. 

1. Start with clean diapers and inserts. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Using tongs, SLOWLY add diapers one at a time (about 3 per batch, you don't want the water to boil over) and boil 15-30 mins (anything with PUL or snaps should only go in for 15 mins so nothing melts). Take them out and put them in a bowl or colander.
   
   OR you can turn up your hot water heater, fill the tub with super hot water, and let the diapers soak in there. If you have a super-sized stash, this might be the way to go  ;)
2. Throw them into the washer and wash COLD, NO SOAP
3. Add up to 1/4 cup of bleach to the wash and run it through a HOT wash + extra rinse.
   (DO NOT use vinegar in hard water, EVER! It'll react with the minerals in the water and make everything worse. I promise, the amount of bleach we're using is so diluted it won't hurt the diapers)
4. Run through 2 more HOT washes (without the extra rinse) to make sure the bleach rinses out. 

How Do I Prevent Ammonia Burns? 

• Don't be afraid to use detergent on your diapers!I'd rather use too much and rinse until the water runs clear than use too little and go through ammonia burns again. If your diapers smell at all after being washed, throw them back in with a little more detergent. I look like a fool sniffing my diapers and inserts, but it keeps Bug's little heiny happy. 
  
• Consider a wet pail, or rinsing all diapers before putting them into your dry pail. This will remove some of the urea before it even has a chance to convert into crystals and hide out in your diapers.
• Wash your diapers and pail and/or liner often. Ammonia can build up in the pail without you even noticing it. I throw my pail liner into the wash every time I wash diapers and rinse out the pail.
• Store your diapers somewhere cool and dark. Heat accelerates the creation of uric acid crystals. Leaving your pail topless (ooh la la!) will also help tremendously, and it will actually keep smells at bay. Try it!
• Use a water softener or baking soda in your wash to bond with the minerals in your water in a good way. It distracts them from the awesomeness going on in your diapers.
• Always begin your diaper washing routine with a cold wash. This will rinse away anything yucky in your diapers, including urea. It will also help to keep stains from setting in.
• Strip your diapers. If you live with hard water, this is a must. Eventually mineral build-up will occur, leading to detergent and ammonia build up in your diapers and very unhappy heinies. I strip mine whenever I notice something is a little off with the diapers. Usually it's just a weird smell-- not bad, just weird. My laundry soap rinses away completely clean so I notice any kind of smell.

You can find my diaper washing and stripping routine here. 

Don't feel bad, momma! You knew something was wrong and went on the hunt to make it right. None of us ever want to see our babies in pain, and now that you know how to help your little one everything will be ok! I know, I've been there, and I felt like the worst mom in the world for letting Bug's bottom get so bad before I figured out what was happening and how to fix it. Hang in there! 

Dirty Little Secrets (or "Cloth Diaper Washing for the Modern Mama")

One of the most complicated aspects of cloth diapering (besides choosing a diaper) is washing. As mentioned in a previous post, we have ridiculously hard water which only makes things worse. The fabrics in our diapers are designed to absorb and hold moisture, including the uric acid crystals in your lil one's urine. If you have hard water, this can become a nightmare if your diapers aren't being washed properly (we would know, and I'll post our adventures through ammonia burns here-- just know it isn't pretty). 

The first bit of advice I can give is to not be afraid to throw your detergent of choice in the wash. When I started cloth diapering, EVERYTHING I read suggested miniscule amounts of detergent when washing, half the amount you would for a small load of laundry. I make my own laundry soap (which can be found here), and was afraid that using too much would somehow destroy my diapers. So, via the instructions I read online, I used 1/2 a tablespoon of detergent when washing my diapers. 

It worked great for a few weeks, but then I noticed our diapers smelling REALLY bad when Bug peed in them. I thought maybe I let them sit in the wash too long before drying, so went along as usual for another couple of weeks, until Bug started getting redness and blisters (ammonia burns). I sacrificed one of my least favorite diapers to put commercial diaper cream on his bum, only to find it wasn't helping at all. 

After A LOT of research and failed attempts we found a way to get the diapers fresh and clean and non-toxic once again. Moral of the story-- don't be afraid to use detergent! I'd rather use too much and just run rinses until the water is clean than use too little and go through all of that again. 

This is the routine we use to regularly wash our diapers (I do mine every 3 or 4 days). 

1. COLD wash, NO detergent
2. HOT wash + extra rinse WITH detergent
3. HOT wash, NO detergent
4. HOT wash, NO detergent 

If you have hard water, the minerals in your water will penetrate the fibers in your diapers and inserts, trapping soap and uric acid crystals, and causing stink issues and build up (and ammonia burns if you aren't careful). Regardless of the detergent you use, I personally recommend using this stripping technique every few weeks to keep your diapers fresh. 

1. 1 COLD wash, NO detergent
2. 1 HOT wash + extra rinse WITH detergent 
3. 1 HOT wash + extra rinse + 5 drops Grapefruit Seed Oil and 2 Drops of Tea Tree Oil
4. 1 HOT wash + extra rinse and 1/4- 1/2 cup baking soda
5. 1 HOT wash, NO detergent
6. 1 HOT wash, NO detergent

You can use 1/4 cup bleach in step #3 in place of the essential oils, but I prefer not to use bleach if I can help it. 

Dish soap will not help strip your diapers unless you are trying to get out diaper cream build up.