Last week, we started the Marcal Small Steps Giveaway. I used random.org to generate a random winner number.
"True Random Number Generator14"
#14 is Hyacynth of Undercover Mother. Congratulations!
I am the classroom mom this year for my older daughter's classroom and their Halloween party is coming up so we have spent the last few days getting ready, shopping, cutting out countless circles, triangles, and squares for their Halloween themed crafts.
Did you know that Halloween is a holiday specific to the USA? It's not very popular in Poland but is slowly gaining momentum. After all, Poles love Autumn and the harvest as well. And children the world over enjoy dressing up and eating candy.
We also tagged along for their field trip to a local farm. I will be sharing pictures tomorrow.
The coyotes, deer and flock birds have been out in full force this week. We even watched a red tailed Hawk be harassed by a pair of crows this morning. Thankfully, our friendly neighbor skunk has stopped using an area of our house against a wall for a toilet although it would be nice to catch a peek of him/her out of our window out of spraying reach while walking so that I could photograph him/her.
But every time we spot the wildlife, either in our yard or while on a walk or driving, I never seem to have my camera at close reach. I hope to have some photos of them to share with you with week.
I also recorded Lake Michigan during a "Tropic Storm Force Warning" that covered our region a couple of days ago and will be sharing that this week. Around this time every year, Lake Michigan changes from a tranquil clear clean blue (with fierce and silent undertow) to a tumultuous and dangerous gray unlike anything I had ever seen before in my life. It's beautiful but fierce.
It has been a busy week for sure. What have you been doing this week so far? Are you getting ready for Halloween?
A Mama born in Poland with "Gypsy Blood" living on the American Prairie with her daughters, two future Miss Poland and Nobel Peace prize recipients :: Food, Travel, Life...
Showing posts with label Green Living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Green Living. Show all posts
25 October 2011
21 October 2011
Green in the USA versus Green in Poland and Europe
I recently read the article In Regards to Being Green, which, while being a beautiful read, doesn't quite have the same perspective as my family has about the "Older Generation" and the "Green Movement".
My husband is an American who's grandparents were all born and raised in America shortly before WWII. His grandfather on his mother's side, I never met but heard he was a wonderful man and I don't doubt it. His grandmother who just passed away a couple of years ago I looked to as a 3rd Babcia and was very close to. But they were different when it came to convenience/disposable/"green" than my own family.
My family all was born and raised in Poland. My grandparents were all born shortly before WWII.
While all involved have memories of the WWII era, the memories were very different.
And the upbringing was very different. Because the hardships were just as different.
While Americans went home after WWII and started their lives without much issue, finding good blue collar jobs and working, raising families, buying new houses and cars, my family had a different experience.
The aftermath of WWII was there for my grandparents and others their age in Poland and the rest of wartorn Europe to deal with firsthand. The mess didn't go away with the Yalta Conference. It continued with the USSR controlling food production and distribution, the rebuilding of housing for a displaced war torn population, and so many other issues that America did not have to deal with.
Americans simply went home. I am not claiming that they had no right to, I am merely stating that they went home. The mess did not follow them. In some ways, it even helped them.
The German and Japanese auto industry was devastated and the American auto industry thrived in that vacuum. So did the American steel industry and countless other industries.
My grandparents stood in long lines to buy food and had to carefully calculate every single bite the family enjoyed. Food was a necessity, the fuel to face yet another day of rebuilding and recovering. Nutrition was important, it was the reason for eating. Cost was important and extremely limiting as was the supply of the food. Convenience was not an option.
My husband's grandparents cooked what they wanted to and if there were leftovers, they would be enjoyed but not stressed over. Hands were not wrung while trying to think where the the next meal would come from. There were no long lines only to find out the store had only a rotten bag of potatoes on their empty shelves to sell.
My grandmothers both carefully grew their own vegetables in small patches of war-devastated dirt just outside their village and city, some of which could have potentially held unexploded bombs dropped by both the Allies and the Axis. This was not for a "Green Movement", this was to be able to eat. Food was canned because how else do you make your summer cucumbers, strawberries, cabbage or currents last through the winters? Weeds were pulled by hand.
My grandparents built relationships with local farmers and bought their meat and other items from them because the Russian Communist government attempted to control the farmers so tightly that the food supply was limited. To eat meat was to buy a small amount and make as many meals from it as possible. Vegetables and carbohydrates dominated the meal.
My husband's grandparents went to the local grocery store. Certainly, for a time they could walk because the local corner store was still around for a while, but then the fashion of going to a large national chain to buy everything at once was embraced by that generation and the local corner stores began to close. They drove their affordable bought-new large American made vehicles to the stores and bought whatever they wanted to eat, including foods like frozen dinners, meats that would be the center of the meal, instant mashed potatoes, potato chips, fresh baked breads and milk bought in plastic jugs that would be thrown away after being emptied. The local bakers and specialty stores also began to fade into the past during this time.
My grandparents did not receive free plastic bags when they would purchase bread at the local baker to take home and throw away or with which they could line the bathroom trashcan. The local baker continues to thrive as a business to this day. Tote bags are a way of life.
My grandparents watched their towns, Warsaw, and later Wroclaw, be destroyed during WWII. They had to live for a time with their in-laws but not in order to save money. But, rather, because Warsaw was approximately 84% destroyed and Wroclaw had been declared a Festung by the Germans and had half of it's buildings destroyed, the damage displacing thousands, if not more.
In Poland, the dead had to be buried, the buildings rebuilt, housing had to be made for necessity's sake. You didn't throw litter in the street because everyone knew it didn't go away. Because everyone had to clean it up, along with countless dead bodies and the rubble of collapsed buildings and destroyed hopes and dreams.
My husband's grandparents had homes built in the suburbs during the period of "white exodus" from the cities because it was the fashion to do so. If they wanted pink carpet, they got pink carpet. If they wanted a brick porch, they got one or later built it themselves. They all had their own backyards with grass for the children to play in. If a garden was not grown to raise the family's food, it was not a big deal. In fact, the gardening was often considered a "waste of time", socially. The only limitation was how much money one made, how hard one chose to work, and how they chose to handle their finances.
My grandparents on my father's side were lucky to have a balcony window to grow their herbs in and to dry their clothes on lines.
My grandparents on my mother's side hung their clothing in the breeze of the Polish countryside. Herbs were grown in the kitchen window.
Herbs were not bought predried and packaged in the grocery store on a whim to "try something different" like my husband's grandparents side.
My grandmothers would go for a walk in a park or would bake a small cake if the times allowed and they wanted to have a nice time. Talking with friends was their "mommy time". Bingo and going to buy another new hat just didn't happen.
If my husband's parents made a mistake on a piece of paper, it was not the end of the world if that paper was thrown away. If my parents made a mistake on a piece of paper, it would be carefully corrected in their tiny space saving print because paper for a while was hard to come by.
Christmas on my family's side involved one gift per child. Only one. And it was treasured.
Glass jars were washed by my grandparents to use for pickling something else. Because there was no store to buy new jars. Aluminum jars were washed and used to hold pencils and other items because the idea of buying a special pencil holder was just plain impossible. If it could be fixed, it was. If not, whatever parts could be scavenged and stored for "just in case", were. Balls of twine were used and reused over and over.
Both of my grandmothers worked. They had to. There was no option, the family had to eat. The children were watched by the older generation, if they were lucky enough to have survived the War, or were placed in daycare. Meals were made from scratch everyday. There was no option.
Trans fats? What trans fats in my family's food? What artificial growth hormones for cows? What mega farms raising thousands of chickens in crowded unsanitary inhumane conditions? My mother remembers her mother raising and killing their own chickens for meals, the ducks they were lucky to have to raise.
Cleaning by my grandmothers involved elbow grease, scrubbing with old rags, white vinegar, hot water, soap that was carefully measured and fresh air. If a room did not smell fresh, there was no air freshener to spray into the air full of plastics and neurodisruptors and "perfume". The window was opened, the furniture dusted with damp rags, and the fabric washed. There was no other option to make the room smell nice. It smelled nice if it was clean and that was that.
My grandparents did not buy 20 different products to clean their house. There were no carcinagenic fumes wafting around the house.
My husband's parents were diapered in disposable diapers. My parents diapered my brother and myself in cloth diapers that were handwashed and line dried, because that was the option and that was what their parents had done.
If my grandparents and parents could not afford something, it was not for lack of work and trying. It was simply not able to be bought. They were not frugal for some "green" reason, they were frugal to survive. There was no family to ask for help. They were dead or in the same situation.
Post Tramatic Stress Disorder affected the entire population, men, women and children. Faith had to keep them going. Hope had to sustain them. The Future had to be strived for.
Children's innocence had been destroyed. The next generation of children were told to retain their innocence because the older generation knew what it meant to have that taken away. To be raped by Russian or German soldiers as children or young women. To see things that nobody should have to see. To know Death.
I could list continued differences in lifestyles. But I think you get the point.
My grandparents were green. But it was not that my husband's family wasn't. They just didn't have the problems and worries to need to be green. And there was no public knowledge about what harsh chemicals destroyed your health or the environment. After all, the generation before my husband's grandparents were essentially green, so the devastation of the disposable convenient way of life was not immediately apparent as it was still new. And shiny.
There are two different "Green Movements". There is the "Green Movement" of those who are facing the after effects of the 1950's, which to some still is not that apparent. And there are those of us who were just raised that way because that is just what you did.
I hope that one day the two will merge and that everyone will live green because it is just what you do.
What did your grandparents do that would be considered "Green" today? Do you still do the same things? Why or why not?
Na razie...
Don't forget to enter my first Green Living Giveaway...
My husband is an American who's grandparents were all born and raised in America shortly before WWII. His grandfather on his mother's side, I never met but heard he was a wonderful man and I don't doubt it. His grandmother who just passed away a couple of years ago I looked to as a 3rd Babcia and was very close to. But they were different when it came to convenience/disposable/"green" than my own family.
My family all was born and raised in Poland. My grandparents were all born shortly before WWII.
While all involved have memories of the WWII era, the memories were very different.
And the upbringing was very different. Because the hardships were just as different.
While Americans went home after WWII and started their lives without much issue, finding good blue collar jobs and working, raising families, buying new houses and cars, my family had a different experience.
The aftermath of WWII was there for my grandparents and others their age in Poland and the rest of wartorn Europe to deal with firsthand. The mess didn't go away with the Yalta Conference. It continued with the USSR controlling food production and distribution, the rebuilding of housing for a displaced war torn population, and so many other issues that America did not have to deal with.
Americans simply went home. I am not claiming that they had no right to, I am merely stating that they went home. The mess did not follow them. In some ways, it even helped them.
The German and Japanese auto industry was devastated and the American auto industry thrived in that vacuum. So did the American steel industry and countless other industries.
My grandparents stood in long lines to buy food and had to carefully calculate every single bite the family enjoyed. Food was a necessity, the fuel to face yet another day of rebuilding and recovering. Nutrition was important, it was the reason for eating. Cost was important and extremely limiting as was the supply of the food. Convenience was not an option.
My husband's grandparents cooked what they wanted to and if there were leftovers, they would be enjoyed but not stressed over. Hands were not wrung while trying to think where the the next meal would come from. There were no long lines only to find out the store had only a rotten bag of potatoes on their empty shelves to sell.
My grandmothers both carefully grew their own vegetables in small patches of war-devastated dirt just outside their village and city, some of which could have potentially held unexploded bombs dropped by both the Allies and the Axis. This was not for a "Green Movement", this was to be able to eat. Food was canned because how else do you make your summer cucumbers, strawberries, cabbage or currents last through the winters? Weeds were pulled by hand.
My grandparents built relationships with local farmers and bought their meat and other items from them because the Russian Communist government attempted to control the farmers so tightly that the food supply was limited. To eat meat was to buy a small amount and make as many meals from it as possible. Vegetables and carbohydrates dominated the meal.
My husband's grandparents went to the local grocery store. Certainly, for a time they could walk because the local corner store was still around for a while, but then the fashion of going to a large national chain to buy everything at once was embraced by that generation and the local corner stores began to close. They drove their affordable bought-new large American made vehicles to the stores and bought whatever they wanted to eat, including foods like frozen dinners, meats that would be the center of the meal, instant mashed potatoes, potato chips, fresh baked breads and milk bought in plastic jugs that would be thrown away after being emptied. The local bakers and specialty stores also began to fade into the past during this time.
My grandparents did not receive free plastic bags when they would purchase bread at the local baker to take home and throw away or with which they could line the bathroom trashcan. The local baker continues to thrive as a business to this day. Tote bags are a way of life.
My grandparents watched their towns, Warsaw, and later Wroclaw, be destroyed during WWII. They had to live for a time with their in-laws but not in order to save money. But, rather, because Warsaw was approximately 84% destroyed and Wroclaw had been declared a Festung by the Germans and had half of it's buildings destroyed, the damage displacing thousands, if not more.
In Poland, the dead had to be buried, the buildings rebuilt, housing had to be made for necessity's sake. You didn't throw litter in the street because everyone knew it didn't go away. Because everyone had to clean it up, along with countless dead bodies and the rubble of collapsed buildings and destroyed hopes and dreams.
My husband's grandparents had homes built in the suburbs during the period of "white exodus" from the cities because it was the fashion to do so. If they wanted pink carpet, they got pink carpet. If they wanted a brick porch, they got one or later built it themselves. They all had their own backyards with grass for the children to play in. If a garden was not grown to raise the family's food, it was not a big deal. In fact, the gardening was often considered a "waste of time", socially. The only limitation was how much money one made, how hard one chose to work, and how they chose to handle their finances.
My grandparents on my father's side were lucky to have a balcony window to grow their herbs in and to dry their clothes on lines.
My grandparents on my mother's side hung their clothing in the breeze of the Polish countryside. Herbs were grown in the kitchen window.
Herbs were not bought predried and packaged in the grocery store on a whim to "try something different" like my husband's grandparents side.
My grandmothers would go for a walk in a park or would bake a small cake if the times allowed and they wanted to have a nice time. Talking with friends was their "mommy time". Bingo and going to buy another new hat just didn't happen.
If my husband's parents made a mistake on a piece of paper, it was not the end of the world if that paper was thrown away. If my parents made a mistake on a piece of paper, it would be carefully corrected in their tiny space saving print because paper for a while was hard to come by.
Christmas on my family's side involved one gift per child. Only one. And it was treasured.
Glass jars were washed by my grandparents to use for pickling something else. Because there was no store to buy new jars. Aluminum jars were washed and used to hold pencils and other items because the idea of buying a special pencil holder was just plain impossible. If it could be fixed, it was. If not, whatever parts could be scavenged and stored for "just in case", were. Balls of twine were used and reused over and over.
Both of my grandmothers worked. They had to. There was no option, the family had to eat. The children were watched by the older generation, if they were lucky enough to have survived the War, or were placed in daycare. Meals were made from scratch everyday. There was no option.
Trans fats? What trans fats in my family's food? What artificial growth hormones for cows? What mega farms raising thousands of chickens in crowded unsanitary inhumane conditions? My mother remembers her mother raising and killing their own chickens for meals, the ducks they were lucky to have to raise.
Cleaning by my grandmothers involved elbow grease, scrubbing with old rags, white vinegar, hot water, soap that was carefully measured and fresh air. If a room did not smell fresh, there was no air freshener to spray into the air full of plastics and neurodisruptors and "perfume". The window was opened, the furniture dusted with damp rags, and the fabric washed. There was no other option to make the room smell nice. It smelled nice if it was clean and that was that.
My grandparents did not buy 20 different products to clean their house. There were no carcinagenic fumes wafting around the house.
My husband's parents were diapered in disposable diapers. My parents diapered my brother and myself in cloth diapers that were handwashed and line dried, because that was the option and that was what their parents had done.
If my grandparents and parents could not afford something, it was not for lack of work and trying. It was simply not able to be bought. They were not frugal for some "green" reason, they were frugal to survive. There was no family to ask for help. They were dead or in the same situation.
Post Tramatic Stress Disorder affected the entire population, men, women and children. Faith had to keep them going. Hope had to sustain them. The Future had to be strived for.
Children's innocence had been destroyed. The next generation of children were told to retain their innocence because the older generation knew what it meant to have that taken away. To be raped by Russian or German soldiers as children or young women. To see things that nobody should have to see. To know Death.
I could list continued differences in lifestyles. But I think you get the point.
My grandparents were green. But it was not that my husband's family wasn't. They just didn't have the problems and worries to need to be green. And there was no public knowledge about what harsh chemicals destroyed your health or the environment. After all, the generation before my husband's grandparents were essentially green, so the devastation of the disposable convenient way of life was not immediately apparent as it was still new. And shiny.
There are two different "Green Movements". There is the "Green Movement" of those who are facing the after effects of the 1950's, which to some still is not that apparent. And there are those of us who were just raised that way because that is just what you did.
I hope that one day the two will merge and that everyone will live green because it is just what you do.
What did your grandparents do that would be considered "Green" today? Do you still do the same things? Why or why not?
Na razie...
Don't forget to enter my first Green Living Giveaway...
17 October 2011
Green Living: Marcal Small Steps Giveaway
Respecting the environment comes as a natural thing to do in my family. I wasn't raised as a "hippy" but rather, my parents came from a time and a place where you were careful to not waste the paper you wrote on, to be careful about how much paper towels and toilet paper you used because it cost money and was made from trees which don't grow back instantly. Also, in my family, we recycle because why wouldn't we?
So, because of that, certain brands and the Green Living idea in general are important to me.
That being said, I was recently given a box of Marcal Small Steps products to review.
All of their products are priced reasonably and coupons are easy to obtain. Around me, they can be purchased at several nearby major grocery stores. For a place near you, check out Marcal Small Steps Store Locator.
I have actually been using their products for years and have recommended them to numerous friends and family members.
Because I already actually have enough of their products, I am donating a roll of paper towels and a box of tissues to my older daughter's classroom. The napkins are used by my moustached Tato and my two ladies-in-training (my daughters).
Now, to the fun part. I am having a giveaway. One winner will receive a package from Marcal Small Steps just like the one above. The package will include:
To enter, you can do the following:
Each is worth one entry.
Also, while you are on Facebook and Twitter, you could follow Marcal Small Steps and let them know I sent you (this will not count as an entry). Their brand embassador, Lindsay, constantly posts interesting, informative and fun content, such as tips to save energy, sites for recycling different products, green cleaning, etc. They also do lots of great promotions.
This contest is only open to US residents (sorry, my international friends! Maybe another time).
So, because of that, certain brands and the Green Living idea in general are important to me.
That being said, I was recently given a box of Marcal Small Steps products to review.
All of their products are priced reasonably and coupons are easy to obtain. Around me, they can be purchased at several nearby major grocery stores. For a place near you, check out Marcal Small Steps Store Locator.
I have actually been using their products for years and have recommended them to numerous friends and family members.
Because I already actually have enough of their products, I am donating a roll of paper towels and a box of tissues to my older daughter's classroom. The napkins are used by my moustached Tato and my two ladies-in-training (my daughters).
Now, to the fun part. I am having a giveaway. One winner will receive a package from Marcal Small Steps just like the one above. The package will include:
- 2 packs of Facial Tissues (Chusteczka)
- 2 rolls of Paper Towels (Recznik Papierowy in Polish)
- A 100-count pack of Dinner Napkins (Serwetka)
- A 250-count pack of everyday Napkins (again, Serwetka)
- A roll of Toilet Paper and a 4-pack of Toilet Paper (Papier Toaletowy)
To enter, you can do the following:
- Follow me on Twitter
- Like Polish Mama on the Prairie on Facebook
- tweet about this giveaway (be sure to add @PolPrairieMama in your tweet so that I see it)
- Share the giveway link on Facebook (be sure to tag Polish Mama on the Prairie so that I can see it)
- Leave a comment below telling us either a green living tip or why the environment is important to you. This one is my favorite idea because I always love hearing about green living tips and stories about why the environment is important to someone.
- If you have a blog, you could mention my giveaway (and maybe comment about Polish Mama on the Prairie) on your blog and leave a link to your post in the comments below.
Each is worth one entry.
Also, while you are on Facebook and Twitter, you could follow Marcal Small Steps and let them know I sent you (this will not count as an entry). Their brand embassador, Lindsay, constantly posts interesting, informative and fun content, such as tips to save energy, sites for recycling different products, green cleaning, etc. They also do lots of great promotions.
This contest is only open to US residents (sorry, my international friends! Maybe another time).
One winner will be chosen by random.org on October 24th, 2011 at midnight.
Disclosure: I was compensated for all my Nestle Family posts. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Disclosure: I was given the package shown above for my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.05 December 2010
Time to Wash Those Diapers
I use cloth diapers for my younger child and love it. Today I have to wash them, which is something that I was curious about before really using them full time, and which people ask about when they learn that I use them.
I was surprised at how easy it is to wash cloth diapers. All you need is a washing machine and laundry detergent. I found out that the laundry detergent can really make a difference in this. Many laundry detergents that are fine for use on our clothing just do not work on washing out ammonia and human waste, and many leave residue which can cause painful skin burns on babies.
I use Tide HE and use roughly one tablespoon worth in a cold wash in my front loader HE washing machine. Then, I run a hot wash with the same amount of detergent. I follow this with a rinse and dry them in my clothes dryer. I do not dry clothing inside as this grows mold, which can damage the structure and value of your most expensive investment, your house. We just moved recently into a new house so I am waiting until spring for a clothesline to be set up for the backyard, so that I can dry the diapers outside in the sun, like my mother did, and her mother did before her, and so on...
I am planning on switching to Country Save detergent in a month, but I have to order it from a health food store, so I keep procrastinating. I think the fact that the Tide works for now keeps allowing my procrastination to continue.
In the meantime, to deal with the optical brighteners in Tide, I strip the diapers once a month, which is not very difficult, either. I wash the diapers as usual, and afterwards, use one teaspoon of blue Original Dawn with a Sanitize setting for my inserts and prefolds. My pockets, wraps, and AIO's get washed with Dawn in a seperate tub. I then throw in the pockets and AIO's into the washer and run usually about 2-3 hot wash cycles until no bubbles are visible in the wash water. One rinse and a tumble through the dryer and we have diapers free of any chemicals and which smell wonderfully fresh.
I keep dirty diapers in my disposable diaper pail. It was a gift from a friend of mine when my second was due and I was still going to use disposable diapers at the time. I use a kitchen trash bag in it, with some baking soda sprinkled in the bottom of the pail and a couple of dryer sheets as well, just to keep smells down, as I did with disposable diapers. When the trashbag has gotten used a few times, I put it as our kitchen trashcan on the days when I am cleaning out our refrigerator, pulling weeds in the garden, or emptying the kitty litter box, that way it isn't wasted. I am however, hoping to buy a diaper pail liner in the near future.
I want to also add that I have never heard any comments that my baby smells like urine or that her room does, either, which is a question that I have heard when I was researching the best way to cloth diaper my baby. I suppose that people assume that disposables do not smell, but they do when baby uses them. Perhaps their concerns are that cloth diapers always smell but when they are cleaned, all cloth diapering mamas check with a sniff test, and I have never washed my baby's diapers and afterward smelled anything at all in the cloth. If I would have, it would have meant that I did not wash them properly.
I also make sure that since baby eats solid foods, I shake the stool into the toilet, the same way my mother did for me, and her mother did for her, and so on. However, breasfted baby stool is water soluble and all babies are born with sterile "guts", in other words, no bacteria in their stool, so there is no need to do this until baby eats solids or formula. Also, many cloth diapering mamas use inserts once baby gets older. I, personally, fold in half a birdseye flat cloth diaper and lay it inside the prefold to catch stool, as it is easier to dunk and wash stool stains from the birdseye since it has less layers.
For travelling, I use two zippered plastic freezer bags. One is labeled "Wipes" and the other "Dirty Diapers". That way, they are not mixed up. I am also planning on purchasing a "wet bag" soon. Or perhaps I will sew one myself.
Diaper washing is done every other day to every three days in my house and it does not inconvenience me at all. My main lesson was learning that I do not need to add anything to my washing routine. Many sites will recommend the use of baking soda or white vinegar, which I have tried. I have very hard water so the baking soda left my diapers stiff and uncomfortable against the skin. White vinegar did no difference at all, so it just added another rinse cycle to no purpose.
I personally do not use bleach in washing my cloth diapers.
I love cloth diapering my baby. It keeps her safe from chemicals, and saves me a ton of money. It's also another shining moment when I say to myself "Babies like it simple and basic, so should Mommy".
I was surprised at how easy it is to wash cloth diapers. All you need is a washing machine and laundry detergent. I found out that the laundry detergent can really make a difference in this. Many laundry detergents that are fine for use on our clothing just do not work on washing out ammonia and human waste, and many leave residue which can cause painful skin burns on babies.
I use Tide HE and use roughly one tablespoon worth in a cold wash in my front loader HE washing machine. Then, I run a hot wash with the same amount of detergent. I follow this with a rinse and dry them in my clothes dryer. I do not dry clothing inside as this grows mold, which can damage the structure and value of your most expensive investment, your house. We just moved recently into a new house so I am waiting until spring for a clothesline to be set up for the backyard, so that I can dry the diapers outside in the sun, like my mother did, and her mother did before her, and so on...
I am planning on switching to Country Save detergent in a month, but I have to order it from a health food store, so I keep procrastinating. I think the fact that the Tide works for now keeps allowing my procrastination to continue.
In the meantime, to deal with the optical brighteners in Tide, I strip the diapers once a month, which is not very difficult, either. I wash the diapers as usual, and afterwards, use one teaspoon of blue Original Dawn with a Sanitize setting for my inserts and prefolds. My pockets, wraps, and AIO's get washed with Dawn in a seperate tub. I then throw in the pockets and AIO's into the washer and run usually about 2-3 hot wash cycles until no bubbles are visible in the wash water. One rinse and a tumble through the dryer and we have diapers free of any chemicals and which smell wonderfully fresh.
I keep dirty diapers in my disposable diaper pail. It was a gift from a friend of mine when my second was due and I was still going to use disposable diapers at the time. I use a kitchen trash bag in it, with some baking soda sprinkled in the bottom of the pail and a couple of dryer sheets as well, just to keep smells down, as I did with disposable diapers. When the trashbag has gotten used a few times, I put it as our kitchen trashcan on the days when I am cleaning out our refrigerator, pulling weeds in the garden, or emptying the kitty litter box, that way it isn't wasted. I am however, hoping to buy a diaper pail liner in the near future.
I want to also add that I have never heard any comments that my baby smells like urine or that her room does, either, which is a question that I have heard when I was researching the best way to cloth diaper my baby. I suppose that people assume that disposables do not smell, but they do when baby uses them. Perhaps their concerns are that cloth diapers always smell but when they are cleaned, all cloth diapering mamas check with a sniff test, and I have never washed my baby's diapers and afterward smelled anything at all in the cloth. If I would have, it would have meant that I did not wash them properly.
I also make sure that since baby eats solid foods, I shake the stool into the toilet, the same way my mother did for me, and her mother did for her, and so on. However, breasfted baby stool is water soluble and all babies are born with sterile "guts", in other words, no bacteria in their stool, so there is no need to do this until baby eats solids or formula. Also, many cloth diapering mamas use inserts once baby gets older. I, personally, fold in half a birdseye flat cloth diaper and lay it inside the prefold to catch stool, as it is easier to dunk and wash stool stains from the birdseye since it has less layers.
For travelling, I use two zippered plastic freezer bags. One is labeled "Wipes" and the other "Dirty Diapers". That way, they are not mixed up. I am also planning on purchasing a "wet bag" soon. Or perhaps I will sew one myself.
Diaper washing is done every other day to every three days in my house and it does not inconvenience me at all. My main lesson was learning that I do not need to add anything to my washing routine. Many sites will recommend the use of baking soda or white vinegar, which I have tried. I have very hard water so the baking soda left my diapers stiff and uncomfortable against the skin. White vinegar did no difference at all, so it just added another rinse cycle to no purpose.
I personally do not use bleach in washing my cloth diapers.
I love cloth diapering my baby. It keeps her safe from chemicals, and saves me a ton of money. It's also another shining moment when I say to myself "Babies like it simple and basic, so should Mommy".
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)