Bamboo - the MUST have nappy fabric! Here's why...

Bamboo Nappies are one of the most popular natural diapering options available right now. Why are bamboo nappies so popular? Bamboo has a lot going for it. Bamboo is naturally antibacterial, soft, absorbent, easy to care for and better for the environment than synthetics or conventionally grown cotton.

What is so cool about bamboo?

Bamboo grows very, very quickly. Up to one foot a day! It does not require pesticides or chemical fertilizers, making it much more environmentally friendly than conventionally grown crops such as cotton. Because it grows so quickly, bamboo is a sustainable resource. Bamboo also helps prevent soil erosion and can absorb up to 40 percent more carbon dioxide than a similar growth of trees.

Bamboo is naturally antibacterial. Studies in Japan show that even after 50 washes, bamboo fabric retains it's antibacterial properties. When scientists attempted to grow bacteria on bamboo fabric, they found that 70 percent of the bacteria did not grow.

Bamboo is highly absorbent - about 60 percent more than cotton. Bamboo is able to absorb about 3 times it's own weight in water.

Bamboo is very breathable, making it a good choice for use against sensitive skin.

Does processing bamboo hurt the environment?

All fabrics impact the environment in some way. The only way to completely avoid environmental impact is to go naked. We feel that the impact of bamboo is worth the benefits it provides, although we are supportive of efforts to reduce the impact of all fabrics on the environment.

Because bamboo is grown so sustainably, it starts out as a much "greener" crop than most textiles. Processing the bamboo into fabric does require the use of chemicals. One of these chemicals is sodium hydroxide (lye). Sodium hydroxide is also used in making real soap. It is created naturally when water is run through wood ash, as our great, great grandparents did to create homemade soap. While you don't want sodium hydroxide on your skin in it's pure form, it is less dangerous than many other chemicals used to create textiles. Further, the factory that turns bamboo into usable fiber uses a closed loop system that retains the sodium hydroxide for reuse.

While creating bamboo fabric is not perfectly environmentally friendly, we feel that it is still a sustainable fabric that is better for the environment than synthetics made from petroleum or conventionally grown cotton. Until a perfect textile is found, we are very happy with the benefits and sustainability of bamboo.

Tell me more about bamboo nappies!

Bamboo nappies are now available from several top nappy makers. In addition to our own luxurious bamboo velour Wipes, we carry bamboo nappies in the form of our Couture and Basix range!

***Info copied and modified to suit Australian terms from http://www.littlefornow.com/pages/bamboo.php***

Strip Wash (ie: what to do when you made a Cloth Nappy washing boo boo)

Hello again!

How did everyone go with their Washing? We have had such a lovely response from the Blog earlier this week in regards to washing your Cloth Nappies.

As promised we are back again to tackle the issue of Strip Washing. For those of you that are wondering what on earth I am talking about 'Strip Washing' is a MCN (Modern Cloth Nappy but you knew by now though, right!?) term that relates to a very handy washing process that pops up every 3-6 months when using Cloth Nappies or if you or someone you know has done a bit of a opsy (Napisan or Fabric Softener kind of opsy) when washing your lovely Nappies!

As mentioned in our Washing Cloth Nappies Blog from Tuesday using Napisan or Fabric Softener on Modern Cloth Nappies can have a very negative affect. In the short team these products will cause your nappies to start leaking. Fabric Softener is simply an Oil that is coloured and made to smell nice! It does have the added affect that it makes your clothes and towels oh so soft and silky, but it has the negative affect of leaving a layer of Oil over the top of your Washing and in the case of Nappies this is very bad. We all know that Oil and Water don't mix so if you have a layer of Oil over the Waterproof and outside layer of your Nappies the waterproofing no longer works. In the long term the Elastic and Waterproof Layer will deteriorate at a very fast rate deeming them useless.

Even if you wash your Nappies perfectly every 6 months or so you might find that all of a sudden the Nappies that were once Absorbing machines are now leaking before every change. This is a simple case of Washing Powder (or Liquid) build up that has coated the waterproofing of your Nappies.

So enough of the 'who dun-its!' lets move on to how to fix it! This is the easy Part I promise!

• Place all of your affected Nappies into your Bucket (or sink for those without a Bucket).
• Fill the Bucket with Hot Water.
• Add to that Water a Squeeze of your regular Household Dish-washing Detergent.. Yep the stuff you use on your dirty Dishes (remember that we are trying to dissolve an Oil Build up in your Fabrics so a degreasing detergent is exactly what we need here)!
• Leave the Nappies in the Soapy Water overnight (please please please put it up high, in the laundry tub or something... way too many babies die every day in a bucket of water!).
• The following Morning drain the bucket and pop the Nappies into your Washing Machine WITHOUT any washing Powder at all. Put on a Pre-Rinse if you are worried you over did the Soap!
• Hang out to Dry as normal.
• Go back to enjoying those fantastic Absorbing machines we call MCN.

And there you have it! Once again our Washing is done. All Cloth Nappy hints and tips are going to become a weekly thing for us here so Subscribe to be kept up to date. Next week we are going to look at Night Nappies and Bamboo.

See ya then!
Shell

Washing Cloth Nappies

Have you ever considered Cloth Nappies but were instantly put off at the idea of Washing them?

Lets go through a few things that I have learned over the last 4 years of 2 Boys in Cloth Nappies and see if we can calm some of those nerves :)

Firstly the Soaking myth - Soaking Cloth Nappies is a tradition that has been left behind with the invention of MCN (Modern Cloth Nappies which is what Cushie Tushies are). Back in the day of Terry Squares you did need to soak them as there wasn't a layer to protect the absorbency fabric from stains. Cotton is also lacking in any sort of Antibacterial properties which is another reason Napisan had its place.

With MCN times have changed for the better! MCN are designed with the most user friendly Fabrics to rule out some of these unnecessary tasks for you. Lets start from the middle and work outwards. The inner Fabric in most MCN is a Stay Dry Fabric, we use Micro-fleece.. and I have seen some with Suede cloth. The reason we choose these fabrics is because 1) they keep moisture away from Bubs Bum and draw it through to the absorbent fabric underneath and 2) the Fabric is such a tight weave that solids can't penetrate the Fibers of the Material meaning they just literally sit on top! It just a matter of taking the Soiled nappy to the Loo and giving it a little shake and off rolls the Poo! This also means that the inner layer of your Nappy won't get stained!

The Bamboo/Cotton used in most MCN for absorbency is another factor in not having to Soak. Bamboo is a Anti-bacterial Fabric meaning it will take care of itself when it comes to bacterial build up!

These are great advancements in the Cloth Nappy world as soaking has many disadvantages from the yucky nature of having to do it, the drowning issue of a bucket of water with toddlers present and the fact that still water breads bacteria on its own. Soaking and using Napisan on MCN is also a no no because of the Elastic and Waterproofing used inside the Nappy as Napisan can eat through these 2 materials.

So now that we have ruled out that messy job lets move onto the actual washing part!

Here is what I do!....
I take the dirty Nappy off, Clean his Bum and put a clean nappy onto my little guy and send him on his way to play whilst I deal with the Dirty Nappy.
I take the dirty nappy to the Toilet, shake it over the bowl (or use the already dirty cloth wipes) to motivate the solids to fall off.
Then it is just a matter of placing the Nappy into my Dry Nappy Bucket that sits in my Laundry Sink (I got mine from Sam's Warehouse for $5, I have seen them in Kmart and Target too).
Once my Bucket is full I have a full load of washing.

It is not recommended to leave your nappies in the Bucket for more than 2-3 days as the ammonia from the urine can start to eat through the Elastic. I wash every day anyway, its not like you can avoid it with 2 Pre-School boys and a Husband :)
I actually have never put a lid on my Bucket and have never had a smelly laundry so if you find you are getting smells with the Lid on the bucket try it without! You should be pleasantly surprised.

To Wash I simply tip all of my Nappies into the Washing machine. I have a Machine that offers a Pre-Wash setting which I select. This sets the machine at 40 degrees which is the perfect MCN washing temp. Anything over 60 degrees will damage your Waterproof Layer inside the Nappy.

I use half a scoop of washing liquid as a full scoop is too much for MCN due to their absorbing nature.
Fabric Softener and Napisan should not be used on your MCN ever... This is because the fabrics are so absorbing that they will draw the soap into their fibers and cause the Nappy to start having an opposite affect in not holding Moisture which causes Leaks! Not something any body likes. If you feel you have done a bit of a boo boo and used something you shouldn't have then you need to Strip Wash your Nappies which I will blog about for you this week!

Once the Wash is done I hang them all over the line.. By over the line I mean that I actually lay them Flat across the top of the line with the Bamboo facing the lovely Sunshine. There are a few reasons for this. 1) The Bamboo will dry quicker when faced to the warmth. 2) There is no pressure on the Elastic when laid across the line. If you hang them by their wings hanging down then all the weight of a Wet Nappy is resting on your elastic causing it to stretch and eventually give out and 3) The Sun is a fabulous stain remover! Did you know that back in the days of 'Rags' for menstruating women they use to lay the Rags over a Shrub or line to burn out the stains? Mix Oxygen from the Tree and UV from the Sun and you have yourself one mighty Napisan without the bad chemical eating fabric bit :)

Once your nappies are dry they can get packed away at the Change Table ready for the next days use. Make 100% sure that your Nappies are dry though before using them again. If the Bamboo feels cold to touch then it is pretty safe to say the Bamboo inside your Nappy is not going to be dry. It takes a full day in the sun here in Sunny QLD to dry my Nappies. If I haven't got a full day then I will hang them over the clothes horse for the night and they will be dry by the next morning. Cushie Tushies MCN can also be popped in the Dryer on Low but please check the Wear and Care labels of other MCN before taking this advice as they are all slightly different in their make up.

And there you go! Our Washing is done. That wasn't so bad now was it! I have many Nappies in my Stash that have been going for 4.5 years on 2 different boys so if you are mindful of your washing system you can get such great value out of your Cloth Nappy stash.

Any Questions please feel free to Comment!
Shell