Soap Nuts

In the summer I decided to start cloth diapering Stinx. It was a decision I made based on a few reasons. But mostly it came down to just trying it. I had planned to cloth diaper Stinx when he was a new born but I weakly let Dad bomb that idea. So now that I have the time and energy to be cloth diapering, I really really like it.

But it took me quite awhile to figure out which diapers I would use. There are sooo many different types of diapers out there. Fitted's, Pre-folds, Pockets, All-In-One's etc. I ended up buying lots of diapers off sites like http://www.diaperswappers.com/ or http://www.kijiji.ca/. Then when Dad went to Texas I got him to buy me 6 Bum Genius diapers. They are way cheaper in the states (at least they were this summer when the dollar was okay). So I mostly use pocket diapers but also have a few fitteds.

So then the question was, how do I wash these things? Everyone seems to have a different opinion on how to wash cloth diapers. I settled with cold wash or rinse, then hot wash with soap, and an extra rinse cycle.

Soap is another complicated issue with diapers. If you use the wrong soap it will wreak havoc on the diapers. Detergents with natural oils seem like a good choice but in fact they're bad! They can cause all kinds of trouble. Same with fabric softener... so i did a little research and found that many moms use Country Save. http://www.countrysave.com/ This is what I have been using and I have had no problems at all.

However, the same people who recommended Country Save to me also recommended these things called Soap Nuts. They're a fruit from a certain tree in India. The shell contains a natural soap. Well I then saw them listed on a local co-op so I decided to give them a try. And they actually work. You stick 3 or 4 of them in a little cloth baggy and throw it in the wash. I also tried them in my dishwasher this week end when I was all out of regular automatic dish washing detergent. Worked like a charm even though Dad was skeptical. The trick is that they have to be used in hot water.

These little soap nuts really are brilliant though. They're 100% natural, good for the environment, and really work. If only I could grow them in my yard. I haven't been using them all the time, I still like the Country Save for the cloth diapers and I have a big jug of Ecos from Costco that I want to use up. But all in all, I like having these soap nuts in my laundry stash.

Here's a link if you want to check them out. This is a local site from Alberta that sells lots of cloth diapers and other things. http://www.fluffybottombabies.ca/item_94/Kaleys-Soap-Nuts.php