Care and Washing Instructions
First wash
All fabrics are prewashed prior to manufacturing for maximum shrinkage; however fabrics like hemp and bamboo require 8-10 washes to reach maximum absorbancy.
I recommend washing all items at least twice prior to use.
Menstrual Pads
After use, soak in a container of cold water. Once you are ready to put a wash load on, squeeze excess water out and give another rinse under running cold water.
Then it’s as simple as throwing pads into washing machine with all your other laundry and wash as per normal cycle.
The water used to soak your pads contains lots of wonderful nutrients which your plants will love, so there is no wastage of water.
I recommend line drying, but you can tumble dry your pads on a low/medium setting.
Breast Pads
These can be washed with anything, no need to dry pail, no need to soak. Just pop them in with your normal wash load. As they are small they will dry much quicker than nappies or pads, and can be tumble dried on low/medium setting.
Wet Bags
These are made using fabrics which are coated with polyurethane laminate. I do not recommend that they are put into washing machine or dryer.
Just turn inside out and wipe with soapy cloth/sponge (non-abrasive) and leave to air dry.
Nappies
Solid matter can roll off the nappy, or can be scraped into toilet. You can also use a device called “The Little Squirt” which attaches to your toilet and you can rinse your solid matter directly into the toilet.
Other products which can be used are flushable liners like Eenee flushable liners. Pop a liner in each nappy, once soiled the liner with solid contents can be flushed down the toilet. These are especially good for breastfed poos.
Nappies can be directly thrown into a bucket; there is no need to soak nappies like in the olden days! This is called “dry pailling”.
When ready to put a load on, simply throw all nappies into the washing machine with ¼ - ½ scoop of your normal detergent and wash. Please do not use bleach, fabric softeners or any other chemicals as these may be detrimental to the lifespan of your nappy.
I recommend line drying again to keep your nappies in tip top shape. However, they can be tumble dried only on low-medium setting.
Special items
From time to time I make special items with delicate fabrics. I do recommend that these are hand washed or washed on delicate cycle only and only to be line dried.
Strip Washing
Detergent build up
After a certain time, detergent builds up on nappies and as a result may affect the absorbancy. To fix this, I recommend a strip wash.
Just place your load of nappies in washing machine with ½ cup of dishwashing detergent and wash.
Smells
Over time, you may find your pads or nappies have a slight odour. You can do a strip wash using vinegar and bicarb soda. Just place ¼ - ½ cup of bi-carb into dispenser (instead of washing powder). Then ¼ - ½ cup of vinegar added to the rinse cycle.
I do not recommend doing strip washes too often as it can deteriorate the elastic and pul fabrics used.
Removing stains
There are 3 natural methods you can use to remove stains
1. UV is a natural bleaching agent, so I recommend line drying out in the sun as much as you can.
2. Bi-carb paste to remove stains. Just place 1 tablespoon of bi-carb soda mixed with water and spread onto stain. Let it dry out in the sun and wash as per these instructions.
3. Lemon juice is also a natural stain remover, however due to it’s acidic nature, I do not recommend using it regularly as it may affect the lifespan of the ealstic.
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