Re-Usable Wipes and mold?

[Kelly M]

I have some hemp wipes and I plan to use them with a home made solution. I have some ideas on a recipe for the solution from this website here https://www.zany-zebra.com/cloth-wipe-solution.shtml

My question is, has anyone ever done the re-usable wipes and if so do you live in a humid environment? We live in Austin, Texas where it's very humid and I'm worried the wet cloth wipes will get moldy but not sure I want to go the spray bottle route if I can help it. Did/do you have a problem with mold on your wet cloth wipes?

 

[Rachel_C]

You just need to change the solution frequently. Make up the solution in small batches, say a day's worth, wet enough wipes for the day and then put them in an airtight container like a sandwich box/tupperware. It won't matter if the environment is humid or not as the container is sealed. Then you just make up a fresh batch the next day. You can try doing two days at once but I found it started to smell musty after that.

Or do you mean will they go mouldy in the pail? If you're using cloth nappies, just wash them at the same time. If not, wash them at least every other day in whatever else you're washing. Should be fine.

 

[Kelly M]

I meant will they get moldy in the container I keep them in. I guess I could make up a bunch of solution at a time but only wet a day or two's worth of wipes. The solution would probably last in a jar in the fridge right? It's just baby soap, lavender oil and water. I have had regular store bought wipes get moldy here but I don't think the container was exactly air tight and I probably just didn't use them fast enough.

Any advice on how many wipes I will need in a day? I plan on throwing them in w/ my cloth nappies for laundry every day or two so not worried about them molding in between washes.

 

[Rachel_C]

Hmm I would just make it up as you need it, no point creating places for bacteria to grow. I used to make them up each day - just add a squirt of baby wash, a few drops of essential oils and top up with water... takes about 30 seconds. If you do that upstairs, it would probably take longer for you to go and get premade solution out of the fridge

How many nappies do you change per day? It does depend on the size of the wipes. I use fairly small ones, about palm sized, so I usually wet two at a time (don't bother with solution anymore, I just use water from the tap). If it's only a wet nappy I don't really need both, if it's a dirty one I'll occasionally use a dry one too. But 2 per nappy is right on average for us, so I use maybe 10 per day.

 

[Kelly M]

I have no idea how many nappies I'll be changing in a day. I was just trying to avoid having to make up the solution every day, thinking it would be a hassle. But you're right. If I just have all the ingredients at the ready then it shouldn't take too long to make it up every morning. Thanks!

 

[Rachel_C]

Sorry, I didn't check your sig! I'd say 20 a day would be a good number for a littleun.

 

[Blah11]

i forgot i left some wipes upstairs (wet in a tub) and found them a few weeks later covered in black spores obv I had to bin them which was annoying as there was about 20 cheeky wipes.


eta - I just wet as I go too from tap water. Sometimes I put a few in a wetbag but no more than 5 or 6.

 

[Kelly M]

I have heard you can just make up a bottle of the solution in a spray bottle and just spray a bit onto the wipe each time. I may try that and see if it's practical. The only thing is, that takes two hands and I like to have one hand on the baby at all times so he can't roll off the table. Or I guess, you could spray the bottom and then use a dry wipe, maybe that would work better?

 

[Rachel_C]

Well you can do that but have you ever tried to soak a wipe with a spray bottle? Give it a try, it takes forever! If you want to do that, maybe use a bottle with a sports cap instead. Spraying the baby is fine for some babies, my first daughter liked it but it just makes my second daughter pee! And if it's chilly and your solution is cool, I don't think that'd be very nice. That's actually why I use water from the tap - I can make it nice and warm, and really babies don't need solutions or anything, water is just fine even once babies are weaned. It's better for their skin too.

I would just see how you go... don't buy anything you wouldn't buy anyway for your solution unless you find you need it. On a newborn you just use water anyway so you might find you want to continue with that. I really think the idea that you need products to clean a baby is something created by baby wipe manufacturers. If you really do need something, which I occasionally feel we do, I just use a tiny squirt of our usual baby wash on a warm wet wipe.

 

[NDH]

I've had some wipes go mildewey lately as the weather is warming up here as we're in quite a humid climate. But I seldom get the chance to get my wipes fully dry in between washings as I just don't have enough pegs or space to hang them so that's probably my biggest problem that they're staying damp for up to two days in the pail before washing and then damp for two days before getting used.

 

[hanelei]

Where I live (Tokyo) it is super hot and humid from June to September- still in the high 90s with 80-90% humidity today, and I always have two days worth of wipes already wet in a Tupperware container, and they then usually spend another day or two in the pail before being washed with the nappies.

I have never had wipes go moldy or develop mildew in over a year of using the same cloth wipes. It doesn't surprise me that wipes left for 2 weeks as someone mentioned above go mouldy, but 2 days should be fine. I mostly use just water, but sometimes put some almond oil, a squirt of baby soap and a drop of lavender oil in.

I agree with Rachel C that trying to wet them with a spray bottle just as you want to use them is tricky, especially if you have a wriggly baby or an escape artist like mine- I don't want any extra steps at the time I'm changing nappies so I'd rather make them up in advance.

 

[Rachel_C]

A way I would consider using a spray bottle would be to mix up a solution with no water, so maybe some baby wash, a bit of essential oil, perhaps some witch hazel or veg/olive oil to thin it a bit, put it in a spray bottle then spray that onto a wipe that you've wet from the tap. The stuff in the bottle should keep well enough with no water and you'd only need one or two sprays onto the wipe as it would already be wet. Still harder than just using water but if you want solution and don't want to make it each day that could be an option.

 

[MommyJogger]

Sorry to hi-jack the thread, but can I ask why people don't tumble dry cloth wipes? (That's the impression I've gotten, but may not work for us in the winter when we'd have to hang-dry inside and would take 2+ days and we'd def get mold on them since I'd avoid washing in bleach.) Getting ready to transition from disposables and using my free time to make two-sided wipes out of soft worn out towels and flannel. Can I just throw those in the dryer or will they not work as well after?

 

[Rachel_C]

There's no real reason not to, although some fabrics like bamboo can lose their silkiness if tumbled, but why would you need to? You wet them to use them anyway so you really don't need to dry them. Sometimes I do if other stuff is going in anyway and then I can put them straight away (I don't pre-soak them, I just wet them as needed so they go in a stack on the nappy shelves), but otherwise I just put them on an airer (stacking them when wet would make them smell musty) and take them as needed. If you pre-soak them, you can put them into the solution from wet.

 

[MommyJogger]

Well now I feel really stupid. I'm sitting here going, "I can't put them in the wet solution until they're dry". But I guess I can. Good to know it won't hurt them if some get thrown into the dryer with the diapers, though. You said you only need water for wiping, but does oil of some kind not help prevent diaper rash?

 

[Rachel_C]

It's been asked many a time I have read that it helps to let them dry properly occasionally but I have no idea why, it doesn't seem to make any difference to me. They do dry quickly though, I tend to put them on those sock airer things and hang them in a doorframe/from a curtain pole and they'll be dry in a few hours even when it's damp. You can lay them on a warm radiator too and they'll be really quick.

I'd actually say just water helps the best at preventing rash. Too many products can make baby's bottom sore. I used to use solution but when LO got sore I would switch to plain water or cooled camomile tea and it helped.

 

[hanelei]

I dry mine after washing, since I line dry I like to let the sun do some extra sanitising before I use them again. I suppose it doesn't have to be done every time, but I do recommend drying in the sun from time to time- it could well be part of the reason I've never had issues with mould or mustiness.

 

[patch2006uk]

We use chamomile tea in a spray bottle. Change the tea every couple of days (it goes cloudy, so you can see it's gone off), and spray wipes as needed. It takes maybe 10 seconds to spray them. Not too much hassle.