Disintegrating washable nappies - my Popolinis are getting serious holes

[BrambleNoodle]

Does anyone have any experience of their washable nappies developing holes and disintegrating? I have been using Popolini Onesize nappies (like Motherease but organic cotton) for two years and they are gradually falling apart. I have checked with my supplier, The Nappy Lady, who were very helpful but cant see that I am doing anything wrong. I dry pail them (no soaking) and wash them every two days with biological powder, then air dry them followed by a bit of time in the airing cupboard. Any ideas?

how many do you have? if you're washing every 2 days then maybe they're just plain worn out?

You are doing exactly what I do and none of mine are falling apart. We have a mixture of nappies but no popolini. How many do you wash at a time? I do about 8 but I think Motherease in particular advise 6-8 at a time to reduce ruining the pile etc. (can't remember where I read this though).

I have loads of different types of nappies and only my popolino's have been chucked away because they had holes in them. Shame because I really liked them

I have 20, and wash and dry about 10 every two days (whilst the other 10 are then being used). They have also gone very rough, compared to a friends Motherease nappies (which are now being used on baby number two) and are much softer.

I was given some popolinis, and they died at around the 2yr mark too

Biological powder might be the culprit it leaves enzymes on the fabric thats why most people suggest you use non bio for children and babies because their skin is so sensitive and thin the enzymes remaining on clothes or nappies could eat away at their skin or nappies eventually ?

I think I heard this somewhere before but correct me if I am wrong.

Kim

I always used NON bio powder. That could be to blame. Everyone else I know uses NON bio as well

That's interesting, is sounds as if it could just be the fabric.
On one website I noticed that there is polyester in both Mother-ease and Popolini, but that only the base into which the loops are woven is poly in the Popolini - like most towels. The Mother-ease has polyester in the actual loops as well as far as I can tell - this would make the fabric more hard-wearing.
I have found that very short cotton terry fabric (like ME and Pop) does get quite threadbare, so perhaps it does need the polyester to keep it from going bare?
It would be difficult to be certain unless you compared wash cycles, detergents, drying, the number of nappies you have and how much washing they have had overall.