Should I add anything to my nappy wash in hard water area?

[hopefully]

Haven't started using them yet (due in 12 days...), but lovely bamboo nappies are pre-washed and ready for use. We live in a really really hard water area (south coast), so I'm wondering if I should add anything (vinegar? Who knows?) to the final rinse to stop the nappies going stiff due to hard water. Or will it not be a problem?

Bamboo is very good for hard water areas because it stays far sorter than cotton when washed repeatedly and line dried.

That said if you add a glug of WHITE vinegar to the wash that will help keep them soft (not white wine vinegar - white malt vinegar - cheap stuff) but you shouldn't really need to.

Alternatively move to Devon or Cornwall where we have nice soft water

I found using soap nuts really helped, we have rock hard thames valley water.

Think move to devon or cornwall definitely the solution...

Good choice! - let me know when you arrive

Cargirl - I live in the Thames Valley area too! So Soap nuts worked eh? Did you put them in as well as detergent, or instead of?

I used a tiny amount of bio detergent (40ml??) and soap nuts because my dds all had smelly amonia wee. It is the soap nuts that make them soft because they stay in for the duration of the rinse cycles too.

Brilliant, thanks!

Cargirl - Another question, these soap nuts. I was thinking they were the balls with spikes that you put in the dryer, but a washing machine version, but when I put 'soap nuts' into google it's talking about a natural soap coming out of real nut shells that you put in the wash - is this correct? Don't want to get the wrong thing!

Thanks.

yes the natural soap nuts I think "inasoapnutshell" is a website that do a sample for the cost of postage 70p. Those tumble dryer balls are good too for tumbling in general as well as nappies!

Ok, thanks Cargirl! I don't have a drier, but I was thinking of maybe getting some ecoballs as well, because I'm sure I read somewhere that you're not supposed to use fabric softener with nappies.

no you musn't use fabric conditioner!!!!! Anything that softens the water naturally is fine though.

I bought some of those anti limescale magnet balls you put in your washing machine from Kleeneze although not sure if they help or not.

I have never thought of limescale. If my kettle is anything to go by the washing machine must be about an inch thick by now, I have to delimescale the kettle every other month!