To those who use reusable wipes...

[joymaker]

Just want some tips on best ways to keep them fresh and any nice recipes you may have re adding lovely smells that are safe from birth, thanks in advance

We've been using reusables soaked in camomile tea for our five week old daughter. She is lovely and clean and no nappy rash so far. Once they are a few weeks old you can add a few drops of lavender oil to the mix as well (you can probably do that from birth - we're just being cautious).

I dunno about keeping them fresh we just pop them in with her nappies when we do a wash. We're dry-pailing and just adding a few drops of lavender oil to the bucket now and then to keep it smelling sweet. No problems with freshness so far.

You'll use loads by the way. I make up a fresh batch most days so they don't have time to sit around getting manky.

I just wash them with the nappies at 60 and use plain water - haven't had any smell problems so far!

I just put them in the nappy bucket and wash with the nappies. I don't bother keeping them moist, I have a small tupperware of water in the nursery with a few drops of lavender oil in it that I change every day, then just dip the wipe in and wring out before using it. For the change bag I have a small spray bottle and either spray onto the dry wipe or DD's bottom!

I bought a pack of 36 wipes and that is plenty for us, I wash every 2 days.

I am hoping to use reusable wipes with dc3, can I ask a few questions.

What make of reusable wipes do you use?

Does anyone make their own? If so, how? (a friend chopped up a big cheap fleece throw from Ikea - would this work?)

Does anyone put oil in the water? I've heard this the poo come of easier. If you do does it make the wipes harder to wash?

Thankyou (sorry for invading thread, Joymaker!)

I made some of my own wipes and bought organic cotton ones also. Wee notions do lovely minkee ones and puddlekins do supersoft ones also.

To a pint of water I add a tablespoon of olive oil(fab for skin), a squirt of baby shampoo(cuts through the oil and aids cleaning, we use organic chemical free shampoo), a squirt of honey(known for its anti-bacterial properties), 4 drops of lavender oil, 4 drops of tea trea(again anti-bacterial) and a camomile teabag. Pour on boiling water and mix, I then pour this over my wipes in a tupperware tub. Last me two days, covers 12 ish wipes.

Oh and nope, honey des not make it sticky!
Here are some yummy recipes.....
www.zany-zebra.com/cloth-wipe-solution.shtml

I got 3 packs of these www.thenappylady.co.uk/public/productdetails.aspx?id=8&cat=5 - 18 wipes, but I use disposable wipes for poos and when out so 18 is fine for me.

I've found terry better than fleece as they wipe away the poo better (partic when your DC is on solids and nappies get really messy). I ripped up an old dressing gown liner, bought some nappy nation terry wipes and ripped up a bamboo terry. All work equally well. I have loads - about 30 - and could probably do with some more.

I keep them dry and then just dip in fresh water when I need to use them.

I dry pail and wash with the nappies, every 2 days. Don't add anything to the bucket unless partic smelly when I add a few drops of lavender or tea tree oil. Usually one non-bio tablet in 40C or 60C wash (depending on how dirty the nappies are) and put a few drops of tea tree oil in the conditioner drawer for the antibacterial properties and fresh smell. have also used lavender in the past.

TBH, nothing can beat drying them on a washing line for lovely fresh smell (and the bleaching effects on any stubborn stains!)

We've got the same ones as Apple. About 3 packs I think.

I just keep a bowl of water by the change mat and use one (or more...) wet wipe to clean, then a dry one to dry.

Dry-pailed with the nappies, then washed at 60 degrees with soapnuts, vinegar and tea tree oil. They keep fresh. Line drying does turn them to cardboard though so we generally tumble dry a few.

I have weenotions cotton velour and cotton double sided wipes, I soak them in a solution of pumpkin butt solution and then wring them out ans put them in a monkey foot bag, when I change a nappy I chuck then in the washbag with the nappy and wash it all at 60*.

thanks for all your tips guys (nelix2000, and AppleAndBlackberry for the useful links) There are certainly a lot recipes out there I'll definately be trying a few to see which ones I prefer.

Hazeyjane the more the merrier
I was thinking about making the wipes myself but am now wondering if it's actually worth the bother. If I did, and made them double-sided what would be the best combo of materials to use -I've seen some made out of jersey that I thought might be nice and soft

I use the cheeky wipes kit (with an extra bundle of wipes so we always have plenty around). Probably not quite as cost effective as making your own but I think I'm getting very good use out of it, and my DH is so pleased he's done a blog post on it! They come with some oils you add to the tubs.
I wash them mostly with the nappies, but I also put them in with the normal wash if I'm running short. 40 or 60 is fine. I would find them a bit fiddly to peg out, so I lay them out in anal rows on our garden table if it's a nice day, they dry very quickly. (you can use them straight from washer but I heard that they can get a bit manky if they are never allowed to dry out).
I think the kits make a great present, have given to eco-minded friends myself, so you may want to drop hints if you are still expecting!
one of my best buys

I made my own (well, my mum did) by cutting Wilkos cheap flannels into 4 and hemming the edges. Of course, you could use whole flannels.

I use cammomile tea with some lavender oil in. I did put a tbs of olive oil in at first (nice as it moisturises LO's skin) but the washing seemed to smell funny even after going through the machine,so now I don't use olive oil but do wring the wipes out less, so they're wetter.

I wash with my nappies - have done at 40 with nappy sanitiser, or at 60.

I did find the wipes got smelly (damp rooms type smell) if they didn't dry out between washes. I got rid of the smell by washing them at 90 with bio detergent, but now I dry them between uses.

We use cotton wipes a mix of cheeky and i think the others are nature babies :s. i wet them with water about 10 at a time and put them in my small cheeky wipes bag to keep damp. When used i cuck them in dry pail with nappy. Wash on 60 and they always smell fine!

I have some wipes I made (hemmed a cut up old towel) and some I bought.

I have a big shallow mug that I keep on the changing table, a sports drink bottle that I keep my wash solution in (camomile tea, olive oil & lavender or tea tree), squirt solution in cup, dip wipe, clean bottom

Have been doing that for 2 years (DS is 2 today) and it works fine.

Wipes go in the nappy bucket.

Used to use mineral water bottles with a sports cap for my solution, but now I use a 'proper' one - sling it in the dishwasher now and then for a clean, but not all that often - doesn't seem to be a problem.

Washable wipes are about a million times better for getting pooey bottoms clean than packet baby wipes. Fact.

I bought a pack of 10 face flannels from IKEA and cut them into quarters. I didn't bother to hem them, and they frayed for the first couple of washes then stopped fraying. Used them for 2 babies and have kept them 'just in case'.
Also bought a set of 3 boxes with hinged lids from IKEA (they are intended for keeping pencils, etc in, I think-from the kids' dept.). Kept wet wipes in one box (similar recipes to those already posted) and dry in another (to dry bottoms after wiping).
Aleys just washed them with the nappies. Used for wees and poos, as if you've got to wash poo off a nappy you might as well wash it off a wipe as well!

I use Cheeky Wipes, but not the whole kit, just the wipes and the plastic box. When I started with washable wipes I did as above and cut up the Ikea flannels. Unfortunately they frayed so badly they clogged my washing machine. I then tried zig-zagging them but decided it wasn't a productive use of my time and I forked out for the Cheeky Wipes. I felt slightly ashamed about buying them because when a friend got them I think I actually said to her 'a fool and her money.....'

Just the Ikea flannels not cut up would be perfectly good but I found I wanted something smaller and found the Cheeky Wipes ideal. I also have a cut up Ikea fleece blanket that I use but the terry is really a lot better for poo.

I either use plain water or add few drops of lavender oil, but there are lots of recipes for wipes solution around if you google. Most of the recipes involve a bit of oil to help the wipe glide across the skin better, but we manage without.

Washing them hasn't been a problem and they come up really clean every time. I dry them in between uses so that they don't smell.

If you do go for the Cheeky Wipes, don't get the bamboo ones as they are no better than the cotton and cost quite a bit more!

i made my own aswell. asda have a six pack of microfibre car cleaning cloths (yellow, blue, pink) they are quite big so i cut them into handsized rectangles and i soak them in a pampers plastic tub with water and lavender oil. sometimes chamomile oil too. i only soak enough for one day at a time so they dont go all yukky smelling.

when i am cleaning poo bums i actually rinse the nappy and wipe before putting them in the bucket, i soak everything in water with tea tree oil, vinegar and bicarb until the evening when i wash them.

So useful thankyou everyone

booyhoo do the microfibre car cleaning cloths fray when cut at all? are they very soft? and do they work well on cleaning bots?

no they dont fray at all, that is why i love them. they are soft, i soak them in vinegar and then they get another dose in the wash and then line dried and finished off with the tumble so really soft, and they work well because of the little grabby bits they have on them. i think it was £4 for the six and i got 36 rectangles from them. i haven't needed more than that and ds is 13 months.

they only thing i find though is that when you tumble them with the nappies, they stick to them, but that is no real biggie.

I think for home-made I might try the microfibre and see how I get on wih them- economically appealing too

Poundland baby face cloths (tip I got from MN) are cheap and v good as wipes.