The weather is cold. Colder than cold. I am very comfy in my warm house with my blanket wrapped around me and my kitty cat on my lap. It just occurred to me that I have no drafty windows, insulation runs throughout my house, hot water flows through my pipes with the turn of a knob, and I don't even need to leave the kitchen sink dripping to keep frozen pipes away. My toilet works. Scratch that. My THREE toilets work. I have more blankets than people living here. More pillows than heads to lay on. My oven works fine, and it is not heating my house.

I am rich. I am filthy rich. Yet, other people see my house as average, my car as a little less than average, and my cell phone as just another phone in the bunch. It is very difficult at times to not think the same thing. If I measure myself to the standards of those living around me, I become disgustingly arrogant. I think to myself, I deserve better than this! I have a master's degree, and I can't even afford to upgrade my cable! I do not see the people who do not have hot water, or even water at all. In my selfishness, I forget about the children that are praying for an extra blanket. I have plenty, and yet I want more.

I am guessing that if I give as much as I can, my priorities will be a little different. I will remember others who are not rich. I will stop comparing myself to people in my life that have as much or more, and I will start actively searching for those who are in need.

This weekend, you will find me in my closet getting rid of article after article of clothing. Not the worst ones, either. Everything I don't need. Hopefully, this is only the beginning...

Stripping Diapers

What is stripping?

• Stripping cloth diapers is the term used when your diapers have become less absorbent or very stinky. Basically, your diapers have build-up. Build-up of what can be hard to determine. It usually is build-up of detergent. Sometimes a fabric softener gets thrown into the dryer by mistake, and this can cause build-up. Diaper rash cream also causes it, as well as mineral deposits.

Reasons to strip

• Diapers smell good when coming out of the dryer, but as soon as the baby pees, there is a seriously, offensive odor that didn't used to be there.
• Your diapers have started repelling liquid. To know if this is true, pour some drops of water on the diaper. If they roll right off, you have a problem.
• You have used a diaper rash cream that wasn't made for cloth diapers and forgot to line your diapers with a liner to keep diaper pores from clogging up.
• You used fabric softener.
• You have extremely hard water or well water.

How to strip

• I recommend turning your hot water heater up for about 30 minutes before washing.
• Fill your washer all the way with super hot water.
• Wash on hot, and warm rinse.
• Continue rinsing until no bubbles or suds are found in the water.
• I recommend putting about a Tbsp of Dawn Dish soap in the water. Just make sure you completely rinse it out. Not sure why Dawn, but if you look around, Dawn is the only dish soap recommended. Dawn also gets rid of the dingy-ness of your diapers, which is nice in the winter time when you don't see the sun for months. I have gotten into the habit of squirting a little Dawn in my diaper load about once a week, once every 2 weeks.
• There are other recommended additives to put in the washer to strip, including baking soda, vinegar, and even bleach. Be very careful when adding baking soda, as it can cause diaper rash. I have never used anything else in my wash besides detergent and Dawn, and I have had no major problems.

If you have major problems, and this did not work, ask me, and I will try to determine the problem for you. Also, this website has some good tips: http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentbasics.htm#Stripping%20Diapers

Questions?

Do you have any questions or comments for me? I would love to hear them! You can email me at:



crazyforcloth @ gmail . com



(Make sure to remove the spaces)