Cloth Diapering
2junebabies
member
Hard water
2junebabies
member
Hi ladies! I was wondering how long it usually takes for hard water to interfere with the absorbency of the diapers. We are planning to use prefolds to start, and we will be living in an area with pretty hard water for the first 4 to 6 weeks of LO's life (depending on when he or she decides to come). After that we are moving back to an area with soft water. Should I invest in water softener for those initial weeks? Or do you think it is a short enough time period that it won't really matter? And will the soft water remove any effects of hard water? Also, any detergent recommendations would be great. Thank you!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Hard water
We moved to a place with hard water when DS was 4 months old. It didn't cause absorbancy problems, but within the first week of doing diaper laundry here I started to notice an ammonia smell when he peed. I turned up the temperature on our initial rinse to warm, and haven't had problems since.
The other thing I did was add Calgon to both the initial rinse and main wash cycles. I think if you have a good water softener you can use any detergent you like. We use Tiny Bubbles.
You should be fine for the 4-6 weeks unless you have really hard water. I have really hard water and have to add Calgon to my wash cycle every time. I also use Lulu's In the Fluff for Hard Water. Even with that I have to strip about every 3-4 months.
I would say just add some Calgon to whatever detergent you plan to use in your new place & then if you notice any stink do a strip with RLR or washing soda once you get to the new place.