Anyone else in the Toledo area?

jesstellina

Even if you're not in Toledo, you may have heard about the water situation we're having here. Due to high content of microcystin, a chemical found in some algae in Lake Erie, our tap water is unsafe to drink or use for cooking or washing dishes. I've heard mixed messages about showering and haven't heard much about laundry. The chemical is actually made worse by boiling, so that's not an option.
So I'm trying to decide what to do about washing diapers. We last washed them Fri afternoon. We have about a million prefolds, so we're ok there, but we have 3 days worth of dirties in wet bags. WWYD - risk it with the city water, somehow hand wash with bottled/gallons of water, or go to a laundromat half an hour's drive away? And depending on how long this goes on, I may need to do whatever I decide repeatedly, or buy some disposables *vomit*.

Kelly11235

(I live in Columbus now, but lived in Toldedo/BG for about 5 years.)

Isn't Bowling Green on well water or some other source?

I think I'd buy disposables to use in the short term.  Wash diapers wherever the next closest city is with usable water.  The reason I'd suggest disposables is because there really isn't any way to know how long this will go on for.

I wouldn't risk washing diapers in the algae water.  You're not supposed to shower in it, I don't think I'd want to wash in it.  Better safe than sorry when it comes to babies and contaminant exposure.

Kelly11235

This kind of what disposables are actually good for (in my opinion).

countrycotton

I just saw a news conformance that the water is now safe to drink. So I would think you are good to wash your diapers. I would probably flush my water lines first. Turn the taps on for a few minutes, and may be fill and drain your washer before starting the load.

Kelly11235

Flush your lines, definitely.  Get the bad water out of the lines.  If you can, it might not be a bad idea to drain your hot water tank too.

jesstellina

Thanks for the advice! Our water is now considered safe to drink. DH flushed everything really well, even disconnecting the washer hoses at some location, and washed diapers this morning. I'm so glad the ban is over! That was an eco-friendly family's nightmare, having to use so much single-use stuff!