Front Loader

SarahinMD

I know this has come up before, but I'm having trouble finding posts...so please forgive the repeat.

We successfully CDed DD and are expecting our second LO in about a month. Our washer is on its last legs (just our luck--the drier died right before DD came along!). So DH is busy trying to find a washer so as to not have a stressed out wife :-)

He'd love to get a front loader, but saw that it makes CDing more difficult. I think our wash routine (we spray from Day 1 for #2, do a full cold wash then full hot wash, and only use prefolds and covers) set us up for less problems from what I've read. But I wanted to see what you ladies thought--is a front loader prohibitively difficult? the one we have now is a basic top loader, so ideal for CDs, but I can't even compare to an HE top loader.

TIA! 

TJ1979

I've been CDing with a HEFL for almost a year, with zero issues.

hst

I've had an HE top loader for two years, no issues once I realized which setting had the most water. FWIW in my old condo building we had a front loader, it was a commercial one, worked great, but smelled really bad, I've heard that is common with front loaders. 

annathyst

I wouldn't base your washing machine choice solely on CDs. Your kids won't be in them forever and you wash more than just diapers. I have an HE FL and I've figured out a good wash routine for us, so it's doable. Just pick the machine that you think will work for your entire family, not just CDs.

veruca5839

I've always washed my CDs in an HEFL and haven't had any problems.

Carnation77

When looking at machines to buy look up their manuals online.  You can just google "Owner's manual" and the make and model of the machine.  That way you can really see the different features some of them have that give you more control over temperature, timing, and water level.  I noticed that just going to the store, reading tags, and talking to sales people (most of whom seemed to be men who didn't seem all that experienced at doing laundry) just wasn't getting me the information I needed.

bhdoucette

I've been washing CDs in an HE FL for almost 10 months now. It probably took me close to 2 months to get my washing routine perfected (detergent, amount, cycles, etc). But we've been issue free since. I will say that my natural fibre inserts are more forgiving, which bodes well for using PF's.

msjanet02

bhdoucette:

I've been washing CDs in an HE FL for almost 10 months now. It probably took me close to 2 months to get my washing routine perfected detergent, amount, cycles, etc. But we've been issue free since. I will say that my natural fibre inserts are more forgiving, which bodes well for using PF's.

Can I ask what your routine is, and what detergent u use? Thanks!

KarliVtobe

Hearing that CD were impossible to wash in a HEFL is what turned me away from CD the first 10 weeks of DS life. Turns out he is allergic to disposables & I immediately regretted letting owning a HEFL intimidate me from starting with cloth. We are loving CD & DS bottom is doing do much better in cloth. I have had no issues washing our Charlie Banana pocket diapers. I do a cold rinse, no spin & an  extra rinse followed by a heavy duty hot wash with an extra rinse & they come out perfect, no stain every time. We are using tide original for HE washers as our detergent & haven't had any issues yet.