minneapolisite: I use washable sanitary pads too, lots of brightly coloured and patterned ones :) I don't even bother rinsing mine though, straight into the machine and they come out just fine. I do have an excellent front-loading machine though, my mum lives in Australia and has a top-loader and always expresses amazement at how much better my washing machine is than hers, so I wonder if top-loaders generally aren't as good as front-loaders?
I much prefer washable sanitary pads to the plastic ones or tampons, much less rubbish to dispose of and much cheaper!
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Posted 1 year ago #
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We put the towels over radiators or hang them outside on the line straight after using them. Never had a problem.
Posted 1 year ago # -
We have 2 laundry baskets in the linen closet, 1 for clothing, 1 for used towels. We hang up our towels over towel bars in the bathroom after each use- use for a 2-3 days, then into the basket it goes. I do towel laundry about 2 x a week. Never been a problem, even with a family of 7.
Posted 1 year ago # -
long live the washable pad!
and the mooncup is a pretty awesome thang also.
not sure how lived until i was 35 without one.lottielot, i went back to a toploader this year after my craptastic frontloader finally died for the last time.
i bought the biggest noisiest heaviest one i could find.... with no electronics.
it has three dials on it, twist and push style.
and that is all. it's almost retro.
it cleans everything fabulously and i realise now that the front loader was just "phoning it in" for years.
so help me god, i will never go back to a front loader again.Posted 1 year ago # -
lottielot & bandicoot we have a FANTASTIC front-loader. We just don't do laundry often enough (once or twice a week max) and I'm paranoid about stains setting in on my cute little pads. :P
Better for the environment, no more icky-sticky always-damp feeling, and no more inserting chemical sticks in my most sensitive region. I can't figure out why anyone uses disposable feminine products! If you haven't tried it yet, I recommend a menstrual sponge as an alternative or for extra protection on heavy flow days. I have tried the mooncup, divacup, keeper, etc, but they're just a little too much bulk for my comfort level. I'm saving it to try again after I have kids. :)
(Sorry for threadjacking, margaret!)
Posted 1 year ago # -
off to google the sponge.....
Posted 1 year ago # -
got me interested...wonder what I can get at this neck of the woods...
Posted 1 year ago # -
djk, i spent way too much time looking around the web at these things last night.
it appears that you can just buy any old sea sponge that you like the look of, trim it to size (tampon length and about twice the width), soak it in hydrogen peroxide, boil it and....you are good to go.
or you can buy one already prepared. ...jade and silk was one brand.Posted 1 year ago # -
ooh, never heard of sponges! I have a Mooncup but have not always got on that well with it. Maybe lack of practice or it's not the right shape or whatever, but I will google sponges too. Washable pads rule though, I agree that I can't see why people use disposable alternatives, for starters it's lots cheaper to use washable ones, and then there's the comfort factor. But then I was introduced to washable pads via washable nappies, and again I was horrified at the waste (of money and of materials) of disposable nappies. They take 500 years to degrade, and babies use hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of them before toilet training. Ick, that's a lot of landfill! Not judging those who do use them mind you, but I just imagined a disposable nappy mountain every time I used one, and I loved my washable nappies sooo much :) You can't beat a cute nappy wrap on a cute baby! And then after my son was out of nappies I passed them along to a friend with 2 tiny kids both in nappies and she was so grateful. They'll probably last 3 or 4 kids, that's got to be a good thing.
Re the frontloader: it depends what brand really. I have a Bosch and I swear by it. My last one lasted 10 years before it died and my new one is about 6 years old and never had to be fixed. Plus it has this beeping noise when it's finished so you can go fish the washing out of it and the noise drives my husband CRAZY. Result!Posted 1 year ago # -
I've been using a mooncup for the last 2 months and it's brilliant. Took a bit of getting used to and I had to look online for different ways to fold it (the C-fold they suggest didn't work for me), but I'm already a convert.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Threadjack away -- it's interesting to see where the conversation goes.
Cleaning question -- mopping -- what tools/products do you use, how often do you do it, what if any rinsing do you do? My floors don't seem that clean even immediatly after I mop them, but I'm pretty sure it's because I mop them so rarely that I would actually need to go over them several times to get to actual clean. I've tried assorted mopping tools (sponge mop, steam mop, swiffer, one that is kind of like an upright vacuum) and I'm not wild about any of them. I just went back to good old string type mop and a bucket. Like I said, the problem is more likely my lack of mopping than the fault of the tools (I'm a sucker for a sales pitch, dagnabit). Hmm, I guess I should get rid of all the mop items that I don't seem to use anymore. There's actually quite a collection.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Ooh, a different fold for the mooncup, will have to google it, good tip.
I use a mop which has a washable pad which you attach (not sure of the brand, but it's a microfibre pad) and detach to wash it. It's always filthy when I take it off, you just use plain water with it. I also use a boring wooden scrubbing brush if the kids have spilt something which is really sticky or won't come off. My floors are a nightmare to clean though, really bumpy surface (slate) so would be interested in any other alternatives. I hate those string mops, they get stinky so quickly! The sponge ones just get ripped on my floors because they're rough. It's really hard to find a decent mop!Posted 1 year ago # -
When I had a cleaner, she insisted on a string mop - which like Lottie, I find nasty and stinky, but I liked having my floors cleaned by someone else.... Now my husband is in charge of floor washing, and he prefers to do it with a sponge/scrub brush. Whatever, as long as I'm not doing it! I vacumn it and wipe up spills, but every 3 months or so, he gives it the full treatment. We have only the kitchen, hallways and entry that need washing, plus the living room has hardwood which he cleans really well about once a year. It's very small, and we don't have kids so not much spills in there.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I think the Keeper is kind of narrower than the Mooncup or the Diva, for what that's worth - I've had both.
For mopping, I use a swiffer-style thing with a damp rag stuck on it, and I try to mop every day, but usually it's only 3-4 times per week.
But we have cats, a child, a lot of visitors (often in muddy boots) and I have the most disgusting, holy, old linoleum in the world - it's going away this winter sometime, once we get the cabinets fixed up. Our house is entirely hard floors, mostly wood, so I sweep a lot and the mopping is basically dustmopping.
Posted 1 year ago # -
the mooncup is a bit wider than the keeper and it is also a softer material.
it is silicon, which is handy for those with latex allergies.
and trying a different fold can make all the difference!floors.
our place gets utterly filthy with six cats traipsing in and out, added to our rural-ness, added to the fact we have no buffer zone around the house....no decks or steps at present. (but i haz planz).
we literally step from the garden into the house, or from the gravel drive into the house.
we have rich red volcanic soil and it is dusty in the dry season and muddy in the wet season.
every single piece of snowy white expensive bed linen that i possess, sports some red oxide cat paw prints.
i do have cleaners right now, but i have done my share of floors.string mops are fine, as long as they are maintained properly.
this involves rinsing them after use, then squeezing out the excess water, then standing them head up somewhere breezy to dry thoroughly.
ever now and then they may need to be laundered.
we use a string mop in the workshop, but for the house i prefer my mop from the supermarket that has a replaceable microfibre pad and doesn't require any cleaning products.
i've replaced the pad maybe twice in the last 6 years.
i use it with a bit of eucalyptus oil and water and then launder it when done.
the microfibre works brilliantly and removes the vast bulk of the junk on our floors (tiles and raw concrete).the key is to start with a thoroughly vacuumed floor, so you aren't just grinding debris into the floor as you mop and moving it from A to B.
because we have decluttered (see how one hand now washes the other!) it is easy to lift everything off the floors, or move things slightly, so we can really get everywhere with the vacuum.for a serious clean, i'd start on hands and knees (kneel on something soft and padded because knees can wear out), a scrubbing brush, a bucket full of something hot and soapy and bleachy.
there is just no way around this step and no substitute for getting down to floor level to clean.
then, i'd mop the soapy water up and do a rinse with some white vinegar in hot water.
from there, i'm happy with the microfibre mop every few days and i don't repeat the scrubbing except if i am spring cleaning or in the case of a major spill.
i've also developed the habit of spot cleaning.
my cats tend to drag bloody tuna and chunks of meat out of their bowls and around the floor before devouring them, and it leaves an unholy mess.
i would have tolerated that once, or gone into a full clean mode.
now i just get a damp cloth (i am the rag queen, there are always stacks of clean rags on hand) and wipe up the spot alone and feel no urge to do the entire floor.Posted 1 year ago # -
Bandicoot -- I have a couple of times in the past actually washed the floor on hands and knees, thinking that it would do a better job. But until your post, it had never crossed my mind to use a SCRUBBING BRUSH! I've only ever used a rag. Ha ha. I think for now, I'm just going to keep working on getting things cleared out and trying to have at least a regular mopping time, even if it's not perfect, and then when I am more agile, I might give the scrubbing a try. I might even be able to talk my kids into thinking scrubbing is fun and get them to help. I have done a vinegar rinse after most of my mopping jobs, but I think that's part of the reason I mop so seldom -- it just became such a big production with so many steps that it took hours. At least with just the string mop and bucket, I can swish up the floors quickly. Not perfect, but the worst of the sticky messes and grime is gone. And yes, I definitely need to get working on wiping up spills as they occur. I tend to ignore them because of broken window syndrome -- the rest of the floor is so gross, what's one more spill? Also, if I get rid of some of my cleaning supplies and make what's left more accessible, it will be easier to do spot cleaning. And if I could get the kids doing it too -- woo hoo!
Posted 1 year ago # -
margaret: my 5 year old actually asked if he could mop the kitchen floor the other day (novelty factor, lol). So I showed him how to do it and he's all keen to do it again!! He's my 'clean' child and usually comes and asks for a cloth to clean up spills if he makes a mess somewhere. So I have negotiated with him: he is to sweep the kitchen every day and mop every couple of days while his brother gets sole responsibility for the dishwasher emptying. Ds2 actually described mopping as a 'happy chore'. Bless. Let's see how long it lasts, but if he wants to take ownership of the worst job in the house then I'm happy if it only lasts a few weeks!
bandicoot:you're so right about decluttered floors being much easier to clean up, that used to be my main problem in the kitchen. Much easier now!Posted 1 year ago # -
how old are your kids margaret?
my mother had me scrubbing floors at 8 and then applying tile polish with a brush.
it isn't complicated or heavy work and it's a lot easier for a kid than a pregnant mum!we lived without electricity for a couple of years (rural northern ireland in the mid seventies), so i was also responsible for quite a lot of laundry.....i loved tramping up and down a bathtub full of sheets and warm soapy water for half hours at a time. but mum and grandma did the wringing, i wasn't quite up to that.
Posted 1 year ago # -
We use a steam mop on our tiled kitchen/living room floor; it's wonderful! No chemicals, just distilled water, and our floor is cleaner than ever. Dries up right away, the pads are washable. I suppose it's a bit of a unitasker, but it makes the job so much more pleasant!
Posted 1 year ago #
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