White Vinegar and Diapers

Thank goodness for WHITE VINEGAR.

So, many of you know that I have been using cloth diapers with Lucas. Well, a couple weeks ago I noticed a familiar smell. It smelled like the litter box. HAHA But really, I noticed a smell coming from my used diaper bin. It smelled like AMMONIA. 
What a horrible smell. I washed my diapers, but would notice that after they were soiled, the smell came back quite strongly! So, I did some investigating about ammonia. I came across some people saying that white vinegar does wonders for getting rid of vinegar-- so I tried it.


My wash cycles now goes as such:
Cold Pre-wash/rinse with 1cup white vinegar
Hot pre-wash/rinse
Full wash and rinse cycle with detergent
Cold Rinse with 1/2cup vinegar
Cold Rinse

Well, ammonia is basic, and vinegar is acidic, so they cancel each other out, so to speak. Since I've started using vinegar in my wash the ammonia smell has not come back after Lucas soils his diapers. Thank God for vinegar because ammonia smells awful! And if there is anything else I've learned, RINSE, RINSE, RINSE your load. Detergent build up not only can lead to your diapers repelling urine, but it can lead to ammonia. So, add some vinegar to your wash and make sure you rinse your detergent out well!!!

CONT.

Thanks to Brian McCarthy for this!!!!

What you should and shouldn't buy from the produce dpt.

So, today I met a friend at Forest Park in Springfield, MA and we went for a walk and caught up in each others lives. While we were walking and talking, I told her about my alternative lifestyle actions that my family and I were taking and she was very supportive of what we talked about (Thanks Julie!). She was telling me about a chart on her friend's refrigerator that had a list of produce items you can buy from the grocery store that are "safe" and a list that you should try to buy organic because of heavy pesticide usage. I thought that was very intriguing! She was going to send me a copy, but I've researched the topic tonight because I liked it so much and wanted to share it with you all.

*The topic of why pesticides are bad for human consumption will be posted soon!

Things that are safe to buy non-organic and why:
These fruits items are safe to buy non-organic because they have a thick skin that is usually not ingested:
Papaya
Pineapple
Kiwi
Banana

These veggie items are safe to buy non-organic because they have naturally strong defenses against insects, therefore, farmers use less pesticides:
Cabbage
Broccoli
Asparagus
Cauliflower
Onions

Things to purchase organically:
Any fruit that has a skin that you ingest, or a thin skin that may allow for pesticides to seep through:
Peaches
Nectarines
Plums
Grapes
etc.

Any veggie that has skin to directly ingest:
Bell peppers
Lettuce
Zucchini
Squash
etc.


More information about the topic HERE