Cloth Diapering on a cruise

[Husurdady]

.....this might be a little off subject , but once your kids grows out of the cloth diapers don't throw them, keep them for car rags....case-in-point,our DD will be 27 yrs old next month, and I still have a total of 5 of them left. They are the best thing for rubbing the wax off of my car and van every fall....... Just a side note....sorry.

 

[lbgraves]

The ship's have 2 types of water waste. Grey and Black.
I'm not sure about the DCL rules, but I know the two different types are treated differently before being discharged into the ocean. Black water get's a higher level of treatment to make it safe to discharge from Grey Water (sinks, showers etc).

Calling DCL is a good option unless someone else on here can tell you what the regulations are (they fall under USPH and the environmental program DCL follow.

HOWEVER, even if it is permitted, I wouldn't be happy using the machine after the dirty diapers.
And I would think it would be a good courtesy to the next user to then put the machine on the highest temperature cycle available afterwards (empty of course) to try to remove any traces of poop, or germs.

Ex Techie

Good information about how they treat the water filtration. There is so much that goes on that the guest never has to even think about.

I know that when I used cloth, I first ran a load with just hot water and vinigar to sterilize, then ran a second complete run through with detergent. That effectively sanitizes the machine after the initial rinsing.

 

[Christy323]

Whether it is poop, urine or blood or whatever, you should Hand Wash your clothes or child's diapers, not inflict their or your deposit or accident on everyone else who then uses the machine afterwards.

THIS!

I'm trying to avoid checking any bags when I fly down to LA for my MR cruise in September. This means I will likely be doing laundry sometime during the cruise. A little common courtesy in recognition of the fact that we're all sharing the facilities is all I ask.

 

[roxy84]

Where would one hand wash soiled clothes? In their sink or tub? Because I feel like that is even less of courtesy. I know the housekeepers clean and sanitize that area especially between cruises but I would rather someone wash a soiled clothing article in a laundry machine then in the sink/tub I am using the next cruise (where my toothbrush and other personal items may be near).

Many soiled items are laundered everyday though the ships laundry (not the guest ones, but the ones for the linens, towels and guest dry cleaning/sent out laundry). I'm not an expert on laundry machines so I don't really know if their is a difference between the guest area washers and commercial washers when it comes to decontaminating soiled clothing. Maybe if there is a difference - then the common courtesy should be to send these items out for laundry?

To the OP- The best thing you can do is call Disney to get your answer. As great as the Disboard is, the only policies you can trust are those directly from DCL (and even those change from time to time). Another thought is if you are using the Nursery at all - I don't know if they will be able to properly dispose of waste (all they have is a diaper genie) so I guess either bring some disposable diapers or perhaps a ziplock so they can put the used diaper there for you to do as you like later.

 

[extechie rbd/wdt]

"Where would one hand wash soiled clothes?" In their sink or tub at home would be best with bleach to rinse and cleanse everything afterwards.
And many soiled items will get laundered every day, and the huge commercial washers in the ships laundry down on deck b have the ability to sterilize the contents with heat.

The OP has good reason to use CD's, it's not ideal but given that it is a medical reason I'm sure DCL have dealt with it before.

Ex Techie

 

[stargazertechie]

Ok, to everyone freaking out-

If cloth diapers were really this unsanitary (leaving poop everywhere, "contaminating" other clothing loads, etc) wouldn't you expect families who cloth diaper to constantly be ill with gastrointestinal illnesses?

Parents of children who are having solid or semi-solid BMs shake or dunk their cloth diapers in the toilet to remove excess feces. They don't just throw the diapers, piles and all, into the washing machine.

Between the heat of the washer and the laundry detergent, bacteria is successfully eliminated from the surface of the diapers. How do you think your other clothes get clean?

If you didn't SEE the OP doing her laundry, you would NEVER know that someone did cloth diaper laundry. It's not like you open up the washer and find skidmarks all over the inside, or get knocked down by the smell of human waste.

You do realize that detergents kill all sorts of bacteria, right? I mean, when you wash dishes at home, do you autoclave all of your dishes to ensure that no bacteria remain?

OP- the only concern I would have is detergent build-up from other people's wash- having to run an empty load to clean the washer, plus an empty load after to appease the masses is going to get expensive. But I commend your dedication to CDing your little ones! I plan to CD my future children, and the big appeal of DVC for me has been having the ability to wash cloth on my trip

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Thank you for your responses.

I can't believe this hasn't even crossed my mind till now and there seems to be such varying points of views on the subject, understandingly so.

I typically only wash the diapers once every 2-3 days so one washing during the cruise would likely suffice. I also admit that I too have the mindset that at the end of the cycle both the diapers and the washing machine the diapers are in will be clean. However, I do understand that some people are at the idea of using a washing machine for their own clothes that has been previously used to wash fluffy bums.... But with that in mind I imagine that even without cloth diapering those machines see their fair share of bodily fluids...... Kinda makes the idea of waiting to do at home more appealing.

Anyways, I'm going to go seek out that other thread and see if I can find any disney regulations regarding the subject. While there is a part of me that wants to respect the preferences of others in terms of what goes in the washers there's another part of me that just feels really uncomfortable with the idea of using disposables... Silly I know, after all I did use them with my eldest child... But now the thought of using them just feels icky

On the off chance this is a serious question........are you really that enflexable that you cannot use desposable diapers for the length of a cruise?..you think it's ok just cuase you want to, to let other passingers wash there clothes in your childs *S T*..???

If so, you are indeed a self center small type of person!

AKK

 

[stargazertechie]

On the off chance this is a serious question........are you really that enflexable that you cannot use deposable diapers for the length of a cruise?..you think it's ok just cuase you want to, to let other passingers wash there clothes in your childs *S T*..???

If so, you are indeed a self center small type of person!

AKK

If you read the OP's post, she CDs due to skin allergies.

As to "forcing other people to wash their clothes in her child's poo"- you do realize that nobody is washing their clothes WITH her diapers, right? There's no poo involved in any load before or after her diapers- the water leaves the machine, the machine is clean afterwards... how could clothes come out clean if the machine is still dirty?

 

[JACH1976]

OP, I completely understand about the allergic reactions. Poor DS would get a diaper rash within minutes of putting on a Pampers brand diaper. Again, I would recommend that you contact DCL directly, but encourage you to try out the 7th Generation disposables. They are hypoallergenic, and were the only diapers that DS did not have a reaction to. Happy travels!

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

If you read the OP's post, she CDs due to skin allergies.

As to "forcing other people to wash their clothes in her child's poo"- you do realize that nobody is washing their clothes WITH her diapers, right? There's no poo involved in any load before or after her diapers- the water leaves the machine, the machine is clean afterwards... how could clothes come out clean if the machine is still dirty?

1. She did not say that in the first few posts, it was suddenly the problem later on...my pardon for missing that.

In this case I do beleive but are not 100% sure that there are allergy free disposible diapers.


Maybe we should put this in a different context........think of a load of dirty diapers from a grown person with a medical condition..........would you be so agreeable to washing your cloths in the machine after a load of thier dirty diapers?......I sure wouldn't.

2. Stain clean and bactriria clean is 2 different things. Washing a poop/ pee covered/soaked diaper in a machine, with a limited temp range is NOT clean after the rinse cyle....you really should reread your washing machin booket about cleaning your machine. Today many say to run a hot cyle with a desinfectant and/or bleach.

Ever have a repair person there and have him remove the drum or open the pump?....you maybe very surpized.


I am NOT saying the OP is a bad person.I stand by my position that its not fair to other passingers to wash a dirty diaper in a public machine!

Any way this is only my opinion.


But after this post I think will have to beach out a machine before running our 1 ot 2 loads.

AKK

 

[breakingd_awn]

I CDered our last DD,however for vacation I used disposables. I actually miss the BumGenius days they were much cuter than disposables. I don't know if people understand how clean you have to get CDs. You don't want anything left on them cause it can agrivate baby's skin. Fist of all the solids go in the toilet. It's not like your putting piles of poop in the washer. When I washed mine I would start with a rinse,then wash in hot with charlie's soap(good stuff) it gets rid of any bacteria and residue left on diapers. Then I would wash again . The washer is totally clean after, I would have no worries putting my hand washables in after I cleaned the diapers. There was absolutely NO poop left in the washer . I must add that when we went on vaca,DD did get a rash like a big sunburn. Disp have strong perfume in them. She wasn't used to all that. It was nice coming home and getting her back in her CD's.

 

[Mythicalbee]

I noticed a thread further down where a man had asked whether it was okay to wash cloth diapers on DCL. His question wasn't really answered likely due to the outrageousness of his other questions/comments but it is a serious question of mine.

For a variety of different reasons I cloth diaper my son and it was my intention and preference to continue to do so should we schedule our next vacation ( a disney cruise for the first time ever ) before we get our youngest potty trained. But is washing them in the disney laundry facilities really not allowed?????

Wow, those of you that have not CD'd, please do a little research before you judge -- seriously, do you think we would wash our diapers and put in our clothes afterwards if we weren't 100% sure that the washing machine was clean? We extend the same courtesy when we're using public washers. My goodness, cloth diapers are way more sanitary that folding up the poop in a sposie and sticking it in some unsuspecting persons' jbin... talk about eewww!!!

There was a thread awhile back on the issue, but after a search I couldn't find it - We often travel and wash our CD's in public laundry, but I am so glad to say this summer marks the end of CD-ing. Our youngest is potty trained!!!

We used fuzzibunz one size, and for travel lined the diapers with rice liners (they're washable, compostable and flushable even in septic tanks. and cheap. About $6 for 100) so for #2 you can just flush the rice liner with the solids.

For wet diapers, when the kids went to bed would fill the tub with a few inches of hot water, soak the wet diapers for 10 minutes or so, squeeze them out and hang them in the shower overnight. Really cuts down on the ammonia smell until you can wash.

We used two wet bags - one large for storage and one small for the diaper bag. I made mine, but know many you can buy have the same 'scent tab' that you can put lavender oil on. Lav oil has antibacterial qualities as well.

Now I know that bleach is a big no no, but after 4 years of CD'ing it has yet to damage my diapers. We wash first with the diaper detergent (we used powder bumgenius) then a second water only cycle with a tablespoon of bleach. It sanitizes the machine and makes your CD's fresh. A win-win for everyone.

Our sons couldn't wear sposies so we didn't have an option - and when you don't have options you get pretty creative! Hope this helps, and happy cruising!

PS breakingd -- I too miss the fuzzibunz, but I got to prolong them with bumunders - they're washable 'pull ups'. Super cute and weans us mommies off of those cutie bums... my son hasn't been wet at night for a month but I keep putting them on until "I'M" ready

 

[Octoberbride03]

Ok, I'll chime in as a person who has no children.

OP, if i decide to wash clothes on my cruise and we are on the same cruise. Please feel absolutely free to wash your diapers in the machine and leave a note on it with my name for when you are finished

I'm sure i won't die simply because you washed a load of diapers.

And for those of you who are freaking out, if this is your biggest concern on your vacation maybe you want to consider leaving a questionnaire in the laundry room asking cruisers to write which machine they used, and what was washed.

Because the bottom line is you NEVER know what the load before you contained.

 

[pperfectmom]

I cloth diapered both of my kids and even tried to do it on our first WDW vacation. Take my advice and go buy some Seventh Generation disposables. Not only will you not annoy other passengers, but, more importantly, you will be able to enjoy your vacation a lot more. You don't have to change nearly as often when using disposables and you won't have to worry about spending valuable vacation time in the laundry room. The Seventh Generation are chemical free, not very expensive and work better than any other disposable I tried. Give yourself a break!

 

[rngrblu9]

i have to say thank u to u for even thinking about the concerns of other people...it seems that we don't do this enough for each other...

 

[Fltwin]

if we are by chance on the same cruise, I would be more than happy to do my laundy in the same machine that you used to wash your CD's. The machines are clean afterwards so why would I care? As another poster suggested, I too, used seventh generation diapers and they are GREAT! The only thing about them is they are a little "stiff" unlike pampers whcih are pretty soft.... good luck to you. Yay for CDing! WIsh I could have.

 

[tinkerbell2181]

Ever have a repair person there and have him remove the drum or open the pump?....you maybe very surpized.

OP - I admire the work you go through to CD your little one. It is something I have been more recently considering in the future.

I wonder if their is a sanitary cycle on these machines? As the person posted above it is quite shocking what remains in the boot of washing machines. Check this out http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellne...aded-bacteria-dirty-clothes/story?id=10751420 You do assume with hot water and detergent it is being cleaned. But unless that water is reaching a certain temp and you have bleach in it, it really isn't sanitary no way you shake it. And yes, the next load of laundry can be picking up bacteria. Those machines can become a breeding ground for all sorts of bacteria.

For one week I think I would just do the 7th generation disposables as the one poster suggested and buy some organically safe diaper ointment. It would also give you a break from worrying and cleaning for a week. My DD does not have allergies and has only had a few diaper rashes the last 17 months. However, with pampers I have only once ever had a 'blowout' and that was when she was being breastfed and not on solids.

After reading that article, I would personally only use the machines unless it was an emergency or total last resort. Not because of cloth diapers alone, but puke, blood, and whatever else you can imagine.

 

[STLDisney_Freak]

Ok, I'll chime in as a person who has no children.

OP, if i decide to wash clothes on my cruise and we are on the same cruise. Please feel absolutely free to wash your diapers in the machine and leave a note on it with my name for when you are finished

I'm sure i won't die simply because you washed a load of diapers.

And for those of you who are freaking out, if this is your biggest concern on your vacation maybe you want to consider leaving a questionnaire in the laundry room asking cruisers to write which machine they used, and what was washed.

Because the bottom line is you NEVER know what the load before you contained.

 

[kmix78]

Whether it is poop, urine or blood or whatever, you should Hand Wash your clothes or child's diapers, not inflict their or your deposit or accident on everyone else who then uses the machine afterwards.

Common courtesy in my humble opinion.

Ex Techie

Hi Ex Techie - you are showing your ignorance about cloth diapering Most people DO hand wash/rinse poop off diapers prior to washing. If people would do their research before ripping out a knee jerk reaction this probably wouldn't even be an issue.

 

[extechie rbd/wdt]

Hi Ex Techie - you are showing your ignorance about cloth diapering Most people DO hand wash/rinse poop off diapers prior to washing. If people would do their research before ripping out a knee jerk reaction this probably wouldn't even be an issue.

Each to their own opinion, and maybe I am ignorant of the in's and out of how you or most people in your experience deal with CD's.
I get that they are better for the environment, I get that some people's babies have allergic reactions to certain disposable diapers.
I don't think anyone has had a knee jerk reaction, but a distaste to contamination of the machines by soiled clothing albeit diapers, boxers, briefs etc.

The linked article about germs in laundry machines does provide some researched information about temperature's and detergent not killing all the bug's in faeces.

As far as I know, no-one has posted what the DCL policy is about CD's and how to clean them?

Ex Techie