I just had to throw away four beautiful calico-covered pee pads that I had purchased from two different vendors who frequent this site. I had owned some of the pads for almost three years, and until a month ago, I could keep all of them in the linen closet with absolutely no detectable odor. So what happened? I moved into a new apartment with a VERY expensive European HE washer, and the washer ruined all of them. The smell in them became so bad that nothing would get it out. I even took them to a laundry to wash them in a traditional washer, but no joy -- they still reeked and I had to throw them away. So here is my question: Has anyone had any luck washing similar items in an HE washer? I'm guessing I need to rinse them multiple times in a bucket before I somehow managed to move them into the washer. Does anyone wash them that way? Any other ideas?
While I try to figure out a solution, I've purchased some very inexpensive adult incontinence pads to replace my beloved fabric covered ones. I think I will try to find a bucket somewhere to pre soak them prior to washing and see if that helps, but it sounds like a lot of work! Even if I go back to disposable pads, I'll still need washable ones as a "safety liner" for days when Goldie does her business too close to the edge of the paper, so I really will need some kind of method to clean these things. Thanks in advance for any ideas.
