Fleece Do I need a waterproof layer with my liner

I'm not finding a waterproof layer is necessary. But I use pee pads on top of my big fleece liner. Honestly, I'm finding that if pee gets on the pee pads (1 layer of fleece, 1-layer of U-Haul, and then another layer of fleece), it is not even getting to the bottom layer of fleece, let alone the liner. It seems to be wicking to the pad's middle U-Haul layer & staying there. So I would think the same would be true of a liner that is constructed the same way. But my piggies don't pee on the pads very often. If you have areas of the liner that get peed on multiple times, or get soaked, I would imagine that a waterproof layer would be helpful.

If you do want to use a waterproof layer on the bottom, then skip the bottom fleece. It isn't necessary and serves no purpose at that point. Just have the fleece on top, then the uhaul and then the waterproof fabric. PUL (polyurethane laminate) is the waterproof fabric you can use.
I made my liners this way (though I used zorb instead of uhaul).

What is the purpose of the two layers of fleece? The liners I use are made with one layer of fleece followed by two layers of UHaul furniture pad, and I don't find that moisture soaks through beyond the second layer of UHaul.

So wait, PUL and Uhaul are the same?

Really I just think it would look better with a pattern fleece paired with a solid fleece on the botton. And that way the uhaul pad would be covered. The uhaul pad isn't really that pleasant to look at .

I heard some people complain about using 2 uhauls with 2 fleece and it not drying well. I don't have a washer or dryer so I have to go to a laundry mat to wash my stuff. I was just gonna make a liner with 1 uhaul pad sandwiched between 2 fleece. But like I said I don't want any pee going through the second fleece and onto the coroplast. So really if I did a waterproof layer then the second fleece would just be for looks.

If you want to sew a waterproof layer in the liner, then you would do one layer of fleece, one layer of uhaul and the bottom layer would be PUL (you wouldn't put another layer of fleece in there) If you wanted your liner to be double sided, then you would do the standard two layers of fleece with 1 layer of uhaul inside. Then do a separate waterproof liner under that to protect the coro.

A small amount of pee gets on my coroplast in random spots with my 3 girls in a 2x4 using two layer of fleece with 1 layer of uhaul. I also have a 1x2 kitchen so most of the mess goes in there. It could be more if you don't have a kitchen.

Starthecavy123 said:

I will be making a full cage liner with uhaul pad sandwiched between 2 layers of fleece. I don't want the pee to go through the bottom fleece layer. Is it a good idea to sew a waterproof layer so the pee doesn't get on the coroplast. Or will the one layer of uhaul be fine. I don't want to have to use another uhaul pad over the coroplast then the liner. If you think its a good idea what should I use.

Click to expand...

No, PUL is a waterproof fabric, Uhaul is recycled denim padding.

LuvCavysLuvCats said:

So wait, PUL and Uhaul are the same?

Click to expand...

I don't care for a waterproof layer sewn into a fleece pad. It traps moisture and bacteria in the pad when you wash and dry it. My pads have fleece on two sides and a single layer of uhaul pad in the middle. I have a single layer of uhaul pad under the pad. Sometimes it's damp in a few spots but other times it's completely dry so i don't have to change it as often as I do the fleece pads. I like it because my coroplast stays really clean. I'm sure I could use just the pads alone but this has worked well for me so I continue keeping my bedding this way.

So really if I wanted I could just place a lose piece of pul or whatever on the coroplast.

You don't need waterproof if you have coroplast. Just spray and wipe down the cage with 50/50 vinegar and water when you clean cages. You'd have to clean the pul and wiping the coroplast would probably be easier.

FYI, Almost all cloth diapers are made this way, that is what PUL is for. Fleece inside the diaper, followed by absorbent material (Cotton, hemp, bamboo, zorb, or microfiber) and PUL on the outside all sewn together. The pads will dry fine as long as there is only one layer of uhaul it will dry fast.

If you were going to do a loose waterproof lower layer, check out Babies R US for the BRU brand of crib mattress protector liners
(https://www.toysrus.com/product/ind..._US&ab=BRU:bproduct_rr:Customers Also Liked:2 )

and get a couple of the 2 packs of the large crib pads, they are very thin, flannel on the outsides and a water proof layer on the inside (one flat bonded layer) The flannel will also absorb some liquid. I use these all the time. They cut like a dream, don't fray at all and work really well. They run about $12 for two 27x36" large pads, depending on the size of your cage you will probably need to sew a couple of them together or overlap. I have made many lap pads, bottle pads, cat walk pads and ramp liners using just this sewn inside fleece. It works really well as a waterproof layer with a bonus bit of absorption from the flannel. (Flannel is also an absorbent material and these pads in particular are used to protect mattresses from pee so they function really well).

I wouldn't use them for full cage liners. (I have tried, they get smelly too fast for that) but as a last layer under a regular cage pad liner or for smaller pads where you need waterproofing they are awesome.

also, I wouldn't do a plain layer of just PUL, I think it would be a pain to lay out flat in the cage when you put the cage liner on top I think it would shift around and get all wrinkly. It would be better sewn to the pad. If you just want a loose layer of waterproofing, look at the pads I suggested above or use a layer of plain Uhaul or towels or disposable puppy pads etc. You want to be able to ether throw it in the washing machine or throw it in the trash.

Just to clarify for the OP... PUL is a waterproof fabric that comes in all kinds of patterns and colors. Looks of it are not a problem.

Like you, I did not want the coro getting pee on it. I know the coro can be wiped down, but I just didn't want to have to bother.

I have been using fitted liners that are fleece on top and PUL on the bottom. In between would go the Uhaul padding (I chose to use Zorb instead of uhaul).

Since my piggies tend to piddle in certain areas of the cage, I have potty pads on top of certain areas of my liner. The potty pads are nothing more than 2 layers of batting sandwiched and sewn between 2 layers of fleece. Since there is fleece on both sides, I can flip them to get a little extra use out of them.

The photo shows a close-up of my daisy liner (you can see it going over the coro sides in the back). You can also see a potty pad that my Lily is enjoying.

Not sure if I worded that clearly enough....

My main liner has the absorbent layer sewn between the fleece and PUL. Most use uhaul for the absorbent layer. I used Zorb.

Also, the PUL feels pretty much like regular fabric. I used a solid yellow PUL but it isn't really seen so any pattern could've been used.

I used the same 3 layers for making a lap pad. With the waterproof fabric on the bottom, I know I won't get wet!

You are inspiring me to try making my next set of fleece with PUL bottoms so I can experiment!

Just and FYI though, PUL will overtime start to be less waterproof especially if you put it in the dryer. I know this because I cloth diapered my twins and there is always tons of discussions on my cloth diaper board about PUL losing its waterproofing. To extend the life of the PUL you are supposed to hang/air dry or dry your diapers on the low/delicate setting on the dryer. My dryer doesn't have that setting but some do.

^^good to know about drying the PUL. I live in the desert, so I hang dry all of my piggie bedding outside. I think that also helps with freshness.

I read that it can take a while for it to degrade. Also that every once in a while you need to seal it in the dryer on high hot incase the stitching causes it to spread and moisture to go thru. PUL is made using a chemical bond to attach the waterproofing to the fabric. As opposed to TPU which uses heat to bond the two together. TPU is probably a little healthier but less stable and not as long lasting.

Im a newbie too and working on a c&c cage. Would flannel work in place of fleece? Also, how much are the uhaul blankets ?

No flannel. It ravels, and the pigs will eat the strings.