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Cleaning Absorbent Layer under fleece

PiggyBaby

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Hi all! I'm new to this forum and I'm hoping to get some advice regarding absorbent layers under fleece
I've recently changed to fleece and I gotta say that I'm loving how its a big save on money as I don't have to use so much expensive bedding.But I've encountered 1 little problem.I use old towels beneath the fleece, started out at 2 layers, then went to 4 layers as I realized 2 layers got soiled and pretty wet in just 24 hrs. Even with 4 layers I would have to do a change on the 3rd day. My mother stays with me and there is NO way she would ever allow me to toss the towels into the washing machine even if there weren't any other clothes in there, so i would have to resort to soaking them in hot water and vinegar, and hand washing them. I have a day job and I can't exactly do laundry in the morning. So that's a pretty big problem for me ;( I have a few questions

1) Are there any better absorbent layers that I could use below that could last longer? (puppy pads are way too thin to last even a day)
2) There is a self service laundromat near my house, would throwing the towels in be insanitary for the public washing machines?

Thanks!
 

bpatters

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Wood pellets work amazingly well under fleece. Just make sure they don't have any accelerants added, and don't have a strong pine odor. Horse stall bedding usually works well.

Your mom didn't wash baby diapers in her washing machine? They're way messier than guinea pig fleece.
 

spy9doc

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there is NO way she would ever allow me to toss the towels into the washing machine even if there weren't any other clothes in there.
There is a self service laundromat near my house, would throwing the towels in be insanitary for the public washing machines?

First of all, not allowing any poopy clothes in the washer/dryer is a pretty silly argument. When you were a baby, did your Mom never wash soiled diapers or soiled clothes? Has no adult in the home ever had an accident with resulting poopy clothes? Did your Mom just throw away the soiled cloth diapers? Throw away the clothes?

Of course, you will wash piggy items separately from any human clothes. You will likely be using bleach when you wash cage items which pretty well takes care of sanitizing the machine. And, no, for the same reasons I don't consider it to be unsanitary, especially for a public machine. Who knows what people toss in them. :rolleyes:
 

ItsaZoo

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I agree, nothing unsanitary about washing piggy blankets. If your washer has a setting for extra rinse maybe that would ease your mother’s mind.

As an absorbent layer, maybe washable incontinence bed pads would work for you. I use those and they are absorbent and easy to wash and dry.
 

PiggyBaby

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Wood pellets work amazingly well under fleece. Just make sure they don't have any accelerants added, and don't have a strong pine odor. Horse stall bedding usually works well.

Your mom didn't wash baby diapers in her washing machine? They're way messier than guinea pig fleece.

Haha! Honestly, I think when I was a baby my mum probably still hand washed everything. We didn't actually get a washing machine until I was about 10 maybe lol

I would also totally consider wood pellets here, but where I live most of the pellets available are made from pine, and also they're not that much cheaper than paper bedding
 

PiggyBaby

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First of all, not allowing any poopy clothes in the washer/dryer is a pretty silly argument. When you were a baby, did your Mom never wash soiled diapers or soiled clothes? Has no adult in the home ever had an accident with resulting poopy clothes? Did your Mom just throw away the soiled cloth diapers? Throw away the clothes?

Of course, you will wash piggy items separately from any human clothes. You will likely be using bleach when you wash cage items which pretty well takes care of sanitizing the machine. And, no, for the same reasons I don't consider it to be unsanitary, especially for a public machine. Who knows what people toss in them. :rolleyes:

I knoww, it is pretty silly isnt it? But you know, the whole "animals are not clean" the older folks have.

Thanks haha, I'll keep that in mind. Folks here can be pretty sensitive about everything.
 

PiggyBaby

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I agree, nothing unsanitary about washing piggy blankets. If your washer has a setting for extra rinse maybe that would ease your mother’s mind.

As an absorbent layer, maybe washable incontinence bed pads would work for you. I use those and they are absorbent and easy to wash and dry.

ooo..I'll definitely look into those. thanks!
 

bpatters

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Kiln-dried pine may not have much of an odor. And even if you pay more for them, they last far longer. Two 40-pound bags will last a year in a 16 square foot cage if covered with fleece. That works out to less than $20 per year for the absorbent layer, and you get great odor control.
 

PiggyBaby

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Kiln-dried pine may not have much of an odor. And even if you pay more for them, they last far longer. Two 40-pound bags will last a year in a 16 square foot cage if covered with fleece. That works out to less than $20 per year for the absorbent layer, and you get great odor control.

That's interesting. Do wood pellets turn mushy? Or stick to the fleece ? I've never used wood pellets before.

Just randomly checked some available online stores . Could not find kiln. But the cheapest pinewood pellets I could find were about (if I convert my currency to USD) $1.50 per kg
 

bpatters

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They don't turn mushy. They break up into sawdust, which forms a kind of firm floor that can actually be swept.

Where are you? Forty pounds of horse stall bedding costs about $8 here, so you may be looking at wood stove pellets. They're usually more expensive.
 

PiggyBaby

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They don't turn mushy. They break up into sawdust, which forms a kind of firm floor that can actually be swept.

Where are you? Forty pounds of horse stall bedding costs about $8 here, so you may be looking at wood stove pellets. They're usually more expensive.

I'm from Malaysia. The pellets I see available were advertised for animals in general, cats and small animals mostly
 

RoseCarter

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I'm new to the fleece thing too. Have been trying different absorbant. Washable bed pads seem to do okay. My question is..how many layers of fleece on top?
 

bpatters

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Only one layer of fleece on top. More than that won't wick.
 
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