Blankets Review: UHaul blanket

[StarknNemesis]

@StarknNemesis : what kind of heat pad do you use? I'm trying to figure out if I'll have to add anything like that to the cage since we're in an older style apartment with a big window on one side of the cage.... (NOT drafty but just cold, you know?)

Yes absolutely i understand i have 3 big windows above their cage. All stay sealed shut but still really cold! And honestly, i use a heat pad meant for aquariums. It's made by all living things and its a relatively small one. About $15 at your local petsmart. I'll take a picture of it and put it up. I left the sticker on it so it doesn't stick to anything, wrapped it in a small layer of fleece and put it under my one layer of fleece in the cage. I took another piece of fleece, wrapped it around the wire and taped it on so they wouldn't chew it and they dont even bother.

 

[rsgymjam]

Thank you So so so much!!! (@MommaOfFour) I think I get it now!!

Just like two last things

One- if I have- say a 2x4 grid cage how many UHaul pads should I buy? And will I have any leftovers?

Two(okay three I guess )- what brands of detergent can be used on fleece that are commonly found in stores? I just don't want my mom to buy a small amount of really expensive natural stuff...

Wow! I'm impressed that your cage can hold off for three weeks!

I don't have piggies yet but I really hope I get a pair next year!

 

[MommaOfFour]

@StarknNemesis : a picture would be great! thanks for the description though! the cable is the only thing I'm worried about. one of my piggies is a bit of burrower and chewer.... there's no such thing as a battery operated heat pad???? lol we should invent that! haha.

@rsgymjam : no problem! keep those questions coming, I had a ton of them too when I was researching fleece.
the furniture pads are 68 x 85 inches per description here : https://www.uhaul.com/MovingSupplies/Protective-stuff/Furniture-Pad?id=2670

a 2x4 (grids I assume?) cage should be roughly 27" x 41" (maybe 40"?) on the inside. sooooo you should be able to make 2 liners out of one uhaul thing right? and you'd have leftover.... if you do the liners side by side.... that takes up the 85", leaves you with 41" x 85" leftover which is pretty much another 3rd liner plus a few leftover scraps.... or you could use the leftover piece to cut to size for potty pads or kitchen liners. re-do my math do please, I'm not that good with math, and since my cage is so big I pretty much just put the whole pad as it comes in there lol. not sure it adds up in reality the way it does in my mind lol.

as for detergent.... I THINK the unscented/natural stuff from Costco works, I remember reading that somewhere here.... but I would ask somebody else just to confirm. I haven't used anything but A Happy Green Life products in almost 6 months and I'm not a big Costco shopper (only get cat litter and ice tea there and rotisserie chicken there).
maybe you could open a new thread for that specific question in the fleece section of the forum

I'm surprised I don't have to change the fleece more often too, it's crazy but SO nice! towards the last week they definitely have more accidents outside the litter box though, and then it's definitely time for a clean up!

VERY impressive too that you do so much research so far in advance! when are you looking to get your piggies?

 

[rsgymjam]

@StarknNemesis : a picture would be great! thanks for the description though! the cable is the only thing I'm worried about. one of my piggies is a bit of burrower and chewer.... there's no such thing as a battery operated heat pad???? lol we should invent that! haha.

@rsgymjam : no problem! keep those questions coming, I had a ton of them too when I was researching fleece.
the furniture pads are 68 x 85 inches per description here : https://www.uhaul.com/MovingSupplies/Protective-stuff/Furniture-Pad?id=2670

a 2x4 (grids I assume?) cage should be roughly 27" x 41" (maybe 40"?) on the inside. sooooo you should be able to make 2 liners out of one uhaul thing right? and you'd have leftover.... if you do the liners side by side.... that takes up the 85", leaves you with 41" x 85" leftover which is pretty much another 3rd liner plus a few leftover scraps.... or you could use the leftover piece to cut to size for potty pads or kitchen liners. re-do my math do please, I'm not that good with math, and since my cage is so big I pretty much just put the whole pad as it comes in there lol. not sure it adds up in reality the way it does in my mind lol.

as for detergent.... I THINK the unscented/natural stuff from Costco works, I remember reading that somewhere here.... but I would ask somebody else just to confirm. I haven't used anything but A Happy Green Life products in almost 6 months and I'm not a big Costco shopper (only get cat litter and ice tea there and rotisserie chicken there).
maybe you could open a new thread for that specific question in the fleece section of the forum

I'm surprised I don't have to change the fleece more often too, it's crazy but SO nice! towards the last week they definitely have more accidents outside the litter box though, and then it's definitely time for a clean up!

VERY impressive too that you do so much research so far in advance! when are you looking to get your piggies?

Thanks again for replying!

Yeah- I just did the math on a calculator and it would make at least two, two layer liners with extra left over!!! Yea!!!!! (So yes your math was right!)

I will open a new thread on the detergent- but yes ill have to look around for the Happy green life. We don't shop at costco at all

I am also looking for cheap coroplast but uhaul is around here somewhere...

As for the pigs, I WANT to get some now, but dad says wait until you are done with gymnastics. Ugh March come fast! (That's when I end) and then still it is a maybe!! Aaarrrgggghhhh!!!!!! My mom is okay with some, but my dad doesnt want them and plus we have three cats. Eh who cares. I am getting the mesh grids at least for the cover so that's taken care of and I probably will do the same for the sides. Really, I have measured out a space for them emptied a drawer for supplies, researched them for over a year.. yeah.

 

[Traysea]

[h=3]Uh… your measurements are a little off momma...
off the cage site it says:

2x4 Cage Dimensions:[/h]

• Interior: 27" x 56" = about 10.5 Square Feet of cage space.
• Exterior: 30" x 60" when assembled = you will need a table spaceof about 2.5 feet by 5 feet to accommodate this cage.

 

[rsgymjam]

Whoops! Thanks for the correction @Traysea (@MommaOfFour)

 

[StarknNemesis]

I was just wondering how many liners people would use for their cage. I have a 2.5'x2.5' section in the cage and i i currently use 2 liners and a layer of fleece. However, i was thinking of doing 1 layer of newspaper or pee pads as i can easily get those, a layer of towels, 1 uhaul liner and 2 layers of fleece with potty patches of fleece as i notice my boys are a bit stink the way ive been doing it.

Currently i do 1 layer newspaper 1 layer towels 2 layer uhaul 1 layer fleece. I notice the fleece stays damp for quite a while. They also pee in their beds so ive put potty pads under all their favourite places to hide or pee.

I was just wondering how to do this as im going to be building them a deck on top and would like to have a few days experimenting and finding the best fit before i start building right away.

Any suggestions or experiences?? Thanks!!

 

[Starthecavy123]

I notice the fleece stays damp for quite a while.

Did you wick the fleece first befor using it?

 

[MommaOfFour]

[h=3]Uh… your measurements are a little off momma...
off the cage site it says:

2x4 Cage Dimensions:[/h]

• Interior: 27" x 56" = about 10.5 Square Feet of cage space.
• Exterior: 30" x 60" when assembled = you will need a table spaceof about 2.5 feet by 5 feet to accommodate this cage.

Oh geez you're so nice saying alil off haha. I was thinking 3 not 4 grids for some reason. Thanks for correcting that lol

 

[courtneylushae]

Have you guys thought about instead of buying fleece just buying the fleece blankets at like walmart or biglots or any store like that for like 2-5 dollars they would be able to cover a good sized cage in two layers. I make tie blankets with them and baby quilts and stuff and when my Moochi's big cage gets here im gonna make her some of these for it because using chips and newspaper is a pain and it is used soooo quick.

 

[Traysea]

2 layers of uhaul seems to absorb and contain odors the best but if you sew it into a pad it takes a while to dry. So if I was going to sew a liner using 2 layers of uhaul, at minimum I would do 3 liners, plus several potty pads. That would give the first pad you washed extra time to dry. If your layers are all separate then they will dry all the way thru very fast. If you do a liner with 1 layer of uhaul that also dries really fast, but 2 layers holds in odor better.

If your pigs really like their upper deck they might start making up there more than the rest of the cage which is what mine does. I actually really prefer her to do it because I can change and clean that small area super fast. It buys me time before I have to change the bigger lower level. Right now I have 6 full cage liners and 12 patio liners. I don't really need that many I just enjoy sewing up new themes. I'd say the absolute minimum for a full cage liner would be 2 liners (one in the wash, one in the cage). For a well used patio, I'd say at least 3-4 because you will probably need to change it a lot more often. I change mine either every 1-2 days and I have potty pads on the end she makes the most at.

I was just wondering how many liners people would use for their cage. I have a 2.5'x2.5' section in the cage and i i currently use 2 liners and a layer of fleece. However, i was thinking of doing 1 layer of newspaper or pee pads as i can easily get those, a layer of towels, 1 uhaul liner and 2 layers of fleece with potty patches of fleece as i notice my boys are a bit stink the way ive been doing it.

Currently i do 1 layer newspaper 1 layer towels 2 layer uhaul 1 layer fleece. I notice the fleece stays damp for quite a while. They also pee in their beds so ive put potty pads under all their favourite places to hide or pee.

I was just wondering how to do this as im going to be building them a deck on top and would like to have a few days experimenting and finding the best fit before i start building right away.

Any suggestions or experiences?? Thanks!!

 

[StarknNemesis]

Did you wick the fleece first befor using it?

Not sure what you mean by wick..

 

[pinky]

2 layers of uhaul seems to absorb and contain odors the best but if you sew it into a pad it takes a while to dry. So if I was going to sew a liner using 2 layers of uhaul, at minimum I would do 3 liners, plus several potty pads. That would give the first pad you washed extra time to dry. If your layers are all separate then they will dry all the way thru very fast. If you do a liner with 1 layer of uhaul that also dries really fast, but 2 layers holds in odor better.

If your pigs really like their upper deck they might start making up there more than the rest of the cage which is what mine does. I actually really prefer her to do it because I can change and clean that small area super fast. It buys me time before I have to change the bigger lower level. Right now I have 6 full cage liners and 12 patio liners. I don't really need that many I just enjoy sewing up new themes. I'd say the absolute minimum for a full cage liner would be 2 liners (one in the wash, one in the cage). For a well used patio, I'd say at least 3-4 because you will probably need to change it a lot more often. I change mine either every 1-2 days and I have potty pads on the end she makes the most at.

Personally, I think two layers of uhaul padding is a little too thick for fleece pads. I made some that way and they didn't dry well. It made me wonder if bacteria was building up in those layers as well. I switched to a single layer between a single layer of fleece on each side. I put a single uhaul pad under the fleece pads in my cage to absorb any extra moisture; including dripping water from their bottles. I have two singles layers of uhaul pads butted up next to each other on the bottom and two fleece pads butted up on top. I clean and change one side at a time so my pigs remain in the cage when I change it. Sometimes the uhaul pad underneath is completely dry when I clean cages so I don't even change it. Other times, they're just a little damp in a few spots so it seems to me the double layer wasn't necessary.

 

[Starthecavy123]

Not sure what you mean by wick..

Did you wash the fleece 3 or more times?

 

[Traysea]

@pinky I had a thought about this… I got the idea from cloth diapering my kids with a diaper called the AIO (all in one)


What if you make a full cage (or 1/2 cage pillow case style liner) but sewed a layer of uhaul to each side of the fleece before you sewed the case together. With one side left open, you could dry it inside out so each layer of uhaul dried separately. You wouldn't have to stuff anything. You wouldn't have to worry about it getting the fleece linty because it would still be sewn in.

I was also thinking that maybe, if you sewed the uhaul to only one side of the fleece (on the two short sides) and sewed the other side of the uhaul (on the two long sides of the fleece) and left the opposites sides open you wouldn't have to worry about the stitching holding in moisture since they would not be attached to each other. Air would be able to more easily get in to dry the pads (this is a concept from the cloth diaper world). Plus you would have the ability to turn it inside out so the uhaul would dry much faster but since it's still sewn in you wouldn't have to fuss with filling the pillow case and because they are stitched on opposite sides you wouldn't have to worry about the uhaul shifting and not getting full coverage.

 

[pinky]

@pinky I had a thought about this… I got the idea from cloth diapering my kids with a diaper called the AIO (all in one)


What if you make a full cage (or 1/2 cage pillow case style liner) but sewed a layer of uhaul to each side of the fleece before you sewed the case together. With one side left open, you could dry it inside out so each layer of uhaul dried separately. You wouldn't have to stuff anything. You wouldn't have to worry about it getting the fleece linty because it would still be sewn in.

I was also thinking that maybe, if you sewed the uhaul to only one side of the fleece (on the two short sides) and sewed the other side of the uhaul (on the two long sides of the fleece) and left the opposites sides open you wouldn't have to worry about the stitching holding in moisture since they would not be attached to each other. Air would be able to more easily get in to dry the pads (this is a concept from the cloth diaper world). Plus you would have the ability to turn it inside out so the uhaul would dry much faster but since it's still sewn in you wouldn't have to fuss with filling the pillow case and because they are stitched on opposite sides you wouldn't have to worry about the uhaul shifting and not getting full coverage.

I can't visualize what you're saying but if you're saying to have uhaul sewn to fleece and it gets washed and dried with the uhaul padding exposed, I'd be concerned about the uhaul padding falling apart. I've never had a problem with fleece pads losing their shape since I sew across the pads in addition to around the edges. The loose uhaul padding that I wash and dry separately lints up and falls apart eventually after repeated washing.

 

[Traysea]

When I wash my home made flippers I use in my patio I wash them with the uhaul still inside then spin/air dry them separately and there isn't much if any lint transfer. With these they will be sewn to each side of the fleece. So you have a top and a bottom fleece panel, each with a piece of uhaul sewn to it. Then those two pieces of fleece (lined with uhaul) get sewn into a pillow case. So that it is sewn on both sides. Then when you want to wash it, wash it either with the uhaul inside OR wash it turned inside out with the fleece on the inside and the uhaul on the outside.

Since it can be turned inside out the uhaul will dry faster. Now you have 2 layers of uhual inside a huge fleece pillow case but since it's tacked in, it has room for air to circulate and to get cleaned better.

This is probably one of those times when a picture is worth a thousand words… I am going to need to make a sample.

 

[StarknNemesis]

Good i was trying to get to this. Does anyone have a step by step guide to sewing liners and having edges talk tall enough to get clipped to the top of the coro flaps?

Pictures would be wonderful because i cant see to save my life and ive seen too many different ways of doing this on YouTube.

I cant visualize it and i believe that for my boys i need 2 layers of uhaul along with the pee pads under the liners. Is there a way to avoid the boys pooping in the corners and having it stuck to the coro? PLEASE HELP!!!

Can someone also explain to me how to wick the fleece properly?

 

[Starthecavy123]

I'm not sure how to make a liner as I haven't been able to figure it out myself. But I do know how to wick the fleece.

When I started I used all free and clear detergent although some make there own detergent. You can't use any softener that means no dryer sheets either. The detergent must be dye and sent free. You don't nessessarely need vinigar the first couple times you wash it. You'll only need that after the piggies have used it and vinigar is used to get the smell out. I used just a tad bit of dawn dish liquid (the blue one) I got that tip somewhere here.

This is how I did mine and it worked for me. First wash I added the detergent and a bit of the dawn. Put the washer on medium heat and let it wash. Second wash I just added the all detergent and used the same heat setting and let it wash again. Third time I added the dawn again with the detergent. Then I put the fleece in the dryer on medium heat. And do not add softener to the washer or dryer as that will make it not wick. Then I tested it by placeing it on a table and pourd some water from a glass in a small area on the fleece. If the water ends up on the table its good although as some people have said you can also try placing a town under it when you test it. Whatever you use as an obsorbent layer should pull the water through, although I didn't need to but all fleece is different.

 

[mkpiggy]

Do you need to sow the edge of fleece or uhal pad?