Does the chloroplast get wet? One of the things I LOVE about my bedspeeds is that I pick them up, shake them out and put a clean on in the cage – no need to clean the chloroplast as it stays dry because of the barrier in the bed spread.
If you don't put a barrier fabric underneath, then yes. I've considered just getting a piece of clear vinyl and cutting it to the dimensions of the bottom of my coro so all I'd have to do is, at worst, wipe that down with a damp cloth. Right now I just clean the coro with vinegar every few months. As long as I change the cage on time every week, my coro doesn't get wet hardly at all.
Do people find the U-haul blankets to be better than Zorb (I know it’s cheaper but this is sole about smell and washing)
Sorry, I've never used Zorb, but I have the feeling it's probably better for absorbency. However my Uhaul blankets last WAY longer than towels used to before they start to smell; I try to change the cage every week but I've been known to go two or more weeks without changing it because it doesn't smell and I just don't think about it. I do use an extra pad in the kitchen and sometimes an extra layer of Uhaul blanket underneath the corners, though. I have a 2x4 with two pigs.
Has anyone tried sewing a barrier fabric as a bottom layer? I’m wondering if that would affect how they wash up.
They wash up just fine with a barrier layer; they just take longer to dry.
I love the idea of an extra pad in areas that they “use” frequently. Should that be just fleece & 2 U-hauls layers? Maybe fleece, 2 Uhaul, and a bottom fleece layer? Or fleece, 2 Uhaul, barrier fabric? Any thoughts
My cage pads are just fleece and 2 Uhaul layers, because when you think about it once you lay it on top, what you have is fleece, 2 Uhaul layers, fleece, and 2 more Uhaul layers. I'm nervous about doubling up on the fleece, since you want to be sure to wick any excess moisture into the bottom Uhaul layers. If you put a barrier fabric down, then you would have to change the extra pads pretty often, as that extra moisture would just build up and start to smell just as quickly as just the one full cage pad did; only, you could change it without doing a full cage change. For me, I find that one extra pad does fine for a week, so I don't use a barrier fabric and just let it wick through. If I had a barrier fabric, I'd probably have to change it more often than that.