Do you ever find yourself wondering something a lot, a question you’d really like a reasonable answer for? I do all the time. Sometimes it’s something silly. Sometimes it’s something far more mundane and useful. I haven’t typically blogged about these things, because I didn’t really think about it. Well, today I found myself contemplating one of my usual quandaries and realized that other people might wonder them too. So I thought it might be fun, and useful to someone, to occasionally blog about these things. Maybe the comments will help someone out – maybe me, maybe you, maybe noone. Maybe just the conversation will be interesting, or fun or helpful, depending on the topic. So, let’s talk.
My youngest son (14) has issues pooping on the potty. It isn’t happening. I don’t know specifically why, but I personally think he may not completely “get” the sensation or feeling. He is developmentally delayed, for those that didn’t know or forgot. So, almost every afternoon he has an accident. He wears underwear.
Now thinking back to when my brothers were potty training, I recall my Mom used to soak the underwear in the sink for a while before putting them into the wash. I never actually asked her why she did it. I just always presumed that it was to loosen everything and get that stuff off of there before sending it to the washing machine. Anyway. This is what I now do. It’s gross, but something has to be done before it hits the wash. The thing is, my oldest son (18) has very subtly let me know that it bothers him to have underwear soaking in the sink in the bathroom, where his friends might go. He told me in a not so subtle way as well. “Mom. A sink of crappy water is freaking gross.” Which I get. So it leaves me wondering how other people handle soiled underwear before sending it to the washing machine.
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Depending on how badly soiled they were, I would throw them away. If it was just a little mark, I would try to clean them, though.
We’re JUST beginning potty training, so I’m little help. We have been cloth diapering. I tend to soak some diapers in water, and hanging in the sun helps gets some stains out (I don’t know if this works the same for underwear!)
They sell an attachment that goes on the toilet for cleaning cloth diapers. you can spray, flush and then soak if needed in a mop bucket with a few drops of tide. then transfer to the wash. Soaking in the sink causes major cross contamination.
I have soaked poopie panties in the sink with oxy clean, and even in the toilet even with bleach. My personal favorite method would be the trash can, haha! I have thrown them out so many times! Aint nobody got time fo dat! 😉
I hear ya Amy, but a pair a day could get expensive!
This is EXACTLY what my mom just told me she would do when I asked her what she thought! Sounds like a great and simply way to clean poo! 😉
*simple* Ah typos!
I’ve actually haven’t begun potty training my daughter yet. But when she used to poop on her clothes, I would spray them with a pre-treater, soak in Oxy Clean and then wash. I know, so many steps. If it was really horrible I would throw them out.
I swear to God I toss them. I am potty training my 2 year old.. haven’t had issues yet but my 9 yr old has issues also… She had an emporforated anus repair as a baby and she still has ‘control’ issues, esp when she is sick or has an episode.. If they are really bad.. I just toss them.
My grandmother use to swish them around in the toilet and then flush it. You just have to be careful not to let go on the undies while you swish it during the flush. This will get the poo off and then toss it into a pail or laundry.
This is exactly what I do when I have an accident and I have them frequently as an adult with a bowel control problem. I usually wear Depends when I go out but there have been times where I was just wearing regular underwear and dirtied myself and it’s too expensive to keep throwing out underwear so I’ll try to find a single user restroom where I’m by myself and can lock the door and then I’ll do this very thing that you mentioned and swish the poopy briefs around in the toilet and flush the poop away before wringing them out good then put them into a Ziploc freezer bag which I’ll carry in my coat pocket and take them home to soak in a bleach bucket and wash after that.
Val,
I’d look into a diaper sprayer. Or do you have a utility sink near your washer? I did cloth diapers and trainers with my kids – had 3 in cloth at one time actually.
First: Shake off any solids into toilet. (Flush)
Next: if washing immediately, put the load thru a rinse cycle before running the wash.
I didn’t wash immediately all the time, because I did diapers in their own loads, but I’m not sure if a teenager’s unders might have a stronger smell.
Ideally, once you have shaken solids off, you want to get the garments really well rinsed so that the cleaners can do their jobs. I’d def. use a detergent and an oxyclean or something similar. If he’s got sensitive skin at all, add an extra rinse at the end of the cycle.
Never put stained stuff in the dryer- stubborn stains often come out in a few hours in direct sunlight, or you can use the magical combo of liquid tide and oxyclean paste for a few hours. My diapers, I’m proud to say, never had stains. I was diligent. I tried to dry diapers and inserts on the line all the time because the sun is a great bleacher and disinfectant naturally and I didn’t have to scrub.
I’m too cheap to toss underwear. 🙂
I’d get a wetbag or 2, I’m not sure how often you’ll need to wash his underwear, but even a medium bag would hold 3-4 pairs of undies so you aren’t stuck doing laundry like that daily. you toss the wetbag in with the laundry, just don’t dry it. Have 2 so while one is in the wash, the other is holding more soiled stuff.
I always soak soiled panties or underwear overnight in cold water in an ice cream pail. Save having to put that grossness in any sink lol
Now that is an interesting thing to do, sounds super easy too!
I HATED this stage of potty training! I cannot even tell you how many pairs of underwear I threw out due to skid marks and poopy stains. Usually I would toss them u then I was throwing out too many pairs. At one point I wound soak them in a bucket of water and then throw them in the wash.
I would soak it in the sink with cold water and put some laundry detergent in it for several hours. If it is badly soiled then I would just throw it away.
Well, I don’t have a kid yet, but I would be interested in hearing what everyone has to say for the future!
If what you’re doing is working then just keep doing that. Just use a plastic ice cream bucket or a mop bucket that you can keep near the washer instead of the sink, maybe.
Funny you should write this post after I just went through this very thing yesterday. My 6 year old daughter decided it would be better to poop in her undies rather that walk away from play Disney Infinity. She did this twice! I tossed both pair. 🙁 She did not tell me right away, and without TMI…it was too far gone.
However, my 6 year old son does have decreased sensitivity on when he needs to go. Sometimes he makes it and sometimes he does not. I usually dump the solids into the toilet and then through the soiled underwear into the washing machine and run it through a Pre-Treat Cycle. I through everything in there known to man-kind! lol Detergent, Oxi-Clean, Borax, etc. 🙂
I have often wondered what people did with soiled underwear though! I’m glad you asked this question.
My kids were potty trained with easy so we didn’t have much of the soiled underwear issues. I guess I would soak first and if not throw away
Correction: I rinsed in the sink first then put it into a diaper pail (not many around this many years later) to soak in something like borax or washing soda then once in a while my special detergent/bleach/automatic dish washer detergent. Suggestion–and I empathize with your oldest, try soaking in the actual washing machine.
I do a little bleach and laundry detergent overnight in a bowl. If really bad, just toss
I usually wash them in the sink, use stain spray to spray on them and then throw them in a pail to be washed with other dirty ones later – if it’s caked on icky poo, then I pitch them ( my Mom always yelled at me – but ain’t nobody got time for that!) My daughter had issues and had accidents up until 9-10 yrs old, so we dealt with that for a lonnngg time.
I had a soaking bucket in the laundry room just for those kinds of items. I had an infant & potty trainer at the same time. Too many poop stains to count!
I use a Spray Pal for soiled cloth diapers (http://thatbaldchick.com/2013/07/27/spray-pal/). I bet it would work for your situation, too. Then either just toss them in a wet bag or the laundry.
I use a soak bucket also! It helps a lot!
These are great tips. I also enjoyed reading all the tips in the comments. Great discussion!
My son has Autism and we went through this a while ago. Our Dr. said that he was holding it in to avoid going to the bathroom (he has more control than I do!) He was actually really backed up to the point where he couldn’t feel when he had to go. They gave us some Metamucil to help regulate and we’ve been fine ever since! Luckily we out grew it and have been able to stop taking the medicine.
I have a soaking bucket in my laundry room. I also keep a spray on stain remover right next to the kids hamper so when I notice some tough or sticky stains, I spray it right away.
I did the same thing. My kids were younger then so it wasn’t a big deal. My teen would probably freak if we did it now.
No kids, so no potty-training, so no poopy underwear advice. Would buying them in bulk and just tossing them be he wrong answer?
I saw someone’s idea for a soaking bucket. That’s a good idea! Cheap, easy, convenient, and practical. I like it. 🙂
We’re not into underwear yet, but I soak clothes in the bathroom. We don’t get guests, so it’s not really a problem. I love someone’s laundry room bucket suggestion.
I’m in the “throw away” camp. I have thrown away a few things from my messy toddler already!
I love the idea of the soaking bucket in your laundry room. That way it is in a room that none of your guests will see….thanks for sharing!
With 3 kids, I definitely need to do this! I like the idea of the bucket in the laundry room.
I’m not looking forward to soiled underwear with my 2 year old. Potty training is just getting started.
Awesome advice. If you’ve got underwear you’ve got to face this at some time or another! Thank you!
When we were potty training my niece what we would was get rid of the “big” parts. We would then run the stained clothes under some water and soak in a bucket in the laundry room out of the way.
I started buying just black pants for my son. Do all the usual cleaning stuff as well but they last so much longer.