# acrylic vs wool longies



## shaneNspencersmama (Dec 11, 2006)

are acrylic longies as good as wool? i know they don't "breathe" like wool. and u can wash them with ur regular dipes and covers...but how well do they work??? do they wick bad? i would be using crochet ones by me if that matters. i know crochet is thicker than knit. i don't know how to knit.


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## Ok (Feb 6, 2004)

The issue between acrylic and wool is that wool can 1. absorb water/urine/wetness and still not feel wet, 2. wool is naturally anti-bacterial, 3. wool is natural (although some might debate that only organic wool is natural, but I suspect we all agree wool is still more natural than acrylic). Wool can absorb up to 30% of its weight in wetness and you don't have to wash it much b/c it doesn't hold a urine smell.

Acrylic can be machine washed & can take a beating and keep looking good. It can be fine for a wetness barrier (such a fleece which is a barrier between wet diaper and the rest of the world). But any hole in the fabric or knit, and the moisture can leak right on through. With wool, the idea is that the moisture is contrained from spreading to the rest of the world b/c it absorbs it and keeps us safe.







(j/k I'm not actually afraid of pee getting on stuff)

Hope that answers your questions.


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## Pynki (Aug 19, 2002)

I have made acrylic longies that work just fine. Use a small hook so the stitches are tight and close together is my only suggestion. The acrylic still breaths like the would, but like the PP said, it doesn't absorb any. You get more compression wicking if the diaper gets to wet and is left on for long with acrylic. Just an FYI. I wouldn't wash them with your diapers. LOTS of lint from white dipes get caught in the acrylic. Ask me how I know?!

I wash my acrylic soakers and longies with similiar colors.


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## danaalex (Mar 19, 2003)

the acrylic work ok. probably the same amount of compression wicking as wool. the biggest difference IMO. is that the acrylic hold the urine odor much more than the wool does and they need to be washed far more frequently.

and over time, i think they lose their softness and become chemicaly feeling. i have a pair that are on their second child now. i use them, but i don't LOVE them. they are ok and i guess the thing i like most about them is that i can throw them in my washer and dryer. the thing i like least is the after being used for a day, they SMELL.


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## Pynki (Aug 19, 2002)

I can see that. I use them for entire days, so I haven't noticed that. I did notice that after I'd used them a couple of times they would start to smell of urine just like the acrylic "soaker" covers I had made did. They do require more washing than the wool does for sure!


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