# Making a wool piddle pad?



## chantald (Oct 26, 2004)

Hello
I am trying to save some big bucks and make my own wool piddle pad for our family bed. I have a lovely, old wool blanket that is felted nicely and I have spent the ENTIRE day trying to lanolize it.. on the theory that it, like a soaker, needed to be lanolized. It doesn't help I have a front loading washer.. so I am doing this in a large tub....
I mixed nearly a whole tube of lanolin with hot water.. put it in the water..added the blanket.. "agitated" it ( I felt like a medieval washer woman) and let it sit.. for a few hours!! Popped it into the machine for a drain and spin (no rinse) and dried it in the dryer.... Took it out and tested it by pouring some water on it.. leaked right through..

Repeated these steps... again.. same thing..

Is this doomed to failure??

Chantal


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## Unreal (Dec 15, 2002)

are you sure its a 100% wool blanket?

I could be way off...but I thought felted wool was fairly water-resistant even without lanolin....
We have an old 100% wool blanket that has never been lanolized and still works great to protect the mattress beneath it...and in theory, it has never been felted (although I suspect dh washed it once ot twice before we met.....)

I'm guessing you already washed it in hot water and dried it on high?


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## chantald (Oct 26, 2004)

Hi








Yes, it is 100% wool.. quite old. My mother used it as a child...I washed it three times on super hot and dried it on high.... If I sprinkle water on it, it does bead up.. but then soaks in..

















Chantal


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## cinnamonamon (May 2, 2003)

well wool does absorb -- after it beads then absorbs, does it go through & mae the bed wet? also try to mimic it's use; put wet dipe down on it with weight & check it in an hour or two to see if bottomside of wol (and sheets beneath) are wet.

good luck!


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## chantald (Oct 26, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cinnamonamon*
well wool does absorb -- after it beads then absorbs, does it go through & mae the bed wet? also try to mimic it's use; put wet dipe down on it with weight & check it in an hour or two to see if bottomside of wol (and sheets beneath) are wet.

good luck!

Thanks
That is a great idea

Chantal


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## emmalala (Dec 3, 2001)

Or you could cheat - like I do - and add a piece of flannel/rubber mat under the blanket! It's very tolerable and helps back up the wool blanket. I never actually lanolized the blanket, though.


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## chantald (Oct 26, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *emmalala*
Or you could cheat - like I do - and add a piece of flannel/rubber mat under the blanket! It's very tolerable and helps back up the wool blanket. I never actually lanolized the blanket, though.

Do you find that this helps eliminate the sweats at night? I was finding that if I placed DD on a folded crib waterproof pad (fabric type) that she sweat terribly at night. When I took that away, she didn't. I also find that for myself, if I have the bed mattress waterproof pad on.. that I feel hotter. Would a felted wool blanket between the waterproof pad and the sheets prevent this?

Chantal


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## emmalala (Dec 3, 2001)

I kwym, it is sort of sticky to sleep right on the waterproof. I found that the wool layer really took that feeling away. I don't have the whole bed waterproofed, just a sort of "danger zone" the width of the waterproof. So the blanket is folded and there are several thicknesses of wool there. It was surprisingly comfy in summer (but I am in New England) and perhaps I am not very sensitive but this has worked fine for me. It's pretty easy to set it up, sounds like you have the waterproof & the wool so you could see how it feels to you. Good luck!


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## chantald (Oct 26, 2004)

Thanks
That is what I did last night. Put down the waterproof mattresspad and then put down the blanket. Worked like a charm! It felt really comfortable

Thanks for the idea

Chantal


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## emmalala (Dec 3, 2001)

Hi- so glad it works!! I thought of you last night at bedtime - I dress the baby very lightly, just a longsleeve tshirt, because it's so warm w/cosleeping!


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## chel (Jul 24, 2004)

how do you wash the wool? I've never used a wool product before. Can you buy wool at a fabric store, anything I should look at for? We're in a king size bed and have the sweat issue with the current waterproof/flannel pad.


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## emmalala (Dec 3, 2001)

I used an old wool blanket, not particularly soft. I didn't felt it, really - just washed it on HOT in the machine, using a tiny bit of dish soap, and line-dreied it. I didn't lanolize it. I should add that we have very soft water because I think that might matter about the laundering.

It rarely gets wet, and has never gone stinko, but when it does, I plan to put it in the machine and maybe use Eucalan on it this time...

I am not a wool expert or anything but this has worked beautifully for us. I think that the water-absorbing and body-cooling properties of wool are intrinsic to the fibers, and that the lanolin adds waterproofness, which you don't need if you have a waterproof underneath the whole show, as we do. It has been very comfy for a year now; before, we were right on the waterproof (flannelized rubber mat or whatever it is called) and I hear you about the sweat!

You don't need a brand-new blanket, I would think that would be a lot of $$. Try a thrift shop or your mother - that's where mine came from!


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