Home >> Cloth Diaper Myths >> GSE and TTO
-by Janelle Coleman
~GSE~
Many cloth diapering families are giving effort to minimize exposure to toxic chemicals and to help with the daily destruction of the environment that humanity (as a whole) causes…. However, when it comes to sanitizing (NOT disinfecting – that is something else entirely) there should be no playing around. Whether you are battling a yeast overgrowth (it’s not actually an infection) or have purchased used diapers, you will need to properly sanitize your diapers.
Many people are under the false impression that a few drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) will be fine in the 20-30 gallons of water in the washing machine to properly sanitize the fabric. Keep in mind that when diluting something in water to sanitize fabric that it will need to sanitize the water with enough of the product leftover to also sanitize the fabric that is in said water. This is how I came about the measurements below.
Follow the links I have provided if you are in doubt. I have provided not only hard evidence that GSE won’t work except in large quantities, and even then it’s the chemicals added to the GSE that sanitize-not the GSE itself, but the measurements needed according to the above premise along with a cost breakdown.
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I cannot find any actual credible sources regarding using GSE to sanitize water for drinking purposes. The links here are the best I could do:
http://www.herbalremedies.com/monrevandtra.html
http://www.t-a-d-a.com/GrapefruitSeedExtract.html
This is the link to how much Clorox bleach is needed to sanitize water for drinking purposes:
http://www.clorox.com/…/disaster-preparedness…/
Now…
1 liquid teaspoon is 96 drops.
1 liquid Tablespoon is 3 teaspoons.
Therefore, 1 liquid Tablespoon is 288 drops.
6 liquid teaspoons is 1 oz.
Therefore 2 liquid Tablespoons is also 1 oz.
^^ All of these conversions are readily available in cookbooks and through a basic Google search.
It takes 12 (10-25 drops, I’m using 12 because it simplifies the math) drops of GSE to sanitize 1 gallon of water for drinking. It takes 6 drops of bleach to sanitize 1 gallon of water for drinking.
Using this math, and the fact that we know that it takes 1 Tablespoon (.5 liquid ounce) of bleach to sanitize diapers (or any fabric) in 1 gallon of water. It would take 2 Tablespoons of GSE (1 liquid ounce) to sanitize diapers (or any fabric) per gallon of water.
Standard washer:
small load 1/3 cup bleach (3oz) = 2/3 cup GSE (5-6 liquid ounces)
medium load 1/2 cup bleach (4oz) = 1 cup GSE (8 liquid ounces)
large load 3/4 cup bleach (6oz) = 1.5 cup GSE (12 liquid ounces)
HE washer:
small load 1/4 cup bleach (2oz) = 1/2 cup GSE (4 liquid ounces)
medium load 1/3 cup bleach (3oz) = 2/3 cup GSE (5-6 liquid ounces)
large load 1/2 cup bleach (4oz) = 1 cup GSE (8 liquid ounces)
Bathtub:
1/4 bathtub 1/4 cup bleach (2oz) = 1/2 cup GSE (4 liquid ounces)
1/2 bathtub 1/2 cup bleach (4oz) = 1 cup GSE (8 liquid ounces)
3/4 bathtub 3/4 cup bleach (6oz) = 1.5 cup GSE (12 liquid ounces)
Separate vessel:
1 TBS bleach per gallon of water = 2 TBS GSE per gallon of water (1 liquid ounce)
Prices available at walmart.com:
Clorox bleach $3.50/121 ounces = $0.03 per ounce
GSE $10.87/2 ounces = $5.44 per ounce
1/2 bathtub would cost $0.12 for bleach or $43.52 for GSE
*Please keep in mind that when dealing with yeast, it is necessary to sanitize each wash load for the treatment period and 2-3 weeks after the rash has disappeared to avoid reinfection. Using TTO for this would cost $175-$390 to properly sanitize a small load of laundry 2-3 times a week.*
The truth about GSE:
http://www.naturalmothermagazine.com/#!gse—grapefruit-seed-extract-exposed/c1aq0
http://www.yesyesyes.org/GSE.htm
“There are much more harmful chemicals in GSE than in bleach, including “Methyl paraben (can mimic Estrogen), Triclosan (can cause allergic contact dermatitis) Benzalkonium chloride (disinfectant, skin and eye irritant) and Benzethoniumchloride (disinfectant, skin and eye irritant only permitted in rinse off products as prolonged contact with the skin is harmful).”
~TEA TREE OIL~
We will start with a link regarding the hormonal effects that an endocrine disruptor can have on the developing hormonal systems.
How TTO and other endocrine disrupters effect hormones:http://www.hormones.gr/691/article/article.html
This right here is enough that I will not use TTO at all in my home any more.
Cost-wise TTO compared to beach is astronomical. For a 4% dilution in 1 gallon of water you would need 5.12 ounces. We will round it to 5 oz, which is 10 TBS, for easier comparison.
I will use the same concentrations listed in the previous GSE post to show the needed cost to even come close to the effectiveness of bleach.
1 liquid teaspoon is 96 drops.
1 liquid Tablespoon is 3 teaspoons.
Therefore, 1 liquid Tablespoon is 288 drops.
6 liquid teaspoons is 1 oz.
Therefore 2 liquid Tablespoons is also 1 oz.
^^ All of these conversions are readily available in cookbooks and through a basic Google search.
Using this math, and the fact that we know that it takes 1 Tablespoons (.5 liquid ounce) of bleach to sanitize diapers (or any fabric) in 1 gallon of water. It would take 10 Tablespoons of TTO (5 liquid ounces) to sanitize diapers (or any fabric) per gallon of water.
Standard washer:
small load 1/3 cup bleach (3oz) = 5 TBS = 50 TBS of TTO (25 liquid ounces) $125.25
medium load 1/2 cup bleach (4oz) = 8 TBS = 80 TBS of TTO (40 liquid ounces) $198.80
large load 3/4 cup bleach (6oz) = 12 TBS = 120 TBS of TTO (60 liquid ounces) $298.20
HE washer:
small load 1/4 cup bleach (2oz) = 4 TBS = 40 TBS of TTO (20 liquid ounces) $99.40
medium load 1/3 cup bleach (3oz) = 5 TBS= 50 TBS of TTO (25 liquid ounces) $125.25
large load 1/2 cup bleach (4oz) = 8 TBS = 80 TBS of TTO (40 liquid ounces) $198.80
Bathtub:
1/4 bathtub 1/4 cup bleach (2oz) = 4 TBS = 40 TBS of TTO (20 liquid ounces) $99.40
1/2 bathtub 1/2 cup bleach (4oz) = 8 TBS = 80 TBS of TTO (40 liquid ounces) $198.80
3/4 bathtub 3/4 cup bleach (6oz) = 12 TBS = 120 TBS of TTO (60 liquid ounces) $298.20
Separate vessel:
1 TBS bleach per gallon of water = 10 TBS TTO per gallon of water (5 liquid ounces) $24.85
Clorox bleach $3.50/121 ounces = $0.03 per ounce
TTO $4.97 per ounce
1/2 bathtub would cost $0.12 for bleach or $198.80 for TTO
*Please keep in mind that when dealing with yeast, it is necessary to sanitize each wash load for the treatment period and 2-3 weeks after the rash has disappeared to avoid reinfection. Using TTO for this would cost $1,000-$2,000 to properly sanitize a small load of laundry 2-3 times a week.*
Now, to reference the 4% dilution –
PubMed TTO (4% dilution) – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=tea+tree+oil+dilution
Natural + CD blog TTO (4% dilution) http://everythingbirth.wordpress.com/2010/06/15/the-truth-about-tea-tree-oil-and-cloth-diapers/
^ While I normally would not use another blog as a reference, this one does actually show their own references.
As always, check out the links posted here and do your own research as well.
Other options
For those interested in VINEGAR to sanitize, please read the following link:http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/uploadedFiles/Health_Human_Services/Level_3_-_Public_Health/9.%20SanitizeSafely_9.09.pdf
THE SUN CAN NOT PROPERLY SANITIZE FECAL MATTER OR OTHER BACTERIA: A study published in the International Journal of Photoenergy states that “Results indicated that solar drying is a technology, which does not guarantee biosafety of product.”
Alcohol is not effective to disinfect when diluted more than 50%, which makes it inappropriate for use in laundry. See the CDC article on Disinfection and Sterilization.
Oxygen Bleach does not disinfect:
~Boiling~
Given the right circumstances and proper contact time with consistent heat, boiling does have the ability to disinfect cloth. However, due to the impact it could have on snaps, elastics, and other synthetic materials used in modern cloth diapers, as well as potential fire hazards due to user error, we do NOT recommend boiling your cloth diapers.