Plastic Pants Growing Brittle

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Fiddlemiller

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  1. Diaper Lover
I've been wearing Gary plastic pants from Baby-Pants.com with cloth diapers and have been quite satisfied with them initially. But as they age the plastic becomes brittle and eventually cracks next to the waist elastic. I've routinely hand washed them in Woolite and hung them to dry but occasionally I just rinse them in the sink. Am I neglecting them somehow? Are there quiet alternatives that last longer than a few months?
 
They wear out. How long have you had the pairs? That is why I don't spend so much money on a pair. Why bother if they will wear out in a couple months? I rinse mine out after each use and that is per diaper change. I don't always wear them though. I use them to stop leaks but only with certain diapers if they are failing me. Bianocos seem to be holding better than the Classicos.
 
Sunlight, sweat, feces, urine, gentle washing and of cours our arch enemy petroleum products strip the plastcizers out and they become brittle and crack.but much can be said about the life of plastic pants in relation to the price , I have some that are still going strong after 10 years , they will eventually wear out but I think I have gotten my money out of them and since when I had them made and fitted I bought the pattern I can just call it in and get identical ones made and sent .

Cheap pants are not the answer they are part of the problem , they are made of lower quality plastic and lower quality machines , pants that cost 10 bucks off Amazon may appear to be decent but are far from it and are a waste of money. The saying "you get what you pay for" is true and part of the true cost of something is how you use and take care of them to maintain them, but keeping in mind pants wear out even in the best quality pants , they are made to sacrifice to the god of diapering.

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Sooner or later, plastic pants crack unless they are the PUL material. Those will last for years and you can wash them in the washing machine with detergent. You should never use detergent or soap on vinyl pants because the detergent is oil based, and it's oil/petroleum that makes vinyl brittle. Also, never put plastic pants of any kind in the dryer.
 
dogboy said:
Sooner or later, plastic pants crack unless they are the PUL material. Those will last for years and you can wash them in the washing machine with detergent. You should never use detergent or soap on vinyl pants because the detergent is oil based, and it's oil/petroleum that makes vinyl brittle. Also, never put plastic pants of any kind in the dryer.

How do you wash vinyl pants?
 
I much prefer poly urethane over vinyl they are much softer and stay that way for years and the best I’ve got are flannel lined pu pants from fetware absolutely awesome. The only negative for some is that they are noisier than vinyl. In the past I had some cheap vinyls that only lasted 2-3 months


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Also a fan of PUL (poly urethane laminate). They last a LOT longer, and can even be machine washed. They are also WAY more comfortable to wear too.
 
I agree with Dogboy. I switched PUL panties 5 years ago and just recently replaced my original 4 pair.
The PUL matl was still in excellent shape but the elastics were losing their tension. I only rinsed them
in the shower and air dried them.
 
Thank you all for your experience and suggestions. Further commentary is more than welcome; this seems to be a lively conversation on a useful subject.
 
Calico said:
How do you wash vinyl pants?

I've always rinsed mine in just water when I take my shower. I've been wearing my PUL plastic pants a lot more than the vinyl recently.
 
check out the final paragraph of Metoo's post:
https://www.adisc.org/forum/showthr...ies-(Towels)?p=1484618&viewfull=1#post1484618

i've been thinking about trying it myself, but i can't currently justify the cost, especially as i've found pants which can withstand quite a harsh life: Haian white plastic pants.
specifically 'white' as materials supplied to garment makers can vary from batch to batch. these ones seem more like a synthetic rubber and whilst clingy to the skin, they do withstand my ointment, which'll degrade Gary pants at first contact. my previous Haian purchases have also been unable to withstand my ointment, so there's always an element of pot-puck involved.
 
Rule of thumb is your plastic pants should be one size larger than your diapers.

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Once they get brittle its time for a new pair you do not want leaks do you ...
 
dogboy said:
I've always rinsed mine in just water when I take my shower. I've been wearing my PUL plastic pants a lot more than the vinyl recently.



Don't they start to smell like urine? All my plastic pants have ended up smelling that way.
 
Calico said:
Don't they start to smell like urine? All my plastic pants have ended up smelling that way.

I do the same thing with my PUL panties as Dogboy does and no odor.
 
Fiddlemiller said:
I've been wearing Gary plastic pants from Baby-Pants.com with cloth diapers and have been quite satisfied with them initially. But as they age the plastic becomes brittle and eventually cracks next to the waist elastic. I've routinely hand washed them in Woolite and hung them to dry but occasionally I just rinse them in the sink. Am I neglecting them somehow? Are there quiet alternatives that last longer than a few months?

Plastic (vinyl) pants generally do not last long when used in regular rotation. The material is sensitive to fluids and air along with flexing and being exposed to body heat, natural oils from the skin or from lotions & cleansers.

You could try Euroflex for durability or even a good hospital grade of rubber (not latex) pants. But, plan that even the best waterproofs will have a definite service life.

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Calico said:
Don't they start to smell like urine? All my plastic pants have ended up smelling that way.

Yes...there seems to be that tendency for them to take on 'that pee smell' if merely rinsed; less so when soap or detergent is used. But, that tell-tale odor stays behind. Some resort to using NULLO tables just for that reason. GOOGLE the product if unfamiliar. Others simply will not use plastic pants when using a disposable.

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Tetra said:
Rule of thumb is your plastic pants should be one size larger than your diapers.

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I've always opted for extra room when buying my vinyls or rubbers.

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dogboy said:
I've always rinsed mine in just water when I take my shower. I've been wearing my PUL plastic pants a lot more than the vinyl recently.

However, some will detect odor where others will not. Depends on your schnoz sensitivity.
 
The elastic on plastic pants is frequently the guilty party of retaining urine odor , it pays to buy wrapped elastic no chance for it to develop any odor since they never come into contact , cloth diapers over time will retain odor also but there is a method of deep stripping to remove the odor and rebalance the ph of the diaper.
Odor is all part of the things you have to plan for and deal with.

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Calico said:
Don't they start to smell like urine? All my plastic pants have ended up smelling that way.

I rinse them very thoroughly, rinsing them five times in the shower. Since they're solid plastic, they can't absorb urine so no, they haven't smelled. PUL is a little more difficult because they will tend to have liquids penetrate if they become overly saturated so that's why I wash them in the washing machine with detergent. I use Arm & Hammer with Oxi Clean which leaves a very nice, nursery sort of smell.
 
Just dont use any detergent or any of the oxygen booster cleaners on your diapers very bad stuff for diapers . It will wear the diapers out prematurely and reduce there functional life .

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