Most cloth diapering moms are attached to their cloth diapers, but some of us take that feeling to the extreme. It’s safe to say that my cloth diapers are not only a hobby, they are an addiction; and I love them deeply! So this morning, when they were trapped in my washing machine, I immediately made it my mission to free them from the clutches of potential doom! I wish I could have seen the look on my husband’s face when I sent my 13 year old to ask: “Mom wants a torque screw driver that will fit a bolt-top screw that has six sides.”

Lit with curiosity, my huband’s face quickly appeared at the laundry room door. What he saw was his disabled wife sitting on a towel on the baseent floor, hunched over the bottom of the washing machine with a YouTube video playing in one hand. “My cloth diapers are trapped in the washing machine!” I said. “I need to open this panel and empty the drain pipe!”

A mama’s gotta do what a mama’s gotta do

As I explained the situation, the puzzled look on my husband’s face began to be replaced with laughter. Our washing machine was broken, and I had looked up the error code online. Code F21 on a Whirpool Duet washer means that the pump can’t drain water properly because it is plugged. To contain the trapped water, the door remains locked until the drain is fixed and the code cleared. Yes, the door was locked, with about $600 worth of not-yet-cleaned cloth diapers and pads inside. I was determined to rectify this.

Google fixes everything, and so I had found an incredibly helpful YouTube video showing me how to solve the problem. “Only cloth diapers would get you on your butt on a cement floor with a screwdriver” my husband laughed, as he handed me the drill and bit that I needed. And he was right, I will go to great lengths for my cloth diapers- even cleaning out a very disgusting washing machine drain pipe. $0.95 in coins, a hairpin, and a handful of lint was the bulk of the clog.

If the situation ever arises in your household, here’s the video. It really was quite easy.