[LT_2022]

I was looking at one of Shadow the Rat's Youtube videos on keeping odors down and I guess I'm supposed to have an absorbent U Haul liner in addition to the fleece liners Does it have to be specifically a U Haul brand liner or can any other similar furniture protection pad work? What about using washable non-scented puppy pads or mattress underpads instead?

I have a double Critter Nation. I wash the fleece liners weekly and wash the shelves and trays every other week. My solo rat sleeps in her modified original cage (inside the Critter Nation) that has bedding and nesting material in it. I clean that out weekly. It's working so far.

 

[CorbinDallasMyMan]

Anything absorbent will work. Some people like the UHaul furniture padding material because it doesn't fray and leave long strings like woven fabric does. Washable puppy or incontinent pads work well, too.

 

[LT_2022]

Thanks!

What is is about the U Haul liner that makes it work well for critter cages? The liner just absorbs liquids. I've seen reviews online that claim the liners absorb odors but the liners are just made with thick fabric of some kind.

 

[CorbinDallasMyMan]

Any absorbent material will work well enough. Fabric liners, in general, are not good at controlling odors. Because of this, fabric liners require much more regular maintenance than most loose substrates. I use fabric liners on the platforms in my boys' cage and aspen shavings on the cage floor. I have to swap out and wash the fabric 5-10 times more often than I change the wood shavings. Without an absorbent layer, I would have to swap out the fleece even more often.

UHaul furniture padding (not the moving quilts) is made of recycled cotton denim fibers that have been matted together like a thick felt. The only thing that's different or special about furniture padding is it's not a woven fabric. If rats chew holes in their liners, most woven fabrics will fray, creating long, loose strings that a rat could get tangled in. Furniture padding is not woven and it's made from fairly short fibers so fraying and tangling isn't a concern.

 

[LT_2022]

I don't think the fleece only liners smell between weekly washings with just one rat. I do notice they get sticky to the touch by wash day, likely from dried urine. The one thing that does smell and needs to be washsed maybe twice weekly is the lid of the modified cage. My rat likes to sit on it and pee 😖 I plan to eventually remove the modified cage. I'll give U Haul liners a go in between the pillow case style fleece liners. Thanks for that link! It has the dimensions of the Critter Nation shelves and trays which I need.

 

[Ratty_123]

I was looking at one of Shadow the Rat's Youtube videos on keeping odors down and I guess I'm supposed to have an absorbent U Haul liner in addition to the fleece liners Does it have to be specifically a U Haul brand liner or can any other similar furniture protection pad work? What about using washable non-scented puppy pads or mattress underpads instead?

I have a double Critter Nation. I wash the fleece liners weekly and wash the shelves and trays every other week. My solo rat sleeps in her modified original cage (inside the Critter Nation) that has bedding and nesting material in it. I clean that out weekly. It's working so far.

Pretty much anything absorbent will work. Don’t use towels since they could eat it and it could get wrapped around their insides. Puppy pads work well! 💛

 

[Enya and Sheba]

I don't think the fleece only liners smell between weekly washings with just one rat. I do notice they get sticky to the touch by wash day, likely from dried urine. The one thing that does smell and needs to be washsed maybe twice weekly is the lid of the modified cage. My rat likes to sit on it and pee 😖 I plan to eventually remove the modified cage. I'll give U Haul liners a go in between the pillow case style fleece liners. Thanks for that link! It has the dimensions of the Critter Nation shelves and trays which I need.

I make my fleece liners and use the U Haul in between the fleece. I suggest you wash and dry the U Haul pad before you cut it to size cause it will shrink. I change my liners every 3 days and wash them in hot water with fragrance free laundry soap and a cup of vinegar. I've never had a problem with them smelling of urine and i have 3 rats.

 

[LT_2022]

Good point about washing the pad before cutting to allow for shrinkage What washing machine and dryer temp do you use for the pads?

I read a review online that says the pads bleed blue dye at every wash. Have you found this to be true?

 

[Enya and Sheba]

Good point about washing the pad before cutting to allow for shrinkage What washing machine and dryer temp do you use for the pads?

I read a review online that says the pads bleed blue dye at every wash. Have you found this to be true?

I wash in hot water on the normal wash cycle and dry them on high heat. I've never looked at the water so i can't say but i do wash them 2 times before drying. They do give off a lot of lint when dried

 

[CorbinDallasMyMan]

Preshrink all fabrics (inner and outer layers) with hot water and dry on high heat.

Don't use fabric softeners or dryer sheets because they make fabric less absorbent. That's also why you shouldn't use fabric softener and dryer sheets with your personal towels.

 

[LT_2022]

I haven't used dryer sheets in years. I only use wool dryer balls.

Another question - the un-cut pad is pretty large. I can fit it into the washing machine with no issue but I'm worried that the pad will be heavy when completely saturated that the washing machine won't be able to do the final spin (front loading machine). I tried washing a small cotton bath rug once and it was so heavy by the final spin cycle, the machine wasn't able to spin. The machine kept trying to do the spin for an hour before I turned it off and pulled out the heavy sopping wet rug out. Any issues with a pad being too heavy for the machine? I can try one of the commercial heavy duty machines at a laundromat.

 

[Enya and Sheba]

I have a heavy duty top loader that doesn't have an agitator like the old washing machines did. And if it got off balanced i would just shift the U Haul pad around to even it out. And i think that's because i washed 2 pads at once. But i can't remember ever having a problem when i washed 1 pad . And wash the pad by itself.

 

[LT_2022]

The pad has been washed and dried now I'll cut out the liners later.

Note for anyone wanting to make their own U Haul liners - the pad does turn the water blue and sheds fibers which may clog the drain. My front loading washer leaked a bit of blue water from around the door gasket. It only takes about 15 minutes to dry on high heat. Start with a clean lint trap and check the lint trap after about 5 minutes or so and remove all the blue fabric lint that has accumulated (it's a lot). If you use dryer balls, best to remove them unless you want blue dyed balls My light gray balls are now a shade of blue gray.