No-sew Cage Pads-Updates

[3piggles]

I finally made the no-sew cage pads, and put them in the cage today. I have no idea how they will perform, clean daily or wash weekly, so I will update this thread when I have new information.

First, I bought a quilted packing/moving blanket at Home Depot.
www.homedepot.com/p/Pratt-Retail-Specialties-72-in-x-80-in-Moving-Blanket-7007004/202518473#.UlMkB4ako0I

Second, I took a piece of fleece left over from making the existing cage pads.

Third, I cut both the fleece and the packing blanket to fit the kitchen area of each cage (15x29")


Fourth, I used an Awl, but a pair of sharp-ended scissors or a pointy knife would work, to poke holes in both layers of fabric.


Lastly, I put a Round Head Fastener through each hole, and spread the two legs on the back of each fastener to keep the two layers of fabric together.




The finished pad, folded over to show the front and the back:


The back with the legs of the fasteners splayed to hold the fabric pieces together:


I changed the cage bedding today, and installed one pad in each kitchen area. I am currently using it over the old pads, as this packing blanket is much thinner than the one I bought from Uhaul to make the original cage bedding.

[Bean]

Looks nice and simple - thanks for taking the pictures! I guess if you had pigs that tended to pull it up and burrow between the layers, you could put more fasteners around the edge?

[margaret6]

Thank you for the pictures, it looks simple enough. Look forward to seeing how it works x

[3piggles]

Just completed my first daily cage cleaning. The pads folded up easily from the four corners. I just folded them, up ended them over the dust bin and brushed them off with a whisk broom. No burrowing under the fleece, but it is possible to just add more fasteners.

Hubby has suggested, if these pads wash and dry well enough, that we make larger pads for the living space. We are using the pads from the last cage, which don't fit these cages very well. Having pads that really fit might be a nice change!

[jolovespiggies]

Thewe are a very good idea love, thank you for sharing it with us. They look great.

Hugs

JO xx

[3piggles]

The cage pads survived their first wash/dry, but not without problems. The legs on the posts got a bit bent up in the wash, and about 1/3 of them pulled out of their holes. The moving blanket part of the pads also lost more of their stuffing, and shredded around the edges a bit more, but are still fine to use, and the same basic size as before. I fixed the posts that had pulled out, before drying, and all were still in tact after drying.

Because of the washing issues, I've added two more fasteners to each long side, and one to each short side. I will return the pads to the cages today, so they go through another washing next week!

[Bean]

Is there anything you can put over the fasteners to make sure they don't come out? Just had a friend lose her washing machine because a hairclip got in to the wrong area!

[3piggles]

These fasteners are pretty hefty, but it might be worthwhile to remove them before washing, and see if I can find the holes afterward. The thin legs on the back got kind of bent up, which is how they came out. Maybe just tacking them down with some hand stitches would do the job, but I'm trying to find a totally no sew way to do this.

I will definitely use the Uhaul blanket next time, though. It doesn't come apart.

UPDATE: Washed the pads with the extra fasteners, so 6 instead of 4 fasteners, and no fasteners came loose. I find the thinner pad definitely is not as absorbent, and seems to get the odors faster and hold them longer. Not sure what if these pads are cotton or synthetic.