Perhaps you live in Chicago and are weighing the pros and cons of washing cloth diapers at home or using a diaper service. As cloth diapering experts, both in a service and at home we want to help you make a decision that will fit your family best!
Washing at Home
Washing cloth diapers at home is a totally feasible option for some! To give you an idea of what diapering at home involves, here’s the general process you will follow:
- Rinse/Scrape dirty diapers using sprayer in the toilet (every day)
- Wash in machine with proper detergent and at high temperature (every 2 days)
- Dry in machine or on clothesline. At some point you will need to sun your diapers to help with stains.
- Fold and stuff diapers if needed
- Put away in designated spot
Most pro cloth mom bloggers will say it takes them about 1-2 hours a week to do all of this. Typical supplies required are: toilet sprayer, washer/dryer, clothes line or rack in the sun, cloth diapers/covers, pail, pail liners, wet bags, and cloth safe detergent.
Pros of washing at home
Save money
Between the options of disposables, using a diaper service, and washing at home, this option is the best money saver. You may see an increase in your water bill, and there is a hefty initial investment but it pays off quickly.
YOUR diapers
Some may like the control washing at home gives them. You are not tied to a grocery store or delivery schedule.
Reuse diapers for multiple children
Cloth diapers have a long life, so you can use them for any other children you may have.
You still have us!
If you choose to cloth diaper at home, we still carry all the cloth diaper accessories you may need. If you live in Chicagoland, we’ll deliver for free!
Cons of Washing at Home
Time
Cloth diapering at home usually takes about 1-2 hours/week. If you speak most parents, when baby arrives you will have endless laundry to do, bottles to wash, and diapers to change. 1-2 hours can be an important margin to devote to a nap, bath or just feeling like a human!
Energy
Energy is a special resource as a parent, so you have to make decisions on where you want to invest yourself. Do you want to spend it on processing cloth diapers or on something else?
Convenience
Washing your own diapers will be a new inconvenience you add to your life. Again, you’re considering where you want to invest your time, money, and energy. Do you want the convenience of your dirty diapers being picked up once a week or are you ready to squat in front of the toilet to rinse and scrape them each night?
Living Situations
Consider your home, is the washer and dryer easily accessible? Do you have control of the water temperature? For people without an in-unit washer and dryer, washing at home may be unsustainable for their schedule and sanity.
Sanitation
Washing at home means you have to ensure your diapers are properly sanitized. Detergents, water pressure, water temperature, UV rays are all factors parents have to consider so that there is no bacteria build-up over time.
Using a Diaper Service
If you cloth diaper with Green Diaper Babies, a usual week looks like this:
- 1 weekly exchange – receive clean diapers/ put out dirty diapers on designated day
- Unpack bag of clean and place provided liner in pail
- Throw dirty diapers into pail through out the week
- Repeat!
Pail, pail liners, and diapers are all provided through us! You can add additional diaper products to a delivery by simply purchasing them in the store. We are a one-stop-shop for all your diaper needs!
Cons of Diaper Service
Cost
Diaper service does cost more in pure dollars than washing at home. Diapering a baby has a cost, no matter what. The cost of disposables is money and our planet. Washing at home costs some money but mostly time & energy. The cost of a service is in dollars. One benefit to a service is that friends and family can purchase the Gift of Cloth for your baby shower! When looking at a monthly budget, cloth diaper service actually fits in with the cost of disposables, read more in this blog.
Schedule
With a diaper service, you are tied to a specific delivery schedule. We send weekly reminders so you don’t forget to put out the dirty bag!
Pros
CONVENIENCE + TIME + ENERGY
With a service, you will have more time to invest in the important things. Cloth diaper service recaptures the convenience of disposables. There is no rinsing or scraping required. All you do is put the dirty diaper in the pail and set out your diaper bag once a week for pick-up. If you live in high rise or apartment – we can come right up to door. It’s easier than taking out the trash!
Environment
With a service, diapers are washed more efficiently in larger loads and with the less water than at home. Diapers can be shared between families for many years which results in overall less diapers produced than if each family bought their own set. Borrowing diapers is better than buying all new ones.
Sanitation
Diapers are washed in a process designed by a chemical engineer that ensures no bacteria remains, and the diapers are at a neutral pH by the end of washing. They are also hand sorted for quality by team members. No need to worry about bacteria build up!
Customer Service
With Green Diaper Babies, you have a team of people ready to help you with everything diaper related. From disposables for vacations, suggestions on folds, or diaper cream suggestions, you have experts available anytime via phone or email!
Trial Cloth Diapers
Diaper service is also great if you want to try out cloth diapers before making the huge investment. Purchase a month of diaper service to see if you like cloth diapering. Then you can decide whether you want to wash at home or continue in services!
More than Diapers
We offer more than just diapers. You can sign up for kitchen towel service, cloth wipes, and other add-ons to aid you in eliminating paper waste from your home!
Got more questions?
No matter which path you take, cloth diapering is an excellent choice for many reasons. It’s a “closed-loop” system, free of chemicals, and encourages early potty training! It’s good for you, your baby, and the planet.
If you’re still wondering which is a good fit for you, attend one of our Q&A Sessions! We are happy to dialogue about what would fit your family best. If you’re curious about our pricing and options, check out this page.
