If you’re reading this, you’ve likely already been introduced to cloth diapers and are ready to give them a try! Hooray for you! Using cloth was single-handedly the BEST decision we made for our baby in their early years! Yes, using cloth is great for the environment but it was much bigger than that for us! We wanted to avoid chemicals near our baby! And to start, removing chemicals that directly touched their skin was a BIG one for us… Things like polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), organically active compounds of ethylene benzene, xylene and toluene, polyacrylates or phthalates was not something I wanted anywhere in our home let alone sitting against our baby’s skin.
If you’re anything like us, you’re probably ready to take the plunge but not sure if using a diaper service or washing at home is the way to go. Speaking from the perspective of a diaper service, it’s no secret which we would recommend. Even so, we hope we can provide honest insights into both washing at home versus using a service. Ultimately, we’re just glad you’ve made the decision to give cloth a try. And we’re pretty confident you’ll join the thousands of families in Southern California that have been on this journey before you.
WASHING AT HOME
Washing cloth diapers at home is a great option for some! Here are some great reasons to give this option a try.
PROS
- Save money. Between the options of disposables, using a diaper service, and washing at home, washing at home is the best money saver. You’ll save money which will require you to do the work but if time is not an issue for you, them this option is great! You may see an increase in your water bill, and there is a up cost in the initial cost of buying a set of cloth diapers, but it will pay off fairly quickly.
- YOUR diapers. Some may like the control washing at home gives them. You are not tied to a grocery store run or ever running out of diapers. If you stay on top of laundry, you can always have clean diapers when you need them.
- Reuse diapers for multiple children. Cloth diapers have a long life, so you can use them for any other children you may have.
CONS
- Time. You are trading cost-savings for your time. Washing at home requires at least 3 more loads of laundry a week. If you speak to any parent, when baby arrives you will have endless laundry to do, bottles to wash, and diapers to change. Adding 3-4 more hours a week dedicated to laundry can be a deal breaker for some who would choose to use that time to sleep!
- Energy. Again, energy is a special resource as a parent, Do you want to spend your energy washing and sorting cloth diapers or on other family activities. Perhaps a nice bath?
- Convenience. Compare this to the convenience of your food delivery services. Do you want the convenience of your dirty diapers being picked and fresh ones delivered or are you ready to squat in front of the toilet to rinse them and scrape off the poop?
- Living Situations. Consider your home, is the washer and dryer easily accessible? Do you have control of the water temperature? For people living in apartments where the machines are down multiple flights of stairs, or they can’t adjust the water temperature high enough, these may be strong deterrents to washing at home.
- Sanitation. Washing at home means you have to ensure your diapers are getting clean enough. Detergents, water pressure, water temperature, UV rays are all factors parents have to consider to make sure no bacteria remains on the diapers.
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 a machine with proper detergent and at high temperature (every 2 days or daily if you have less diapers)
- 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 3-4 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.
USING A DIAPER SERVICE
If you cloth diaper with Luludew, a usual week looks like this:
- 1 weekly delivery – receive clean diapers/ put out dirty diapers on designated day
- Unpack bag of clean diapers and wipes in a designated drawer or shelf.
- Toss dirty diapers in a diaper pail (that we provide) and done! No need to do anything to the diaper. We take care of ALL the cleaning.
- That’s it! It’s as simple as that
Pail, pail liners, and diapers are all provided through us! You can add additional diaper products to a delivery by simply purchasing them in our store. We are a one-stop-shop for all your diaper needs!
CONS
- Cost. Using a diaper service will cost more in dollars than washing at home. However diapering a baby has a cost, no matter what. Washing at home means you pay in time & energy, and with a service in dollars. One benefit to a service is that friends and family can purchase the Gift of Cloth which is not an option washing at home.
- Schedule. With a diaper service, you are tied to a specific delivery schedule. Your diaper bag needs to be out on a certain day, and there can be deadlines for making changes to an upcoming delivery.
PROS
- Convenience/Time/Energy. Disposables have an ease-of-use that is appealing to most parents. With that ease comes the addition of chemicals on baby’s skin. With a cloth diaper service, the convenience is restored! No rinsing or scraping necessary. All you have to do is put the dirty diaper in the pail and set out your diaper bag once a week for pick-up. Ff you live in high rise or apartment – we can come right up to door if you don’t want to haul your diapers down to the first floor. It’s as simple as taking out the trash!
- Environment. With a service, diapers are washed more efficiently in larger loads and washers designed to use less water than those at home. Diapers can be shared between multiple families for multiple years which results in overall less diapers produced than if each family had their own set at home. 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. You don’t get that at home!
- Customer Service. With Luludew, you have a team of people ready to help you with everything diaper related. Whether you need disposables for a vacation or have a question about diaper healing balm, you will have experts just a chat away!
- Trying Cloth Diapers Out. Services are also great if you’re unsure about cloth diapering and want to try it out. Rather than investing in all the supplies, you can get a month of diaper service to see if cloth is a good fit, and then decide from there whether you want to wash at home or continue in services!
- More than Diapers. Luludew offers more than just diapers to their family. 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?
We hope this post is helpful as you embark on your cloth diapering journey! No matter which path you take, cloth diapering is a great choice for both your baby and you!. Together, we can raise happy and healthy babies!
If you’re still wondering which is a good fit for you, attend one of our FREE Diaper 101 Class! We’re happy to chat about what would fit your family best. If you’re curious about our pricing and options, get more info here.
