One of the How-To topics that is frequently requested by customers is How to Wash in a Laundromat. It's practical advice from Jenn, who began her cloth diapering experience with prefolds and covers washing in a laundromat. So today, we're reposting it here, on the blog, to make it easy for you to find, bookmark or share with someone else:
Cloth Diapers: Washing In a Laundromat
When we started cloth diapering, we lived in an apartment and did not have our own washer and dryer. We were cautious about diving into cloth diapering so we started with a diaper service for three months and then decided that we were ready to venture out on our own. We've discovered that cloth diapering is very doable -- even when you're washing in a laundromat!
The system that we found that worked for us was simple:
It was important to have enough diapers to wash once or twice a week (at the most). I also used a pail liner to avoid hauling the entire diaper pail to the laundromat. I felt like the diapers got cleaner in the top loading machines.
When we started cloth diapering, we lived in an apartment and did not have our own washer and dryer. We were cautious about diving into cloth diapering so we started with a diaper service for three months and then decided that we were ready to venture out on our own. We've discovered that cloth diapering is very doable -- even when you're washing in a laundromat!
The system that we found that worked for us was simple:
- Wash everything together.
- Wash the load one entire cycle on cold using just a little detergent or none at all.
- Wash the load again one entire cycle on hot using 1/4 - 1/2 the regular amount of detergent.
- Sort the pocket diapers and the covers out of the load and dry everything else.
It was important to have enough diapers to wash once or twice a week (at the most). I also used a pail liner to avoid hauling the entire diaper pail to the laundromat. I felt like the diapers got cleaner in the top loading machines.
Costs:
It cost us $3 a week to wash diapers once a week. I paid $1 for each wash and $1 to dry the diapers. When evaluating the cost benefit of cloth you'll want to calculate how much extra you'll spend washing twice a week versus just buying enough diapers to last all week. If you spend an extra $3 a week washing diapers, in four months you could have purchased another two dozen prefolds with the money you saved by washing once a week. We found that it cost less in the long run to have a seven day supply of diapers.
We hope this information is helpful for you or someone you know. Be sure to check out our other "How-To" items on CottonBabies.com
As always, if you have further questions, give us a call at 1-888-33-BABIES
(1-888-332-2243) Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time.
We'd be glad to assist you.
Love that you re-posted this. I used to volunteer as a counselor at a local crisis pregnancy center, and I've been talking to the director about how we cloth diaper our baby and how great it would be for the clients. She keeps telling me they won't do it because 1. they don't have access to their own washer/dryer and 2. they don't have the right mindset to deal with "gross poop" and laundry.
ReplyDeleteis there not an issue of the laundromat machines having buildup from other detergents or dryer sheets?
ReplyDeletemy son has had reactions if i'm not careful to avoid dryer sheets in our dryer at all and if i don't strip the diapers monthly.
i guess it just varies based on the child...
We were full time travelers and cloth diapered on the road using laundromats all over the country. Washing once and drying usually cost $4. So washing twice a week cost us about $8. Plus our other laundry which all amounted to quite a lot of quarters. Two washes would be preferable but the cost was so high I couldn't justify it. Pre washing or stripping at home in the tub with hot water had to be done on some occasions and wasn't much added trouble. To cut down on cost you can get an indoor or outdoor drying rack. Washing at least twice a week is necessary to avoid damage to the fibers of the diapers. JME
ReplyDelete@Chris, Kelly, Emerson- I think it depends on the baby and any other allergies. I was incredibly allergic as a baby and, after a trip to the laundromat, my reaction was so bad my skin did a complete peel. So, yes, caution would be needed! (I was also allergic to disposable diapers... my parents had to do a lot of problem solving!)
ReplyDeleteWhat does it mean to "strip the diapers"?
What about drying? People who use the laundromat usually have no place to air or line dry things. I know we aren't supposed to put the out shells & covers in the dryer, but sometimes you have no choice :(
ReplyDeleteIs it safe to only wash once a week? I was told that I needed to wash at least every 3 days to avoid the ammonia from destroying the diapers. I would love to only have to wash weekly since we are only using 1 diaper/day!
ReplyDelete