5 Ways To Make Cloth Diapering More Sustainable

5 Ways To Make Cloth Diapering More Sustainable

Yes, you read correctly - this post is about how to make cloth diapering more sustainable. If you'd like to know more about why cloth diapering is not as sustainable as it may seem, let me know in the comments and I will make sure to create a blog post about that. 

In my thesis project during my studies at MCAD, I redesigned a traditional diaper service in order to reduce and/or eliminate negative environmental impacts that arise with cloth diapering. Here are a few points you can take away from my thesis work, that will help you to make cloth diapering more sustainable. 

1. Line-Dry Diapers
   Since it takes energy to run a dryer and most electricity is generated through fossil fuels, it is best to reduce the amount of electricity needed in the drying process. Therefore, unless you use solar or wind power to generate electricity at your house, it is best to line-dry the diapers. Even better, you can line dry them in the sun, which will also help remove stains, as UV light naturally bleaches fabric.
2. Pre-Soak Diapers in Rain Water
   I have found that I need to use a lot of water in the cleaning process so that my cloth liners or diapers don't stain (especially with runny baby poop, which seems to stain strongly). In order to reduce your contributing factor to fresh water depletion, you can collect rain water that you can use in the cleaning process.
3. Use Safe Laundry Detergent
   Laundry detergent should have ingredients that are safe for your child and the environment, considering the water used in the washing process does reach the environment after the diapers have been washed. Unfortunately, most laundry detergents on the market are not as safe as they are advertised as. (I wrote a blog post about that as well, check that out here). Your best bet is to choose detergents with simple ingredients.
4. Use Safe Cloth Diaper
   By choosing a diaper material that is not going to irritate your baby's skin, you can keep your baby happy and their bum nice and soft . Gentle organic fabrics are a good way to go. We mostly use gDiapers with simple cotton inserts, but there are a lot of great cloth diaper brands out there.
5. Use correct diaper size
   Using the correct diaper size will help to reduce the amount of laundry needed to clean the diapers. Namely, if babies wear diapers that are too big or too small, you may experience more blow-outs. Thus, it is important to find a diaper that fits well. We have found that there are many one-size diaper options that adjust nicely to a growing baby.