I happened to purchase a vacuum who’s replacement bags are a pain to find. Stores have that size and then they don’t.

So I am out of bags and need to vacuum before some friends come over. I just took the bag and undid the bottom seam. Dumped out the contents in the trashcan outside and taped it back up with duct tape. So far I have done that four more times.

The paper exam gown that you used on your last visit to the Doctor is no match for your fuzzy robe at home.

Cloth diapers work the same way. They can be cute, comfy and very effective.  If you have never tried cloth diapering it sounds a little odd, but you will come to enjoy diaper changes just as you enjoy a cup of coffee or tea in your favorite ceramic mug. It’s a different experience.

I used cotton diapers because I love it! I used disposable diapers for quite a while until I “Saw the light” and started using cotton. When my son was first born I thought that it would be a huge pain to use cotton diapers and I didn’t think about it for a long time. I finally got totally fed up with having to go out and spend a good sized part (I have always been a stay at home mom) of our monthly budget on diapers and I heard about the chemicals used in disposable diapers (no wonder my son was getting so many rashes!) So, I started to use cloth diapers (home laundered).

Now I can’t believe that I spent so much on disposables and I have been able to use the cloth diapers on our second child, I feel like I am getting “free” diapers. I figured that at $.20 per disposable diaper, using 10 per day after three years I would have spent about $2,190. Plus in our area the garbage company charges per can and we have been able to cut back one can per week after I switched to cloth. Washing the diapers costs me about $1.00 per load. That’s $432 over three years. When you add in the cost of the diapers ($450-an estimate) I have spent $882. That’s a $1,308 savings for the first baby. You can see even more savings ($1,778) for each additional child that uses the same diapers. I have found that I enjoy walking past the disposables in the grocery store and thinking about what I am not spending. Kids that have been in cloth diapers usually potty train earlier, another great benefit.

What about those flushable diapers? In terms of water use with my front loading washer and low flow toilet I figure that as long as I wash 10 or more diapers at a time I am saving water.

I try not to rant - much - but what is it about throw away baby related items? As if all those diapers in the landfills are not bad enough, we have diaper wipes, bibs, placemats, swim diapers and I just saw some throw away face/hand wipes advertised. Now I realize that we have droughts occasionally and want to watch our water use, but we are stuffing our landfills full of things that just don’t need to be there. It does not take that much effort to wash a few bibs or washcloths with your regular laundry. Remember to recycle all that you can as well. OK, end of rant.

There is also an entire grocery store row worth of disposable diaper choices, ranging from simple plastic covered paper diapers to the newest in high-tech, gel-filled with printed outers.

What you choose to use on your child should be the best thing for your family. You will need to consider any environmental issues that are important to you, what is allowed in your city and the comfort of your child.

Most parents worry about keeping their baby’s skin dry, healthy and free from diaper rash. Many things can cause diaper rash. Prolonged wetness, lack of air circulation, soap, chemical and dye allergies, ammonia formed by bacteria that interacts with urine left sitting against the skin and the growth of microbes in the diaper area can all be irritating and cause rashes. Leaving any diaper (whether it is reusable or not) on too long can cause diaper rash.

Some concerns about disposable diapers have been about dyes, sodium polyacrylate (the super absorbent gel), and dioxin, which is a by-product of bleaching paper. Sodium polyacrylate has been linked in the past to toxic shock syndrome, allergic reactions and is very harmful and potentially lethal to pets. Plastic tabs can also tear skin if the diaper is not properly put on the baby.

According to the Journal of Pediatrics, 54 % of one-month old babies using disposable diapers had rashes, 16 % having severe rashes. The incidence of diaper rash has gone up since the widespread use of disposable diapers, mainly due to leaving the super absorbent diapers on longer than is recommended. Dyes in disposable diapers can also lead to rashes wherever the diaper is in contact with your baby. In some disposables with fragrance additives even adults may have an allergic reaction or irritation.

A hybrid alternative, the gDiaper has recently come upon the diapering scene to further complicate matters. The diaper has a reusable washable outer with an absorbent inner liner that is placed in the cover. After use, the liner should be torn open and emptied into the toilet where it joins any waste and is flushed away.

Recently the city of Vancouver, “in a study conducted last year and finalized recently, put gDiapers to the test. After searching in vain for relevant research, the city’s engineering department reported that it dyed gDiapers’ disposable liner pads and tracked the product through Vancouver’s sewer system. The city concluded that the liners run the risk of entangling pumps. In addition, engineers found that the product could hinder the system’s ability to kill pathogens with ultraviolet light before­ the effluent is discharged into the Columbia River.” (11/15/07 full story)

Keep in mind that each baby is different; some parents will find their baby does perfectly fine with disposables while other parents may find their baby has some type of reaction to disposables.

It is all a matter of personal preference, how your baby is reacting to a particular diaper and how you feel about other factors that come into play when deciding between cloth and disposables.

The best way to prevent diaper rash is to change diapers, cloth or disposable, frequently. While disposable diapers can hold large quantities of urine, this slight wetness is still against your baby’s skin, which can lead to rashes. Disposable diapers should not be kept on until they look ready to burst and should be changed as often cloth diapers. Cloth diapers should be changed every time your baby wets and then the diaper should be properly cleaned so all bacteria that may be in the cloth is killed.

The cost of diapers is usually a great concern for most parents. You are likely to spend over $2,000 on disposable diapers before your child is potty trained. The cost to purchase and then wash even the most fancy cloth diapers will be about half of that. The more economy minded parent can spend less than $500 and most likely be able to use the diapers on another child.

The cost of disposable diapers varies due to the wide range of disposables on the market. Some name brands are very expensive, while some store branded disposables can be half the price of name brands. If you are purchasing disposable diapers, search online for coupons before each purchase. Many wholesale clubs have good prices and decent diapers.

The cost of a diaper service (usually only available in larger cities) mainly varies because of two factors. One factor being the amount of competition in your area (number of diaper service companies) and the second being the absorbency of diapers that you choose to use. You should be able to rent diaper covers from the service or you can purchase your own and wash them yourself. The cost of laundering your own cloth diapers also varies because of many factors. One factor is the quality of the cloth diaper. Some parents will initially purchase very high quality cloth diapers which will last several years, while other parents might buy low quality diapers which only last for a short time. Another factor is the amount of laundering that is done for each load of dirty diapers. Some parents will only do a minimal amount of cleaning and sanitizing, while other parents will go through many steps to clean a load of dirty diapers. The more cleaning and sanitizing that is performed for each load of diapers the higher the cost although most Energy Star washers do a great job washing while saving energy. Other factors are your time to launder the diapers, cost of electricity, soap, water, and wear on your washing machine and dryer.

In general, if you compare the cost of the fancier high tech disposable diapers to the cost of laundering your own cloth diapers, you will save money by using cloth diapers and laundering them yourself.

There has been much debate over the impact of disposable diapers and cloth diapers on the environment. The pro-disposable diaper advocates say that the extra water used to wash cloth diapers is just as much of an abuse to the environment as the production and disposal of disposable diapers.

It is estimated that roughly 5 million tons of untreated waste and a total of 2 billion tons of urine, feces, plastic and paper are added to landfills annually. Although some disposables are said to be biodegradable, the very nature of our landfills make this impossible since the trash it cut off from sunlight and air. The untreated waste placed in landfills by dirty disposable diapers is also a possible danger to contaminating ground water.

Pro-disposable advocates say that cleaning cloth diapers uses more energy, and contributes to the load on sanitary sewer systems and potential water pollution. This view really makes no sense if you think about it. The amount of water used per week to wash cloth diapers at home is about the same amount consumed by an adult flushing the toilet four or five times daily for a week. Also, the greater amount of water and energy being used by diaper service companies to wash large amounts of cloth diapers multiple times; the per diaper impact on energy and water supplies is actually less than home washing.

When flushing solids from a cloth diaper down the toilet and washing the diapers in a washing machine, the contaminated, dirty water from both toilet and washing machine go into the sewer systems where they are properly treated at wastewater plants. Currently this is our best choice of breaking down municipal waste and reusing our water resource. The amount of water used to wash a day’s amount of diapers is similar to the amount of water that an adult uses to flush the toilet daily.

With the newer style of cloth diapers that are on the market, disposable diapers are not much more convenient that cloth diapers. The new multiple layer, Velcro fastening cloth diapers are just as easy to put on and take off as disposables. Cloth diapers do not really need to be presoaked, or even rinsed out. Flushable liners can be used with cloth diapers that let you lift the soiled liner off the cloth and flush the liner and the poop down the toilet. If you don’t use liners, you can just dump the older baby’s solids down the toilet or you can use a sprayer to rinse solids away before putting the diaper in your diaper pail. Cloth diapers usually only add about 2 extra loads of laundry a week to your schedule.

Disposable diapers are more convenient when traveling because you can just throw the dirty diapers away without carrying them around for washing. For extended vacations without a washer, they may be your best choice. You can get away with fewer changes because of the super absorbent materials in disposables but taking into consideration the increased risks of rash and the extra impact on the environment, your decision should be made with much thought.

Certainly your choice does not have to be reusable or not. Many families use both, reserving each type for different circumstances.

The choice between the different types of diapers available is a matter of personal preference while taking into consideration all of the topics discussed previously. There really is no one best type of diaper that is good for every family. Deciding to use cloth or disposable diapers depends on your lifestyle, personal preference, finances and your concern for the environment. The choice that is right for you and your baby may be different from the one that’s right for your friend and her baby. Whichever diaper you decide on now, you may find that your baby develops diaper rash more frequently later or has some type of allergic reaction. Especially if there is a reaction where the diaper rubs on your baby, this could be sensitivity to your choice. If this occurs, don’t fight it, just change it up. Try a different type of diaper, a different brand or if you are washing your own cloth diapers change detergents. If your baby ever shows signs of having a reaction to a diaper you should always notify your doctor. The reaction you might be seeing could just be a small rash, but it could be a more severe allergic reaction. Your doctor can tell you exactly what it is and what you should do.

That’s not going to happen with every diaper.

Think about your favorite t-shirt. Maybe a heavy weight cotton. Have you had it for years? I’ll bet that it is looking a little worn at the seams. Maybe a little threadbare? It’s nice and soft though and it still works great. Your more fancy clothes usually require more gentle use and care, but will probably not last as long as your t-shirt.

Imagine what a cloth diaper goes through. Peed and pooped on, it sits for a few days in the diaper pail until wash day. The wash routine usually takes two or three cycles to get the diaper clean and then to make sure that the detergent is rinsed. Then into a hot dryer. Over 100 times a year it makes the same trip. Washed in hot water, dried on high. I’m thinking of prefolds here - don’t put most of your All in One Diapers, Fitted Diapers or diaper covers through that kind of routine.

We will buy a $50 shirt and how many uses do you expect to get out of it? 50? 100? - It will be out of fashion by then.

But we buy a prefold - about $2.50 each and expect the thing to last forever with really harsh treatment.

Most fitted diapers and All in Ones will last for about 150 uses.  Any product with a rubber based elastic will fail eventually. Velcro too will eventually wear out.

Prefolds are going to last longer. I really do have some that went through years of diapering use and are now being used as dust rags and car detailing towels.

Not letting your diapers and covers sit a long time before washing, washing warm, drying as little as possible (hanging dry to finish) and not using harsh laundry additives (like bleach) is going to go a long way in keeping your favorite diapers and covers around as long as possible.

The diapers in this picture have been used on two of our kids and are serving us well as car wash/car detailing towels. They have all had about the same amount of use, but the one on the bottom is a little more threadbare and fuzzy. It is also incredibly soft and one of the ones that we use to polish the car after waxing.

Reusable Snack Bags

Eventually you will save the landfill the equivalent volume as a plastic tree.

Check them out at Sammy Designs.

Try a reusable bag. You can use them not only for groceries but your kids can use them to easily cart all of their sports equipment to practice.

Your four year old has spilled their drink all over the table and it’s dripping onto the carpet. What do you reach for - the one pound rock or the 4 ounce sponge? The sponge will do a better job even though it weighs less because it has lots of places to absorb liquid - the pores.

The raw cotton fiber is not very absorbent in its natural state. Cotton fiber grows in a boll; each fiber is produced from an individual seed (about 5,000 altogether) in the base. The fiber starts out as a projecting hollow sheath and each night a new layer of cellulose is laid down on the inside of the sheath until about thirty layers are built up. At this point the fiber is like a solid cylindrical rod having a central canal pointing to the tip consisting entirely of cellulose. When the boll bursts and exposes these fibers to sun and air they dry up and collapse, becoming flatter and ribbon like with alternating left and right spiral twist every two or three turns. This is cotton fiber in its original state.

In 1851 John Mercer showed how to apply chemicals to the cotton fiber and cause the fiber to swell and straighten out. No one paid much attention to the process until 1890 when Horace Lowe showed how to use Mercers process to give the cotton fiber what it had lacked – luster and increased tensile strength.

A cross section of dry cotton fiber looks somewhat like a hollow bean. The walls of the fiber contain microscopic internal pores that open and cause the fiber to swell to almost round when wet. It has to have room to do that, so a diaper that is woven to tightly would not absorb as much.

Just as an aside most polyester or nylon fibers are man made and extruded from a liquid state through something that looks like a giant showerhead. The fibers are uniform in diameter and are more stable when washed and dried. The fibers of polyester and nylon do not absorb moisture. When they are combined with cotton, they can add stability (no major shrinking) to the diaper. An exception is cloth diapering’s terry weave micro fiber. Micro fiber is a generic term for any thread thinner than a human hair and can be woven for many different uses.