Comments on: Offsetting the Water Used to Wash Cloth Diapers

By: Siggy

Siggy — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:52:58 +0000

what about keeping a bucket in the shower to catch some of the extra water and add that to the washer?
I use a 5 gal bucket and while it doesnt ‘fill up’ all of the way, every little bit counts… right? If I were more motivated I might scoop water out of my sons bath…. hmm
I wouldnt use the used washer ‘diaper water’ again for any other purpose.. that really should go to the sewer/septic system in my opinion.

By: Marti

Marti — Sat, 09 May 2009 01:49:11 +0000

I am trying to use the grey water from our washing machine to water our garden, but all the DIYers warn against using water from diaper laundry on your garden. Thing is diaper-laundry is by-far our greatest use of water laundry-wise, so I would like to save it from going straight down the drain. Is there any safe way to “re-use” water from diaper laundry? Can I treat the diaper pail or used water somehow (naturally, of course) or maybe use it only on non-food plants? What if I poke holes in the the grey water pipe and bury it, so that the reclaimed water “drips” straight on the roots of our plants and isn’t just sprayed on top of them? Thanks for any advice you can offer.

By: Linda

Linda — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 20:28:58 +0000

If you can collect the rinse water from your washing machine, you can use it to flush your toilet or to water your garden. This is really great in times of drought in the summer. And good weight bearing exercise hauling buckets back and forth.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 01:24:44 +0000

I just bought a Waterpik shower head that uses 1.5 gallons per minute and has a pause button. This means we can use even less water and pause it while we suds up!

By: rebecca

rebecca — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 18:03:19 +0000

Thanks for all the comments so far! Suzannah, I have not tried putting a brick in my toilet tank. I've heard it reduces the power of the flush. I'm interested to hear if anyone else does it, though! Heather, before my daughter potty trained I washed diapers every four days--which is less than twice a week. I'm impressed that you wash diapers in a laundromat! Tamara, I think you're right about a dishwasher using less water than handwashing dishes. If you don't have a dishwasher, though, I believe it's probably eco-friendlier to never get one, considering the energy that goes into manufacturing a huge appliance. I still want one, though! Anna, I am glad you agree! Kelly, I wrote a post about this very argument many months ago. I agree that reusing is always better for the environment than tossing something. Nicole, I love the idea of collecting rainwater to use on diaper laundry. I still haven't hooked up the rain barrels yet. Maybe I will after it stops snowing. . . .

By: Nicole

Nicole — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 07:41:21 +0000

We’re trying to collect rain water and siphon it into the washer for non-diaper loads. It is fairly easy to do, the only problem is, it’s not raining enough.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 07:18:36 +0000

We do selective flushing. I also heard this logic or whatever you would call it – are paper plates, disposable cups, and plastic silverware better for the environment or are real dishes. Almost everyone will say real dishes. But those need to be washed, isn’t it wasting water to wash the dishes? Most people would then say that is absurd. I don’t the disposable anything can be considered better, no matter what. Reusing, even after washing, is always going to trump putting more stuff in a landfill.

By: Anna

Anna — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 23:18:37 +0000

We use a front loader, wash every 2 or 3 days. I do NOT feel guilty about washing my cloth diapers in water. The increase of water usage on our water bill since the baby was born has been VERY small, less than 5-10% increase, I’d say. We also do more laundry due to baby “bloops” and baby clothes. In a couple of short years, the baby will be using the toilet and flushing (selectively perhaps) accordingly, and I imagine that water usage will end up being MORE than what it takes to wash our cloth diapers.

I agree – water is CLEANABLE, the plastics and other junk of disposable diapers (including the fact that human waste is likely being disposed of in a landfill – something that just shouldn’t be done) is SO MUCH worse in my opinion.

Thanks for the post!

By: Tamara @ Parenting By Nature

Tamara @ Parenting By Nature — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 22:17:32 +0000

Great article! A few other tips – Always ensure you are washing full loads, and not partial loads. Don’t let the water run when brushing your teeth or washing the dishes (my DH does this – drives me nuts! lol!). Keep a dishpan of water under the sink (locked, if you have kids around) to pre-soak your dishes. This makes washing faster and easier. And I understand using the dishwasher for the average household of 4 or more actually conserves water more than using the sink, but I think this has a lot to do with *how* one washes the dishes.

Looking forward to reading other’s responses!

By: Heather

Heather — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 18:32:56 +0000

We use a laundromat and because of the cost, I only wash diapers twice a week- which is how I assuage my guilt. I also make sure that I use detergents that are earth-friendly so that even though I’m dirtying water, I’m not adding gross chemicals to it.