Cloth Diapers
A few hours ago I went to a free class regarding cloth diapers. Topics discussed included the many types of cloth diapers and how to wash them. There’s some debate about which type(s) of cloth diapers we’ll use, but the larger issue is how we’ll wash them. We currently have an inexpensive, 7 year-old top loading washer of the variety found in many homes.
Before much research has been done (on my part) the current thinking is this:
- Top loading washers don’t wash as well as front loading washers
- Front loading washers have a sanitize function, which is good for diapers
- A nice front loading washer is expensive (near $1000) but well worth the cost as it will wash clothes well for many years to come
Apparently there is quite a bit of debate on the internet as well.
In Google’s top 10 results for “cloth diaper washer”
Sites in favor of top loading washers:
- Green Mountain Diapers
- the diaper hyena
- Karen’s Cloth Diapering Site
- Banana Peels Diapers
- Cloth Diaper Blog
Sites which offer little to no help:
Of the top ten links from an arbitrary Google search, 5 are in favor of top loading washing machines. With the exception of ebay, the 5 remaining sites offer some advice for washing cloth diapers but don’t recommend any style or type of washing machine. The general concensus is that washing regular clothing in a front loading washer is great and saves water and energy. However, cloth diapers require a lot of water to slosh around in. A top loading washer provides an adequate amount of water and washes diapers better than a front loading washer.
There’s certainly more research to do on this issue before such a major purchase, but I’m leaning toward keeping my old top loader and saving $1000.