There is no such thing as zero impact when we are using precious resources, but cloth diapers an exceedingly better option in comparison to disposable diapers. While we’re on the subject of eco-friendly diapers, let’s take a look at some of the negative environmental impacts of cloth. G-Diapers.com lists two main issues, environmentally speaking, when it comes to cloth diapers. The main issues are firstly, water usage and secondly, energy usage.
Washing cloth diapers uses about 10,000 to 20,000 gallons of water to exclusively cloth diaper one child from birth to potty training. The second concern when it comes to washing cloth diapers, energy usage, occurs in both the washing process, as it takes heat to properly wash cloth diapers, and also in the drying process, as it takes a significant amount of energy to dry cloth diapers in an electric clothes dryer.
The positive side of this, in addition to being able to reuse them until your baby is potty trained or until they grow out of the diapers, is that there are actions parents can take to reduce the amount of energy used in laundering cloth diapers. Using a front loading washing machine and using a dry diaper pail instead of soaking diapers in a wet pail are both excellent ways to reduce water usage. Reducing energy usage by hanging diapers and covers outside in the sunshine to dry, eliminates the need to use any energy to dry cloth diapers. This is how I dry the cloth diapers that I use on my children. It’s also a great reason for me to take my children outside and play.
Also, if you choose to use g-Diapers or another environmentally-friendly cloth diapering system, don’t forget to use your favorite eco-friendly laundry detergent, so you don’t have to worry about adding harsh chemicals to our water supply. A tip from this mom of 5 children- I make my own natural laundry detergent from scratch. By doing this, I save my family money every month and I am helping the environment at the same time. If you are interested in making your own laundry detergent, just search the internet, there are several good recipes out there in cyber space.