Back in the day when I had babies in diapers and I was using cloth, the thought never crossed my mind as to what a load of diapers cost to launder, but thinking back on it now, I wish I had calculated some of the costs associated with using cloth diapers, even short-term, because it would have made for interesting statistics for conversations such as this.
Nonetheless, cloth diapers, when I was using them, were much more frugal than the today's modern version. Old-fashioned cloth diapers were thin, sheet style, so they laundered thoroughly and dried quickly, and nearly everyone I knew at the time who were using cloth diapers, clothesline dried, which added to the overall savings.
Aside from laundry detergent, bleach, and electricity to power the washing machine and tumble dryer, I guestimate that laundering costs equated to pennies per load, and the only long-term expense I remember associated with the use of cloth diapers, was rubber pants, and even then, rubber pants came 6 pairs to a pack and could be had for a $1 a pack at the time, so a package or two of rubber pants every few months didn't come close to putting a pinch in our household budget.
Additionally, I washed diapers every 2-3 days, so always a full-load, which helped maximize savings, and diapers generally lasted through two children before having to be replaced, so they good for hundreds of washings.
Would love to hear from any other older mothers from the old-fashioned cloth diaper era, as to what sort of savings you enjoyed as a result of using cloth diapers in your home.
Nonetheless, cloth diapers, when I was using them, were much more frugal than the today's modern version. Old-fashioned cloth diapers were thin, sheet style, so they laundered thoroughly and dried quickly, and nearly everyone I knew at the time who were using cloth diapers, clothesline dried, which added to the overall savings.
Aside from laundry detergent, bleach, and electricity to power the washing machine and tumble dryer, I guestimate that laundering costs equated to pennies per load, and the only long-term expense I remember associated with the use of cloth diapers, was rubber pants, and even then, rubber pants came 6 pairs to a pack and could be had for a $1 a pack at the time, so a package or two of rubber pants every few months didn't come close to putting a pinch in our household budget.
Additionally, I washed diapers every 2-3 days, so always a full-load, which helped maximize savings, and diapers generally lasted through two children before having to be replaced, so they good for hundreds of washings.
Would love to hear from any other older mothers from the old-fashioned cloth diaper era, as to what sort of savings you enjoyed as a result of using cloth diapers in your home.
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