Wash at home vs. service???

thebigmare

So I was under the impression that if you did CD, you had to go with a laundry service. DH and I are convinced to go with CD, but we are undecided about washing at home (DH does the laundry) or a service. 

 

kristas

I just throw a load in as needed. Not a huge deal at all. 

I do a prewash, wash, maybe an extra rinse. Depending on the stink level I might do a quick wash but that is mainly because I have front loaders and they dont use as much water as top loaders.When I was using top loaders I could skip the quick wash. 

When they are done in the wash, I hand them all up. The air dry over night in the kitchen on the bakers rack or during the day outside. I might, on occasion, throw the inserts into the dryer for a quick fluff.  

I don't even use special detergent other than the Tide Free and Clear that we use on all our washes.  

I do not think it is much of a hassle at all. I would think that waiting for a service and using prefolds instead of pockets would be a bit more work compared to what I have now, especially since my daughter is a very heavy wetter.

Just my two cents.

ked77

washing at home is very easy.  I do a load of diapers every 2-3 days, really not a hassle at all!  Plus, I really like knowing exactly what my diapers are being washed in, no harsh chemicals/bleach, etc

LaLaaaa

We're CDing too, I plan on washing them myself at home.  A diaper service seems like a waste of money to me.

eitaknna9

We just started CD'ing and washing them at home. So far so good, and it's not much more than an extra few loads a week. I would recommend to save your money and do the laundry portion yourself.

roundtheworldgirl

We've done both.  DH insisted that we use a service for the first four weeks of DD's life, to take the pressure off me.  (I was a reluctant service customer - I wanted to use my stash!).  IMO, it's much better to do your own wash.  The only pro to the service is that they wash the diapers for you.  But here are the cons:

1) Service costs about the same as disposable diapers (at least in our area).

2) Service only provides prefolds, which was fine in the early days when that's all we used, but very limiting later on.

3) Service only picked up once a week, so the pail got a bit stinky, even when DD was EBF'd.

When you do your own stash you can save a lot of money.  Our stash is not cheap by any means, but we will still save at least $1000 on diapering DD, and more like $3000-3500 now that we're expecting #2.

And with your own stash, of course, you can use any diaper you want.  This comes in handy after the newborn stage when babies start to pee more and hopefully STTN and you need more absorbency for nighttime.

Also, the laundry is no big deal.  I wash every other day after DD has gone to bed.  If I know the next day is going to be sunny, I won't take the diapers out of the washer until the next morning so that I can line-dry them outside.  If not, I line-dry inside and they are usually ready to go the next morning.  Now with two babies, I expect to need to wash every day, so we'll see how that goes.

All that said, of course, I do not mind laundry in general.  Now, if CDing required regular hand-washing of dishes (which I loathe), it might be more difficult

Nikki1007

I wash mine at home and its so easy.  I wash every other day and line dry the covers in the laundry room and toss the inserts in the dryer.

A service just doesn't seem much easier to me because washing is so simple.  Plus you are limited to prefolds and covers.  Which is fine for the newborn stage, but once they get a little older you will want to be able to customize the absorbency more.  Plus prefolds are boring. Buying and trying different cute diapers is so much fun!

Dr.Loretta

You don't need a service. Many places (like where i live) don't even have CD services available.

Washing is a piece of cake. Toss in the diapers and do a cold rinse. Add detergent and do a hot wash/cold rinse cycle. Line dry or tumble dry. Ta da.

It's easy, I promise.

UTKD

roundtheworldgirl:

We've done both.  DH insisted that we use a service for the first four weeks of DD's life, to take the pressure off me.  (I was a reluctant service customer - I wanted to use my stash!).  IMO, it's much better to do your own wash.  The only pro to the service is that they wash the diapers for you.  But here are the cons:

1) Service costs about the same as disposable diapers (at least in our area).

2) Service only provides prefolds, which was fine in the early days when that's all we used, but very limiting later on.

3) Service only picked up once a week, so the pail got a bit stinky, even when DD was EBF'd.

When you do your own stash you can save a lot of money.  Our stash is not cheap by any means, but we will still save at least $1000 on diapering DD, and more like $3000-3500 now that we're expecting #2.

And with your own stash, of course, you can use any diaper you want.  This comes in handy after the newborn stage when babies start to pee more and hopefully STTN and you need more absorbency for nighttime.

Also, the laundry is no big deal.  I wash every other day after DD has gone to bed.  If I know the next day is going to be sunny, I won't take the diapers out of the washer until the next morning so that I can line-dry them outside.  If not, I line-dry inside and they are usually ready to go the next morning.  Now with two babies, I expect to need to wash every day, so we'll see how that goes.

All that said, of course, I do not mind laundry in general.  Now, if CDing required regular hand-washing of dishes (which I loathe), it might be more difficult

I concur. 

kdello

Dr.Loretta:

You don't need a service. Many places (like where i live) don't even have CD services available.

Washing is a piece of cake. Toss in the diapers and do a cold rinse. Add detergent and do a hot wash/cold rinse cycle. Line dry or tumble dry. Ta da.

It's easy, I promise.

This! Just be sure to use an appropriate detergent. 

sinisterkat01

I see that a lot of you hang your diapers . . . it seems that most of the labels on mine say that tumble drying is okay.  Are you just trying to extend the life of the more expensive AIOs, covers, etc?

Or is it necessary to help with the odor, and/or staining?