Diapering: Frugal Diaper Washing

Photo Credit: Cold! A vintage bathtub knob, by Karen Barefoot

Believe it or not, this is true. When Andrico was a baby and I was doing my undergrad, I was extremely poor.

I did not own a washing machine, and did not have the money to spend on gasoline or wear and tear on my car to take diapers to the laundromat every couple of days (nor did I have $1.00 per load to wash them).

So... I engaged in frugal diaper-washing. Yes folks, after I took a bath, I dumped Andrico's diapers in the cooling water to soak.

Wooden Clothes Drying Rack

A couple of hours later, I would come back and scrub them in the water, drain the water, and then rinse them out, IN COLD WATER.

Despite claims one needs hot water and bleach to kill the germs that cause diaper rash, Andrico never suffered from diaper rash as a result of this procedure (although he did get it from eating berries and he did get a diaper rash on the one occasion I decided to try bleaching the diapers).

Furthermore, in the winter I simply hung the diapers on a wooden drying rack, in the apartment (in the summer I hung them outside).

Thanks to Andrea for this Frugal Baby Tip!

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