Cloth Bum
Q&A
In the 60 years or so that disposable nappies have been on the market, they have contributed an estimated 2 - 3% of the UK's total landfill waste. That’s about one hundred and eight billion nappies. You read that right, billion. It’s no wonder that there’s been a shift towards returning to cloth nappies. The environmental impact is far, far less and the savings for families can be significant. But reusable nappies take some getting used to, and there is a learning curve for those that are new to it. To help, we’ve answered some of your cloth nappy questions here, so you can get started armed with all you need to know!
Q
WHAT ABOUT THE POO?
We’re going to start with the question that concerns people the most. How do you deal with a dirty reusable nappy? Well, you can go two routes here - disposable liners or reusable. With a disposable liner, you just empty the poo into the loo and throw the liner away (they’re made of biodegradable materials, like bamboo) OR with a reusable liner, you remove as much poo as you can, either by rinsing (some use the water from the flush of the loo) or by wiping it. You bag it up with the shell (use a wet bag if you’re out) and take it home to wash.
32 somethingNew THE PARENTING MAGAZINE FOR DORSET FAMILIES
Q
WHERE DO YOU PUT USED NAPPIES WHILE WAITING FOR A WASH LOAD?
You can’t wash each nappy as it's used, you’d waste money, energy and resources, so you need to store the dirty nappies somewhere. Some people have a bucket with a mesh bag inside, along with a little tea tree oil in there to deodorise it. There’s no more smell than a usual nappy bin produces - in fact, it’s less pungent because urine interacts with the chemicals in disposable nappies to make that musty smell you sometimes get.
