It's All About the Benjamins

I have been trying to gather the information to post this for a while now, because I know everyone is wanting to know, "Just how much do you really save when you cloth diaper?"  But at the request for this info recently from a friend, this gave me the push to pull it all together and I was able to (with the help of my wonderful hubby) finally get it all figured out.

I know there are many variables that can go into this and cause it to factor differently, but I tried to keep it basic as well as show you from my standpoint how much it costs.

Costs per year:


1st year cloth vs. disposables:  (Pretty close to even in price as far as supplies go).

With cloth, you will need the following supplies:
*12-24 Cloth diapers --$252.35.  The cost for this will vary depending on which route you choose, ie. prefolds or fitteds and covers, pockets, AIOs, combination of the above.  Also, the amount you purchase depends on whether you want to wash every day or every other day.  Check out these economical packages Econobum, Try cloth diapering for $10, BumGenius, Fuzzibunz, Rumparooz. (These are all one-size diapers).
*2 Large wetbags --I prefer to use large hanging wetbags instead of a pail as it zips close and prevents ANY stink from escaping into baby's room.  I recommend Monkey Foot Designs XL wetbags.  They run about $30 each.--Monkey Foot Designs is having a 10% off sale through Jan 15th.  Get your wetbags now and save!
*2 Small wetbags --for the diaper bag when out.  I recommend Planet Wise wetbags in Medium.  These run about $16.50 each.
*Wipes--FREE!  I use cloth wipes as I figure I am already washing diapers, why not just throw the wipes in and wash them together?  I just cut up those Gerber flannel "swaddling" blankets, the ones that don't really even wrap around your baby, into 8" x 8" squares and then zig-zagged around the edges to keep them from fraying.  I already had the blankets, so it was FREE.  You could also purchase cheap wash cloths at the dollar store or Walmart to use for your wipes.
*Liners--$60.  I like these ones.  I don't think I would even go through 10 rolls in one year, but this is being generous.
*Detergent--$35.  I use Tide Original and got the box that is for 120 loads, but I can get 420 loads out of this as I only use 2 Tbsp with each load.  I have been using this same box for over a year and have probably 1/3 of the box left still.
Total:  $440.35.  This was going with the BumGenius 12 pack pocket package along with the Econobum package of 3 covers and 12 prefolds.  If you go with the Fuzzibunz package above, you won't have to worry about buying any of the above and will spend only $385.


With disposables, you will need the following supplies:
*2257 Diapers--$451.40.  This is an average of each diaper costing $0.20.
*Wipes--$43.50.  I used to buy the box of 810 wipes at Sam's Club for $14.50.  They would last about 4 months.
Total:  $494.90.

2nd year cloth versus disposables:  (Save $hundreds as far as supplies go).


Cloth:
*Liners--$60
*You still have everything else you need!
Total:  $60

Disposables:
*1825 Diapers--$365.00
*Wipes--$43.50
Total:  $408.50


Now is where we get into the nitty gritty...utilities.  Some may think that you really don't save much cloth diapering because what you save in cloth you make up for in water and electricity from washing diapers.  This is not the case.  Greg and I found an average (non-efficient) Whirlpool top loader washing machine which holds 25 gallons of water with each fill.  So if you have an energy efficient and/or front loader, you will be spending less on water.  Here is the yearly breakdown on utilities:

Washing
25 gallons of water used per fill
.23 cents/gallon (for the area in which we live)
100 gallons of water/ round of washing diapers (that is with an initial soak, hot wash, cold rinse, cold rinse).
Total:  23 cents in water per round of washing diapers


1.13 kwh (kilowatt hertz) per load (energy used) x 3 (3 loads per round of diaper laundry)=3.39 kwh
1.13 kwh= 11.6 cents x 3 (see above)=Total:  34.8 cents per round of diaper laundry in electricity.


1 therm (gas to heat the water)=73 cents
0.0572 therms used per round of diaper laundry=Total:  4.2 cents (only one load uses gas to heat the water as there is only one hot cycle).
Total:  39.23 cents per round of diaper laundry

Detergent:  4.3 cents per round of diaper laundry (see above under "detergent" for initial cost and breakdown).

Washing yearly total:  39.23 cents + 4.3 cents for detergent = 43.53 cents x 3 (I wash every other day, so on average, rounding up, 3 times per week) = $1.32 x 52 weeks in a year = $68.64 per year.


Drying:
This is if you use the dryer to dry your diapers.  You can avoid this cost all together by hang-drying or laying diapers or inserts in the sun.

Electric dryer (average on a non-efficient dryer) electricity used =  Total:  66 cents per round of diaper laundry x 3 per week = $1.98 x 52 weeks in the year = $102.96 per year.


Gas dryer = Total:  36 cents per round of diaper laundry x 3 per week = $1.08 x 52 weeks in the year = $56.16 per year.

GRAND TOTAL (utilities):
Washing and Electric Drying:  $68.64 + 102.96 = $171.60 per year.
Washing and Gas Drying:  $68.64 + $56.16 = $124.80 per year.


Conclusion:  (I went with 2 years as this is the point at which I potty train my kids).
Cloth for 2 years using the above:  $783.55 (using electric dryer), $749.95 (using gas dryer).
Disposables for 2 years:  $903.40.

These numbers can obviously vary, especially if you go with a very economical route of cloth diapers, and you have an energy efficient washer and dryer, as well as if you have a front loading washing machine (as you will use much less water).

You may not save a ton with the first child, only about $300, but if you use your same cloth diapers and supplies for subsequent children, that is where it starts adding up.  Especially if you have more than one child in diapers at the same time and you are using one-size diapers (ones that will fit both children at the same time), the savings will be great!

You can save money even after your child is potty trained by using cloth training pants for naps and bedtime instead of Pullups.  Buy 4 and never have to buy Pullups again!  This is actually where I started with cloth diapers...

Hope this helps!

Brit

Washing Cloth Diapers

When washing cloth diapers, there is a basic wash routine that is recommended, which is:

Soak/Prewash in Cold with a Cold rinse

Heavy/Large wash in Hot with detergent (1/4-1/2 of the recommended amount) with a Cold rinse.

Extra rinse in Cold.

I always use the largest amount of water when washing.  When choosing a detergent for your cloth diapers, you will want to use one that is free of additives or dyes, as these can leave behind a buildup or residue on your diapers and cause them to repel liquid, which in turn causes leaks.  There are many opinions on which detergent is best, but I use Tide Original in powder form (this rinses out of fabrics easier than liquid).  I have switched to other detergents, but always end up going back to Tide as it seems to do the best job of cleaning for me.  A lot may depend on your water type (hard or soft) and any sensitivities your child may have.  Tide does have enzymes in it, but in my opinion they help to clean a lot better than a detergent without enzymes.  Rumparooz care instructions give some good information about cleaning and also the purpose behind enzymes being in detergent.

Occasionally, your diapers may seem to be repelling and causing leaks.  When this happens to me, I just make sure to do an extra (or a couple extra) HOT rinses (after the diapers have been cleaned of course) and that seems to do the trick.

I wash every other day or when my wetbag is full, whichever comes first.  You don't want to let your diapers sit in a wetbag or pail for too long or then you end up with ammonia and stink problems.

I dump my entire wetbag of diapers into the washing machine and then throw in the wetbag.  I do a soak and prewash on Cold/Cold.  Then I change the temp to Hot/Cold and do a heavy wash with 2 Tbsp of Tide detergent and set it to do an extra rinse on Cold/Cold afterward.

When they are done washing, I pull out the diaper covers, pockets, and wetbags and hang them on a clothesline to dry and the inserts and wipes (I use cloth when at home) go straight into the dryer, along with my All In One diapers (they take quite a long time to dry if I hang them).  I pull out any disposable wipes that have been used (everything can go right into the wash when dirty...it keeps it easy) and throw them away, as well as any flushable liners that didn't end up being flushed as they were just wet on.  I throw in a couple of dryer balls to help fluff up everything and it helps everything to dry quicker (another option would be tennis balls) and I set my dryer to medium high heat.  If you end up drying your pockets, I would suggest drying on a low to medium low setting so that it does not ruin the PUL waterproof lining.  Make sure not to use any fabric softeners or dryer sheets on your diapers as this causes build up as well.

Sunshine is also a great way to dry your diapers as there is something magical about the sun that whitens your diapers, gets rid of any stains, and also leaves them smelling very fresh.  Give it a shot, it's pretty amazing!

And that's all there is to it!  

Happy Washing :)