Try Cloth Diapers Risk Free

Sunday, February 6, 2011

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Diapers, Diapers Everywhere!

It would be impossible for someone to come to my house and not know I cloth diaper. There are always diapers everywhere! I consider my drying style to be "hybrid"—I'll throw my pre-folds, fitteds, and inserts in the dryer while I hang covers, then 10-15 minutes later I grab all the diapers to hang. This takes the stiffness out of total hang drying, but allows me to cut back on electric bills…which anyone who cloth diapers and/or has endless laundry from kids can appreciate!

Lucky for me, I live in Colorado where we have about 300 days of sun a year. So when the weather permits my drying rack moves to the back yard, stains get sunned out, it's a win-win. But with winter here I've had to improvise and turn my house into one big drying rack. Aside from random hooks on walls and doors which are all fully utilized on diaper laundry day, I use the shower curtain rod, and the wrought-iron bed frame in our guest bedroom. I find that GroVia inserts in particular dry better on a hook than over a line.

When I was short on space a few weeks ago during an especially big load of diaper laundry, I (embarrassingly) took some dental floss and push pull pins to create a line in my laundry room that I use for light stuff like wipes and liners (so that the line doesn't break). And is it weird that I "window shop" for drying racks to upgrade to? Oh, and don't be surprised if you go to dry your hands in the bathroom and there's a fitted diaper on the towel rod.

What do you use – or where – to hang dry your diapers?


Ann J. is a cloth diaper fanatic with 1-year-old daughter who has the cutest diaper butt on the block!

22 comments:

Momma said...

I use the baby clothes hangers on the shower curtain rod. I wash at night after the kids are in bed and hang dry overnight. I use the dryer only for prefolds.

Janine said...

Dental floss is genius! We have a drying rack in the nursery but more often diapers I don't want to throw in the dryer get thrown over our banister in the hallway nearest the laundry.

Mini MNM's said...

I wish I could show you a picture, but I dry them in front of the wood burning stove. When we moved in with my inlaws, I didn't know where I would dry them, until we started using the wood burning stove. We put up a section of a baby play yard in front of the stove so that the kids wouldn't get near it and get hurt. It is three sections and can hold around 15 or so diapers. If we have more than that washed, I will hang them over the shower curtain or on hangers in the bathroom. I can send a picture if you want! Jsut let me know! babyfickas at gmail dot com

Nicole said...

I use a drying rack. During winter it is inside over a vent in front of a big window. During spring/summer it goes outside. I dry all inserts in the dryer.

Beth said...

I recently purchased a cheap drying rack, and since it's winter, well, it's in my bedroom, but I'm hoping to have it outside this spring, unless my little man decides to stop using diapers soon (which may or may not happen)

Liz {Learning To Juggle} said...

I am so blessedly spoiled...I live with my mother in law (no that's not the spoiled part) in our basement where the laundry is we have clothes lines that are permanently installed!! I LOVE them!!

Deltaflute said...

I use a wooden drying rack that folds and is portable. Currently it's sitting in the hallway, but generally I move it into my son's room so that it get sunlight from the window. I live in a condo so I can't leave my laundry out to dry. I have to get creative. Sometimes if there is a massive load things will get hung up around my son's room. Fortunately I live in Arizona. Hanging things up to dry takes as much time to dry as a dryer does. Dry and arid climate and all.

Maria D. @ DownrightDomesticity said...

I live in an apartment and have to use the shared laundry facilities. So... instead of paying an exorbitant amount to dry my diapers, I hang them all on a drying rack with a fan blowing on them. I totally know what you're talking about with window shopping for drying rack upgrades! I knew well in advance that I was going to cloth diaper my baby before he was born, so we took some "baby money" and invested in a better drying rack.

Unknown said...

I'm also in an apartment and I use a skirt hanger - the kind with multiple rows of clips. We hang them on any available hook/door knob. Works great!

Sarah said...

we made our own drying lines in the laundry room- makes it SO much easier to hang everything up neatly. And the project cost less than $10 and takes up very little space- if you want to see a pic I posted about it here:
http://bellybabbles.blogspot.com/2010/12/diy-project-indoor-drying-lines.html

Anonymous said...

We have a retractable clothes line in the basement. Gets used daily from Nov to March here in Iowa.

Unknown said...

Townhome here, and in CO also, but then I have to time the wash'n'hang-drying such that I can maximize sun time outside in an ideal spot. Today might be a good day, even with the snow, I might get almost 1/2 the stash sunned! As for my wraps though, just laid over the back of the dryer, simple.

Amanda said...

sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures! i've been known to use the pinch-grip hangers and hang diapers on my hubby's pull up bar. :) when the temps are above freezing dipes are hung outside.

Anonymous said...

IKEA has a great drying rack called the octopus. It hangs like a hanger, on one hook, but then has arms that extend out w/several hooks on each. Saves space and easy to dry!

Emmy said...

IKEA has this awsome ocutapus hanger and its only like $5! its great!

Adele said...

I dry them outside on a folding rack (I live in an apartment in Texas... lots and lots of sunny days, little to no room to dry outside) on the balcony (which gets blistering hot afternoon sun).. or, on wet or cloudy days I lay the pocket diapers, a couple per hanger, over hangers and hang them up in the laundry closet (that has rod shelving that enables hanging stuff from them) to dry. I'll machine dry the inserts and AIO diapers though. I don't have enough diapers to wait for those to dry inside.

Megan said...

I always hang my diapers and covers on my daughter's crib. The diapers go all the way around the top and it is just so easy to toss them up there.

brady said...

My hubby was just saying the other day that he can't wait for summer for so many reasons ...one being we can take the dipes outside! We have a tiny little laundry room, but I hang the dipes and inserts all over that room with various hangers, often right next to my hubs dress shirts. Lol. Its like a lawyer/cloth diapering mamas heaven. Just perfect for me!

moiety said...

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80189663 This is the Ikea octopus drying rack! One of these works perfectly for a load of covers/pockets for me, and if I'm not feeling lazy another will do for the inserts.

moiety said...

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80189663 This is the Ikea octopus drying rack. One of them hangs over my washer and fits a load of covers/pockets, and if I'm not feeling lazy, the other will hold pretty much all the inserts I need.

Jen said...

i air dry all my covers, but the prefolds, inserts, and doublers go into the dryer. i'm in wisconsin, so hang drying isn't too feasible right now! i can't wait until it's warm out, though - then i will dry everything outside on the clothesline.

Sasha beautyisnteverything said...

ha ha I use a cheap drying rack I got from walmart but I really want a line to run outside!