Dual Purpose Cloth Diapering Items

Two of the most popular reasons people use cloth diapers are to be greener ecologically AND economically.  It stands to reason that those who wish to use less, or spend less, prefer items that can perform more than one task.  If you’re new to cloth, you might not realize just how many uses your cloth diapering items have.  Most cloth diaper moms I know continue to use their cloth items long past diapering and potty training!  Here are some dual purpose cloth diapering items and their alternate uses.

Wet bags have uses well beyond holding dirty diapers.  I know moms who haven’t diapered in years, but still have a hefty collection of wet bags.  They really are one of the essential items for all households, even if you don’t have kids.

• Holding swim clothes or ANY wet clothes.  Wet bags are perfect for holding swim gear.  They keep your other items dry and they look a lot prettier than a plastic bag.
• Hanging wet bags make great hampers for wet or dry clothes.
• Car sick bags…  This one isn’t pretty to think about, but it happens.  If you’ve got morning sickness or someone in your car that tends to get motion sickness, keep a wet bag with a couple flat diapers in it so that the person who needs it can easily reach it.  Trust me - cleaning that one bag is much easier than cleaning up car seats and floor boards.  The flat diapers (or hand towels) in the bottom should soak up the mess so that the wet bag doesn’t leak. 
• Mama cloth.  If you use mama cloth, mini wet bags are great to hold your dirties.  A small wet dry bag is great to hold clean and dirty pads and just appears to be a regular purse that anyone would carry into a bathroom.
• Menstrual cups.  Keep some cleansing cloths in a mini wet bag for discreet menstrual cup changes in public.

Pail liners can be used as hampers or washable trash can liners.

Diaper balms and coconut oil are certainly more versatile than most people think.  They have a place in everyone’s medicine cabinet.

• CJ’s BUTTer is fantastic for removing eye makeup.  Just put a little dab on a reusable cotton round and wipe off the eye makeup.  It also leaves your skin nicely moisturized.
• CJ’s and Balm Baby soothe minor burns, cuts, scrapes, and bug bites.  It’s nice to keep a small jar in the kitchen to slather on a burn because it eases the pain very quickly.  They’re also great for eczema and other itchy skin conditions.
• You can even use coconut oil (and CJ’s) on your hair.  And as a lip balm. 

Flat diapers and prefold diapers make wonderful cleaning cloths.  They typically don’t leave lint on glass as many paper towels do and leave mirrors streak free.  They’re also great to dry dishes and use as an ironing cloth.

If you have microfiber inserts that aren’t quite as absorbent as they used to be, or that are too stained for you to give away or sell, they’ll still perform well as cleaning cloths.  You can also cut a slit in the top of them to pop them on your swiffer or steam mop.

If your diaper sprayer is still in good working order but you no longer have diapers to spray (hooray!!), you can still use the sprayer as a bidet.  It’ll also work great when you’re cleaning the toilet.  Or even the bath tub if it’s right beside your toilet.

Cloth wipes have a life long past wiping baby bottoms.  They’re much softer than most tissues for runny noses, great for quick hand and face cleanups for messy kids, and can always be used as family cloth.
If you’re cloth diapering days are over, but you still love to live a little greener, keep using those cloth diapering accessories.  The more you use them, the more you save.

Bio: Ashley is a stay at home mom with two young boys. She blogs about life with young children and her adventures with them including sewing, cloth diapers, green living, and every day parenting at: MabeWithLove.WordPress.com.


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