Cloth Diapering Part Two

So what is the upkeep and care for diapers you may ask... I chose originally to wash everyday because I only had enough diapers to diaper both of the boys for one day, ans also the more frequently you wash, the less the diaper pail smells (this can be combatted by putting some baking soda in the pail...neutralizes the smell! )but now I usually wask every other day because I have more diapers to work with for Ben, then, rather than throwing them in the dryer (takes about an hour and a half to dry a big load of diapers because of the absorbancy) I have started line drying his diapers for several reasons (weather permitting of course). To begin with, I am a sucker for the smell of sunshine... and those diapers (and towels and whatever else I hang outside) smell soooo good after they dry. It also uses less power to dry them, therefore we spend less money on power. Also, the sun has antibacterial qualities that bleach stains and any kind of lingering bacteria out of the diapers

. To wash the diapers, I use Charlie's Soap, which is all natural (http://www.charliesoap.com/) and very cheap to use.... it leaves no residue on your clothes or on the diapers, and is ultra sensitive, so it won't irritate sensitive hindparts. We switched over to using Charlie's Soap on all of our laundry, that way we don't have residue from other fabric softeners or soaps in the washer. Charlie's Soap is very economical as well... I bought a 5-gallon bucket of it last April (*it only takes one tablespoon per wash) and I know it will last at least until next April...which means we haven't bought laundry detergent or softener since April! That stuff adds up and gets expensive!!! If you have softwater, you can also use it in the dishwasher! Amazing stuff, and totally non-toxic. So as you can see, Cloth diapering has led me to save money in other ways.... which I will continue to highlight in future posts such as thrifty cleaning solutions and couponing and ways to keep kids and yourself happy on little money!