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Parenting |
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Article |
Use Cloth Diapers and Conserve Water Too! |
By: T. Washko
 Automatic
clothes washing machines account for about
20% of total water use in the home. When you
use and launder cloth diapers in your home
this figure may be a bit higher and in some
areas where drought conditions exist, this
may present a problem. It is also a source
of ammunition for disposable diaper
advocates who are always looking to find
reasons why using cloth diapers is
comparably earth unfriendly. Of course cloth
diaper users know that they are acting in
the best interests of mother earth but in
order to balance things out we can always
find ways to cut back on our water usage so
that cloth diapers are simply not an issue.
The first step you can take to reduce water
usage is do use a dry pail method for
laundering. Presoaking your diapers in a wet
pail is not required to keep them clean and
it would help to conserve water by skipping
this procedure entirely.
We can also help conserve water by buying an
energy efficient washing machine.
Traditional top-loading washers use between
32 and 50 gallons per load. Shop for a model
that uses less water, and make sure that it
has settings for using less water when
washing partial loads. If you can afford one
of the newer front-loading clothes washers,
they are an excellent investment. These
machines tumble your clothes through a
smaller quantity of water, rather than using
an agitator. Most front-loaders today use
about 24 gallons per load, or about 40% less
water. They also use less energy and
detergent, and discharge less water into
your sewer pipe. Thus, you can save on your
water, sewer, energy, and detergent bills.
There are claims that front-loaders are
gentler on fabrics, prolonging the life of
your clothes.*
One of the most important aspects to
consider when washing is to remember to wash
full loads as much as possible. If you must
wash a partial load, see if your machine
allows the water level to be adjusted to fit
the size of the wash load. Simply by
adjusting the water level to correspond to
the load size may easily save as much as 12
gallons per week, especially if many smaller
loads are washed.
By following these guidelines you can see a
significant difference in your water
consumption, enough to make cloth diaper
laundering a non issue. But why stop there?
Many other water conservation tips can be
used to lighten our environmental footprint
even less.
Consider these tips:
Use an ultra-low flush (ULF) toilet
If you have an older toilet install an
in-tank toilet retrofit device
Install faucet aerators on kitchen and
bathroom faucets
Install a low-flow showerhead
Avoid pre-wash and pot scrubbing cycles on
your dishwasher, saving 5-8 gallons per wash
Consider installing an instant water heater
on your kitchen faucet so you don't have to
the let water run in order to heat up
Consider using a non-regenerating water
filter as an alternative to a water softener
Turn off the softener when you are on
vacation
Use a pool cover and you can save 90 to 95%
of the water that would otherwise be lost to
evaporation
Use "gray water" collected from clothes
washers, bathtubs, showers, and laundry or
bathroom sinks to water ornamental plants
and lawns, or to irrigate trees
Use gutters and downspouts to catch run-off
water from the rain and divert it to your
landscaping. Tanks, barrels, and cisterns
can also be used for rainwater collection.
You can track the progress of your
household's conservation efforts by checking
your water meter. Consider setting a weekly
target and monitoring your total water use
for that period. Investigate how changing
your habits or upgrading to water-conserving
appliances and hardware affect actual water
used. * By using these and other water
conservation tips we can help to lighten the
impact of cloth diaper laundering on our
available water resources and say with
certainty that our choice to diaper our
children with cloth, is the the most
environmentally responsible one. |
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Tiffany Washko from Nature Moms,
www.naturemoms.com After working several
years in corporate healthcare marketing and
public relations, she took time away to be a
mother. This new pursuit lead her to a new
passion, helping new moms make the decision
to return to the basics and use cloth
diapers and adopt a more natural lifestyle. |
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