FAQ — Why Use Cloth?

When you are considering the short and long term impact disposable diapers have on your child and the environment, the cost is PRICELESS. But we are talking budget here. The bottom line is that your child will be cloth diapered for $25* each week regardless of how many diapers you need for your child in your home when you use Dirty Deeds Diaper Service. There are no additional fees as your child grows and changes sizes, the delivery of diapers and sizes will be adjusted at any time needs change.

All new accounts will be charged a one-time, non-refundable $15* set-up fee. Service for UNLIMITED DIAPERS is only $25* per week for one child – price includes delivery, pick up and washing. Each additional child is $13* per week for unlimited diapers. We also rent diaper wraps for 50¢* per wrap per week (we recommend 6 per child) which you wash at home. There is a Start-Up Kit available for $42* which includes: a sturdy diaper pail with a deodorant disk and biodegradable liner (your clean diapers will be delivered each week in a fresh liner); a small, washable duffle bag for carrying soiled diapers when you are away from home; a 2-pack of Snappi Diaper Fasteners (use instead of pins to hold diapers closed); 4-lock safety pins.

Today’s cloth diapers are much easier to use than the kind your grandmother used. With the use of Velcro© and other modern fasteners, pins need not be used at all (although, pins are not all that bad either).

With DDDS, all you do is toss the dirty diaper in the diaper pail – just like tossing a disposable in the trash. There is no rinsing or eliminating of solids required! Then, when your pick-up day comes around, you pull the bag out and put it on the doorstep (with disposables you have to take the trash ALL THE WAY TO THE CURB). In it’s place you’ll find carefully packaged cloth diapers awaiting you, and you didn’t even have to leave your home or go to the store! Now that’s convenient!

Your child will spend the first 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 years of his or her life in diapers, and since a baby’s skin is very delicate and highly absorbent it is extremely important to consider the diaper options carefully. The chemicals used in disposable diapers such as absorbency materials, bleaches, perfumes and dyes can cause health problems such as allergic reactions (diaper rash) but have also been linked to problems such as asthma, weakened immune systems and impaired hormonal systems. Sodium Polyacrylate, TBT (Tribulytin) and Dioxin are some of the most toxic chemicals found in disposables.

Some studies say that the sharp rise in male infertility over the past 25 years has been caused, in part, by the use of disposable diapers because a boy’s testicles are held in temperatures that are high enough to stop them from developing normally.

Babies naturally have sensitive skin, some more than others. Often the chemicals, dyes, and perfumes in disposables irritate baby’s bottom. As the use of disposable diapers became more widespread, so did diaper rash. In 1955, before disposable diapers, only about 7% of American babies suffered from diaper rash. By 1998, when 90% of the babies were wearing disposables, diaper rash occurrence had increased to 78%. Some of the reasons include allergies to chemicals, lack of air circulation, higher temperatures and the fact that babies are changed less often because disposables feel dry to the touch even when they have been well used. Also, even if a diaper keeps wetness away from a baby’s skin, any bacteria present can still grow (faster, sometimes, because of the heat) causing problems.

Generally, babies toilet train a year earlier in cotton diapers than they do if wearing disposables. Since babies diapered with cloth can feel when they are wet, they can more easily make the connections that lead to bladder control. Having a potty-trained child saves you time, money, and more importantly, it is a significant step in your baby’s development helping to increase competence, confidence, and sense of self.

Now that so many toddlers are wearing single-use pull-ups, it’s not uncommon to see four and five-year-old children who still aren’t completely potty trained. This late potty training often has negative impact on a child’s self-esteem.

It takes two times as much water and three times as much energy to produce and dispose of disposable diapers than it does to produce, wash and dispose of cloth diapers. Disposables also generate sixty times more solid waste than cotton diapers and use twenty times as much raw materials. One billion trees per year are destroyed to make disposable diapers—approximately 4.5 for each baby who uses them.

It is estimated that it takes between 200-500 years for a disposable diaper to decompose. Approximately 18 billion disposables are thrown away per year in the U.S. alone making them the third largest single consumer item in landfills representing 30% of non-biodegradable waste.

It is illegal in most states to dump human waste in landfills – a law that is not enforced when it comes to diapers. The waste could infest the water leaching out of the dump with bacteria and viruses (polio, hepatitis, dysentery) that are passed through the feces after a child has been vaccinated.

Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S. Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) – a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals and is particularly toxic to marine animals.

Our wash formula has taken time and effort to perfect, so we do not hand out the exact recipe here. However, we will share important facts about how we care for our diapers!

Our diapers are laundered in energy and water efficient front loading commercial washer/extractors in 180º water temperatures. All of our soaps and detergents are chlorine and phosphate free. Our high water temperatures are our primary approach to guaranteeing a diaper that is free of any trace of soil or soaps. Next, your diapers are dried in temperatures reaching 180º in commercial front loading driers. Afterward, each diaper is individually inspected to make sure it meets our quality standards. When a diaper no longer meets our standard, it is retired and available for purchase to serve an alternative use (see Retired Diapers on the Products & Services page).

We stand by our washing formula and quality standards and have science to back us up. On a regular basis, a diaper is randomly selected and sent out to an independent lab for testing of absorbency, pH, and any form of bacteria. With these test findings we are confident that we are providing you with the best 100% cotton diaper for your family.

Cloth diapering is easy and we would be happy to come show you how with a live hands-on demonstration in the comfort of your own home. Simply give our office a call at 248-650-6242 or click here to send us your request through our Contact page and we will get back to you as soon as possible!