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.
*SAHRA
© The
Diaper Jungle
