Cloth Diapers: An Introduction to Reusable Products

It’s no secret that cloth diapers are better for the environment, more cost effective, and expose your baby to fewer chemicals than disposables. Many parents who use or switch to cloth do so for at least one of those reasons. However, the concept of reusable products extends far beyond diapers. Here are some ideas of other products in your home that are also gentler on the environment, more cost effective, and healthier for your family.

Unpaper Towels, Cloth wipes, and Family Cloth

Every day in the United States, thousands of tons of paper towel waste are created. The EPA estimates that 1/3 of all household trash is comprised of paper products. Unpaper towels, or simply, cloth paper towels, are a great way to reduce household trash and save money. They can be made from practically any material and washed like a regular load of laundry. Unpaper towels are a simple DIY project but can also be purchased from sites such as etsy.

Cloth wipes are easy to use and compliment a cloth diaper routine perfectly. They can be thrown in the wash with diaper laundry, and many parents find that they use less cloth wipes to clean up diaper messes than disposable wipes. They can even be stored in a plastic wipe box, making them dispense as easily as disposables. Cloth wipes can be purchased at most online CD retailers and are made by many major CD brands.

Family cloth = reusable toilet paper. Billions of dollars of toilet paper are literally flushed  away by Americans every year. Family cloth not only saves money, reduces the environmental  impact of manufacturing toilet paper and treating sewage, and keeps chemicals out of your home  and off your body, but it’s easier than you think. If you can do diaper laundry, you can do family cloth.

Snack and Storage Bags

Switching to reusable snack and storage bags offers the obvious benefits of saving money and reducing trash in our landfills, as well as reducing exposure to chemicals present in plastic bags.  They are easily cleaned by simply wiping them off or using gentle dish soap and water. Making the switch is easy, and as an added bonus, many of these bags are pretty adorable too!

Menstrual Products

Just as cloth diapers are better for the environment and your wallet and a healthier option for your baby, reusable menstrual products are a healthier option for mom and offer the same benefits to the environment and wallet! Cloth pads don’t contain chemicals like disposable pads and are more comfortable! They are washed similarly to cloth diapers; there are even laundry detergents specifically designed to clean cloth pads. Cloth pads come in various sizes and absorbency levels to accommodate different flows and needs.

Menstrual cups are an alternative to tampons that are chemical-free and reusable. They can be inserted and worn up to 12 hours before they need to be emptied, washed with mild soap and warm water, and reused. Menstrual cups can be used during all levels of flow, from light to heavy, during the day and overnight. When inserted properly, most women don’t even feel it and report very few leaks.

These are only a few possibilities of reusable products you can choose to replace one-time use, throw away products! I hope this overview of reusable products inspires you to maker greener  choices in your home!

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