A nappy laundry service allows you to reap all the financial and environmental benefits of using washable nappies without the hassle and time-investment needed to wash and dry them yourself. What’s more, we equip you with everything you need to get started.
Our service gives you the best of both worlds, as it combines the ease and convenience of the disposable with the environmental, financial and health benefits of real nappies.
Environmental benefits
Switching to real nappies could halve your weekly household waste and reduce your carbon footprint by up to 40%. Disposable nappies have 2.6 times the environmental impact of using natural nappies. Why?
- Eight million disposable nappies, along with their contents, are discarded every day across the UK and estimations are that they will take up to 500 years to decompose completely. Real nappies are reused multiple times thus reducing landfill waste by up to 4%.
- One cup of crude oil is used in the production and distribution of just one disposable nappy. Oil, as we all know, is a finite resource that is becoming more and more expensive, and will at some point run out.
- It takes up to five large trees to make enough pulp used in the disposable nappies that a baby uses during their nappy wearing years.
- Disposable nappies increase methane output from landfill sites – a significant source of ‘greenhouse’ gases.
- Using a real nappy liner, solid matter can be dropped straight into the toilet and is treated effectively with routine sewage whereas disposables place raw sewage in landfills risking bacterial and viral contamination of our rivers and streams
- Nappy laundry services are also better for the environment than washing at home because the nappies are washed in bulk, thereby further reducing the impact on the environment.
Financial benefits for you
It’s simple. Using real nappies can save you money. If you launder them yourself, just one child using real nappies you can save approximately £500 over the baby’s nappy-wearing lifetime. Even greater savings can be achieved if you re-use them for subsequent children so this can really add up over time.
Your initial investment in real nappies could be as low as £80 and at only £1 per week for washing, you can see how quickly natural nappies pay back that initial investment. You may also find that friends and family will offer to help with costs associated with your first born so why not ask them to help pay towards your eco-friendly nappies?
And did you know that it costs the UK taxpayer £25 million per year to deal with the end waste of disposable nappies?
Health benefits
Often made with organic cotton, natural nappies are softer and kinder next to your baby’s tender skin, helping to reduce the risk of nappy rash. Furthermore, reusable nappies don’t contain any harsh chemicals like disposables do and it is possible that these chemicals could be absorbed through the skin. As yet it is unknown what impact this may have on the long term health and fertility of babies wearing them, especially if there is a family history of eczema, asthma or allergies.
There is the added benefit that children raised in real nappies are often potty trained months earlier, so reducing your financial costs. This is because disposables are sometimes too efficient, concealing dampness rather too well. As a result, the child doesn’t form the mental link between passing urine and the uncomfortable sensation of a damp nappy. Real nappies help to create this link which encourages progress to the next stage in toilet training faster.
For more information see our advice & links section or contact us.
