Cloth diapers are a great green parenting choice and as a bonus can save you lots of money; depending on the types of diapers you choose and how you care for them.

Overall cloth diapers cost less than disposable, and nowadays cloth diapers are just as easy as disposable, but that said, costs can still quickly rise. Following are some tips that can make cloth diapers less expensive.

Weigh the costs of using a diaper service vs. washing them yourself. If you have on older, not so efficient washing machine and dryer set, home washing might be more expensive. If you do have a new washer and dryer and you wash your cloth diapers in cold water, you’ll save more money than using a diaper service.

Buy used cloth diapers. Many baby consignment shops and diaper service companies sell used cloth diapers. Diapers are going to get stained no matter what and so long as you wash them before using them they’re perfectly safe used.

Don’t buy too many of the same size. Consider how many diapers your baby will go through a day, add that to how much washing you want to do, and then don’t buy loads of extra diapers. Your baby will grow quickly so too many of one size is a waste of money.

Don’t use bleach. Bleach is not only bad for the environment but it’s also toxic and makes fabric break down quicker. You can get diapers clean with water and soap. One way to naturally disinfect diapers is to hang them on a line out in the sunshine. UV rays disinfect.

To learn more about cloth diapers read:

• DIY Cloth Diapers
• Got Cloth Diapers?
• Why use cloth diapers?
• Reusable diapers made simple