The essence of cloth diapering is saving money by reusing diapers instead of throwing them away after every use.
A brand-new cloth diaper is beautiful, and it is hard to contain the excitement of trying it on your baby for the first and subsequent few times.
However, like any other piece of clothing, cloth diapers are susceptible to wear and tear when constantly laundered and dried.
The primary question is how long it will take for the cloth diapers before the process of wear and tear begins.
For those with colored prints and animations, they will probably begin to fade, and that is normal.
The Lifespan of a Cloth Diaper
There is no definite length to the life of a cloth diaper. However, cloth diapers have a lengthier lifespan than disposable diapers.
A quality diaper should serve you beyond the first child to the second or even more.
You, however, must understand some of the effects associated with the long-term usage of cloth diapers and the recommended tips to extend your diaper’s length of life, as discussed in this article.
Effects of Long-Term Usage of Cloth Diapers
Pilling
The first sign of wear and tear in cloth diapers you will notice is pilling. Pilling happens on the inner lining, suede cloth, microfleece, and the diaper’s natural fibers.
Pilling is harmless, but if it bothers you, maybe because it alters the diaper’s appearance, or if you feel it’s coarse on the child’s skin, you can smoothen it with a sweater shaver.
Also, piling may be annoying depending on the quality of the diaper material. For instance, on most brands, fleece pills up so well.
When the pilling touches the baby’s skin, it does not cause discomfort as the child won’t feel it.
Fuzzing of Velcro Tabs
Fuzzing of Velcro tabs happens if you use Velcro diapers. Fuzzing is problematic as it makes the Velcro less adhesive and causes potential curling.
Curling reduces the surface area left to stick on the strip, reducing its effectiveness. Sometimes strings and hair may also attach to the Velcro, making it less sticky.
However, the good news is that you can clean out the things that collect on the Velcro by using Snappi spikes or a diaper pin tip.
Diaper brands have tabs to put the Velcro on to avoid curling and protect their adhesion strength.
Relaxed Elastics
Relaxing the elastic happens way later, often after two years of use, resulting from various factors.
Over time, elastic loosens and becomes saggy and less stretchy. The leg openings will appear bigger than usual, affecting the fit of the diaper and the effectiveness of its job.
However, if you use one-size diapers for some time, the stretched elastic may go unnoticed as the baby grows; they fit into the expanded leg openings.
If you purchase used cloth diapers for a younger baby, there’s a high possibility they won’t fit tightly, especially around the leg area, which may cause leakages.
However, the problem is fixable with ordinary sewing skills by replacing the elastic and extending the lifespan of your diaper for another year or two.
Holes In Diapers
A holey diaper is a sign of a favorite and loved diaper, meaning the diaper has lived through its full lifespan.
These holes often do not appear until they are used with the second child. Nonetheless, some materials easily develop holes, and the natural fibers in the stitched parts weaken.
For example, the old-school design of Bumgenius Elemental Organic cotton cloth diapers would create holes along all the edges where the soaker attaches.
On the other hand, prefold diapers develop holes from constant washing, though this will happen after a long period of time.
You will probably not see the holes till the diaper’s new life, maybe as rags. Due to stress when pulling the fabric, one-size diapers develop tiny holes around the adjustable size snaps.
Delamination
Delamination is the most detrimental of the effects and ultimately leads to the end of the diaper’s life.
All the other problems above either have solutions or are bearable, and you can live with them. Nevertheless, during delamination, the sparkly plastic layer on the inner TPU or PUL peels or cracks.
Such a situation causes leakage that renders the job of the diaper pointless as the mess will pass through to the child’s clothes.
It is impossible to fix a completely delaminated diaper. If they were quality diapers, delamination would not happen until after a very long time of using cloth diapers.
Low-quality diapers that tend to be cheaper will have this situation happen earlier in some cases. Quality brands offer manufacturing warranties for delamination issues that happen faster than expected or stated.
Is It Possible to Prevent Cloth Diaper Wear and Tear?
The answer is “yes and no,” depending on the specific problem. For example, pilling is unavoidable and will still happen no matter the measures.
Ways to Prevent Wear and Tear
Line drying the cloth diapers helps prevent the Velcro flaps from coiling and extends the lifespan of the elastic.
- Limit the use of bleach as it weakens the diapers, making them develop holes quicker than they should and causing the fast breakdown of elastic.
- Generally, delamination should not happen at all, and if it does, it should be after so many years when the diapers have exhausted their lifespan. Purchase a good-quality cloth diaper to avoid the stress and hustle of a delaminating diaper. Quality saves you money in the long run as you will not need to purchase diapers again.
- Keep a good supply of cloth diapers on hand to reduce frequent wear and washing. Regularly laundering your diapers will wear them out faster than expected, reducing their life expectancy.
How To Extend the Lifespan of Your Cloth Diapers?
- Clean the lint and strings attached to the Velcro tabs to regain their sticky form to continue performing their role.
- Air dry cloth diapers instead of dryers to minimize wear and tear on the waterproof coating and shield the elastic from damage caused by excess heat.
- Minimize the use of bleach, which can weaken the fabrics and break down the elastic.
- Look for manufacturer-approved cloth diaper detergents to keep the diapers smell & fresh and to strengthen the fibers.
- Use recommended cloth diaper creams that do not cause staining or coat the diaper surface, affecting its absorbency.
- Purchase numerous diapers to avoid wearing and washing similar diapers over and over again, as this makes them prone to wear and tear.
- Pre-soak the diapers with cold water to remove stains and wash them on a warm cycle rather than hot, as regular exposure to high temperatures on clothing damages the fibers.
- Do not overfill the washer with diapers to avoid rubbing them against each other; this will hasten the wear and tear process.
- Make any fixable repairs as soon as possible to avoid further damage.
Cloth Diaper Lifecycle
Cloth diapers are still the best pocket and environment-friendly choice.
It is also important to understand that, just like any other clothes, they are susceptible to wear and tear that may reduce their lifespan or indicate the end of their life cycle.
With the tips provided in the article, take good care of your cloth diapers so that you can maximize their usage and enjoy a long period of service.