Cloth Diaper Sprayer

What is a cloth diaper sprayer, and do you really need one?  Read on to find out why we love our diaper sprayer, and why we think it's a worthwhile investment for families using cloth diapers.

What is a diaper sprayer?

Our diaper sprayer has been a lifesaver! Also called a minishower, it is a spray wand that hooks up directly to your toilet, and is designed to rinse poopy diapers into the toilet, eliminating the messy need for dunking and soaking!

Do I need one?

If your biggest concern with cloth diapers is handling poop, the cloth diaper sprayer may become your most essential cloth diapering accessory! The diaper sprayer makes it easy to clean up sticky, stinky messes, and can extend the lifetime of your diaper by preventing staining and odors from setting in.

Dads love diaper sprayers too! If your husband is on the fence about cloth diapers, a minishower might be just what you need to convince him to give them a try. Whenever someone asks my husband about using cloth diapers, the sprayer is one of the first things he mentions!  In fact, my husband has said many times, if it hadn't been for our diaper sprayer, he would have quit using cloth diapers long ago!

How much do they cost?

Cloth diaper sprayers usually cost between $40 and $50. This can seem expensive, but keep in mind that a cloth diaper sprayer:

1. Can eliminate the need for flushable cloth diaper liners
2. Reliable, made of high quality professional plumbing grade materials, such as simple push-in hose connectors, and quality brass, chrome and ceramic parts
3. Package contains everything needed to install the minishower yourself, with easy-to-follow instructions, and even toll-free customer support if you run into any problems. NOTE: Be sure to turn off the water while you are hooking it up!
4. Can be used for lots of other uses, such rinsing and cleaning toilets, showering your house plants, or as a hand-held bidet.
5. May extend the life of your diapers by preventing staining and residue build-up

If you're not sure about spending the money on a diaper sprayer, keep in mind that used diaper sprayers tend to hold their value well.  If you buy a brand-name diaper sprayer, you can usually resell it wherever you sell used cloth diapers for at least half, and sometimes as much as 75% of the original purchase price!

Do you really want to dunk all of those messy diapers?

The poop of breast-fed babies is water soluble, and does not need to be rinsed before your diapers are added to the diaper pail. If you are using baby formula or once you introduce solid foods at 6 months of age, the texture and content of your baby's diapers will change. Here's when dunking and soaking will become part of your cloth diapering routine.

With a minishower, you won't ever have to dunk and swish your diapers again! You simply hold the diaper over the toilet and use the cloth diaper sprayer to rinse any messes straight into the toilet.

Tip: When you first start using the sprayer, don't turn open the valve up all of the way. It usually takes a bit of practice to perfect your aim and sprayer angle, and this is best done at lower pressure so you don't end up spraying some of the diaper contents onto your hands (or worse!) Once you get better at it, you can open up the valve and enjoy the benefits of rinsing your diapers with full water pressure.

How does it work?

A diaper sprayer hooks directly into your toilet plumbing. Diaper sprayer installation is very easy. You will need to make sure your toilet has a flexible supply line (if not, these are between $5 and $10 at most major hardware stores).

It took me about 20 minutes to set it up following the instructions that were included. You won't need a plumber to hook it up for you, as long as you or someone you know are strong enough to tighten the plumbing lines yourself.

It's always a good idea to turn the pressure-control valve off when the diaper sprayer is not in use. I've never heard of a line breaking, but if your hose did get punctured, you could end up with water all over your bathroom.

Popular Brands

• Bumgenius is the brand I have and love.  It is made with commercial grade plumbing components that have stood the test.  It sells for $59.95 from Nicki's Diapers.  Please note, US retailers can't ship BumGenius items outside of the US.
• At just $38.95, the OsoCosy sprayer, available from ClothDiaper.com is a popular budget choice.
  
• Canadian retailer NatureBumz offers a wide selection of diaper sprayers by popular diaper brands including FuzziBunz, AMP, and BumGenius.
• You can also find cloth diaper sprayers on Amazon.com, starting at $39.95, and they qualify for free super-saver shipping.
  

Conclusion

We wouldn't have cloth diapered without our trusty cloth diaper sprayer.  If you're thinking about using cloth diapers, but are concerned about handling messy diapers later on, we think the cloth diaper sprayer is a worthwhile investment in your sanity!

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