Utah Cloth Diaper

FuzziBunz just introduced a cloth diaper detergent that is completely biodegradable and made with plant-based ingredients. FuzziBunz Pocket Diaper Detergent by VASKA is another step forward in ecologically friendly diapering. Fragrance-free and with no phosphates or other chemicals that are damaging to the environment, FuzziBunz new cloth diaper detergent is also economical at just 16 cents per diaper wash load. Sold in 48 ounce bottles, each bottle is good for 96 washes.

Cloth diapers are already the better choice when you look at carbon footprints and disposal issues. Here in the desert we need to be even more concerned about waste management and water quality than those in more humid climates can afford to be. Everything takes longer to decompose in an arid environment and we certainly need to continually look for ways to protect our water resources.

The big news here is that FuzziBunz detergent is residue free. Most natural detergents are not suitable for cloth diapers because they leave behind an oily residue. Other detergents usually contain optical brighteners, enzymes, softeners and other chemicals intended to stick to clothing fibers. In addition, most detergents do not rinse cleanly, leaving behind detergent buildup. While these residues cause relatively few problems with clothing, it can wreak havoc with cloth diapers. Residue on cloth diapers can cause leaking and odor problems. FuzziBunz detergent eliminates these problems and is environmentally friendly. Can’t beat that!

Cloth diapers in Utah have a long way to go to become mainstream. I have been selling and making cloth diapers for 2 1/2 years, here in good old Riverton, Utah, just a few miles from Salt Lake City. A lot of people ask what I do for a living. My standard response, “I sell cloth diapers and other natural baby things online.” You should see the looks I get. Most people think cloth diapers are too hard or too messy. I get asked the same question almost every time, “Do people even still use cloth diapers?” They sure do!

Most estimates are that from 3-5% of US babies are in cloth diapers. That may not sound like a lot, but it is significant when you consider that every baby in cloth keeps 8,000 or more disposable diapers out of the landfill. We throw away over 18 Billion disposable diapers annually! It takes 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstocks and 20 pounds of chlorine to produce disposable diapers for one baby EACH YEAR. In addition, each baby in real diapers saves a real family about $1,500 or more. Each baby in cloth – counts!