Advice needed on our lack of washer/dryer

[nerissav]

I just found out that we are expecting #2 and I'd really like to cloth diaper this time, not the least because disposable diapers are really expensive here.

Problem is that we live in an apartment and don't have our own washer and dryer!  The washers and dryers here are shared and they dispense their own environmentally friendly soap (that you can't turn off) and have four cycles to choose from that are just temperatures - no other options.  They never ever get stained clothes clean (unlike my previous machines and no matter what stain cleaner you spray on them) and I have to bleach DD's school shirts in the sink before hand if I want to get stains out.  At least they have big sinks for handwashing.

So, is it still possible for us to cloth diaper in our current situation?  I'm a little worried about the diapers getting clean.

[rtjunker]

In your situation I would stick to using easy to wash flats and covers. I'd probably also consider buying/making a plunger washer or some type of portable washer. I likely wouldn't want to wash my diapers in the automatic soap dispensing machines before verifying the soap is okay to use with cloth diapers. My other concern is that if the soap is added every wash, you may be unable to fully rinse it out. It's doable, especially with hemp or cotton flats, or other natural fiber diapers. Just remember that the more layers, the tougher it is to keep clean.

[rinap]

Definitely minimize your layers, and I would suggest getting a diaper sprayer to spray out poop.

I would suggest also checking out diaper services in Denmark. That could let you use cloth without dealing with the washing issue.

[Choose2Reuse]

Hi, for the first six months or so of DD's life we cloth diapered and lived in an apartment without washer & dryer (laundromat within driving distance).  It can be done--and at least you have access to the washer.  We ended up putting our diapers to soak in soapy water buckets the minute they came off the baby, then scrubbing them out in the tub with a hard brush, then doing a double rinse and hanging them to dry.  Every couple of weeks we'd do an extra wash at the laundromat to get them especially clean, but the soapy soaking took care of pretty much everything (EBF baby).

Good luck!