How Much Effort Are Cloth Diapers? The Answer Might Surprise You!
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We did not develop Judes because they are less time-consuming than disposable diapers, but primarily because we know they are healthier and more sustainable.
Therefore, we were surprised when we found out that the time required by Judes is significantly less than the average time spent using disposable diapers.
We discovered this when Judes customers reported it to us. However, we couldn't quite believe it at first and wanted to verify it. For this, we did two things:
- In the first step, we asked parents who use disposable diapers how much time this takes. The result is surprising!
- In the second step, we measured the time spent washing Judes ourselves. This result is also surprising to many, as you will soon see.
We asked over 500 parents how much time they spent on disposable diapers
Disposable diapers result in an effort of 34 minutes per week
These are the insights we gained through our survey:
- On average, the weekly time required is 34 minutes. This means the time spent is almost 20 minutes higher than with Judes (more on this shortly).
- Most parents indicated 30 minutes (most common choice).
- Only 25% reported spending less than 15 minutes per week dealing with disposable diapers.
This means that most parents spend a good half hour each week buying, sorting, or disposing of disposable diapers. This surprised us, so we asked, which factors take up the most time.
These were most common answers:
- "Urgent repurchase because there are no diapers at home"
- "Urgent purchase on the go because we didn't pack enough diapers"
- "Frequent garbage disposal at home"
- "Elaborate washing because diapers didn't prevent leaks"
Study Design
We want to be as transparent as possible, so here is exactly how we surveyed the parents.
Question 1: Have you diapered a child of yours before?
Answer options: Yes or No.
Question 2: Did you diaper your child exclusively with cloth diapers or disposable diapers?
Answer options:
- 100% disposable diapers
- 80% disposable diapers / 20% cloth diapers
- 60% disposable diapers / 40% cloth diapers
- 50% disposable diapers / 50% cloth diapers
- 40% disposable diapers / 60% cloth diapers
- 20% disposable diapers / 80% cloth diapers
- 100% cloth diapers
Question 3: How much time do you think using disposable diapers takes up per week? For example, through shopping, sorting, and taking out the trash? Please do NOT calculate the time for changing diapers.
Answer options: 5 minutes to 5 hours
How much time do you need for Judes? We have worked it out.
This is how much time is required for Judes (per week):
Washing the complete Judes set requires 15 minutes per week (with a dryer it's actually only 4 minutes). Here is the detailed time breakdown:
- Put the diaper bag in the washing machine and start it: 0.5 minutes
- Take out the laundry: 1 minute
- Hang up the laundry: 6 minutes
- Take down the laundry: 1.5 minutes
That's a total of 9 minutes. We calculated with one and a half washes per week, so 1.5 x 9 minutes = about 15 minutes.
- Put the diaper bag in the washing machine and start it: 0.5 minutes
- Take out laundry and put in the dryer: 1.5 minutes
- Take out laundry from the dryer: 1 minute
We calculated 4 minutes of effort and have tested this ourselves. Of course, this time can fluctuate by 1-2 minutes depending on machine setup. The crucial point for us is: Using Judes is significantly more time-efficient than using disposable diapers, as they require a lot of time for purchasing diapers and disposing of diaper waste.
Since Judes can be fully washed in the washing machine at 60°C, the effort is minimal. With Judes, nothing needs to be folded, and there are comparatively few individual parts, which also saves time. Judes dry in 24-36 hours on the washing line (in the sun, drying can take less than an hour). Judes can also be dried in the dryer.
Pro tip: Combine your Judes laundry with other 60°C items, like towels or bedding.
How to wash your cloth diapers gently and hygienically is explained in detail on our blog. With Judes Family Care, our cloth diaper detergent, washing becomes even more easy, sustainable, and skin-friendly.
By the way: The diapering period with cloth diapers is likely shorter than with disposable diapers, as many children become diaper-free earlier with cloth diapers. So, they will take up even less time compared to disposable diapers. In our blog, we show you why children can become diaper-free quicker with cloth diapers.
Interesting: We also asked the same 500 parents what they estimate the weekly time commitment is to using cloth diapers. The result was also 34 minutes (34.2). This clearly shows that the time required for cloth diapers is greatly overestimated.
We suspect there may be two reasons for this: First, other cloth diaper systems often seem very complicated (e.g., they often need folding, and there are many individual parts). Second, unfamiliar things often seem more complicated than they are. Many parents are surprised at how easy it is to use Judes in everyday life:
"I am truly delighted with the cloth diapers. Everything works so easily and washing is uncomplicated. No matter how wet the inner diaper is, nothing leaks through the cover diaper. Also, the Poo Paper is perfect; you can simply throw away the stool and don't have to wash it."
(Svenja Laskewitz)
"The best cloth diapers!!! Super easy to put on, my child finds Judes more comfortable than all other cloth diapers. They hold extremely well, I have not had any leaks until now and we have been using Judes since birth. The diapers can also be washed well and they dry very quickly. A simple diaper system for every baby and suitable for cloth diaper beginners."
(Rebekka Weinrich)
"We are very satisfied with the diapers! Diapering is very simple and they hold very well. Washing instead of buying new diapers - that works great too. The quality is really great and they look very nice too."
(Anonymous)
