How it works

If you can take out the trash, you can use a diaper service. They're very similar — except instead of a stinky trash can, we leave behind clean diapers.

On your pickup day, you leave your dirty diapers in a bag outside your door. You'll mark on a tag how many clean diapers you have left. We'll pick them up and leave you a bag of fresh diapers — you don't even have to be home.

You do not rinse or soak your diapers. Just put them in the bag! Once your baby has solid poops, flip them into the toilet and throw the diaper into the pail. (You're supposed to do this with disposables to help keep untreated waste out of the landfill, but no one really ever does that.) We also offer flushable diaper liners to make this easy task even easier.

We also offer a part cloth/part disposable package if your daycare is resistant to cloth diapers or you are planning to travel. We carry Tushies brand disposables, which don't contain the super absorbent chemical gel (click here to see why that's good), aren't bleached, and use a cotton mix containing wood pulp from sustainable, renewable, family-owned forests.

Getting started

Give us a call or e-mail and we'll set you up with the right size and number of diapers, a diaper pail liner (a waterproof bag that zips closed) and Snappis (instead of pins).

If you call before your baby's birth, we will arrange your first delivery (aka "initial consultation") several weeks before the baby is due. We'll also loan you four newborn covers with your service.

Then, when your baby is born, just give us a call to start regular service.

At your first delivery (aka initial consultation), we will demonstrate how to use the diapers, Snappis and covers and answer any questions you may have. We also provide you with the tags (then and the beginning of each month) you will use to mark how many clean diapers you have left. (Clean diapers should only be turned in after you have spoken to us about a size change, a number drop or cancel service.) This consultation is free unless you cancel before using four weeks of active service (the initial consult will assessed at one week's service fee plus a pre-determined fuel charge is applicable).

To start service, we ask for first and last four weeks' fees as a deposit. You only pay for service you use. Unused weeks will be refunded. Then we will bill you every four weeks for the following four weeks.

Each week, you put out all of your dirty diapers in the diaper pail liner we provide, mark on the tag the number of clean diapers you have remaining and we'll make sure you have a full amount.

Washing process

We use a washing formula developed by the National Association of Diaper Services. Basically, your diapers are washed using multiple changes of very hot water. We add an alkali to help the detergent work better, a minimum amount of bleach, several rinses and then we balance the ph level, leaving no residue behind.

Because we wash many more diapers than you would at home, we are able to use less water and detergent per diaper while getting them exceptionally clean. We are in the process of becoming accredited by the National Association of Diaper Services, which requires a diaper be sent to a lab each month to be tested for bacteria, absorbency and ph level.

Odds and Ends

Holidays & Bad Weather

Unless you receive a message from us, your service day will remain the same. We continue service on holidays and in all weather conditions (the possible exception is Thanksgiving). If we ever need to change your service day, we will do our best to notify you at least a week in advance.

In instances of extreme weather, we will do our best to continue service but do expect a delay. Also, if the driving conditions are impassible around your residence, please notify us as soon as possible so we can arrange either an alternate service day or location. We do want our driver to be safe.

We do realize that, especially around holidays, many people do go on...

Vacation

If you go on vacation, please contact us at least a week and a day before you go. Then we can arrange to pick up dirty diapers and leave you either extra diapers (if you want to cloth diaper while on vacation) or provide (Tushies) disposables.

We typically do a normal swap the week before your vacation so that you have a full batch of clean diapers when you return.

If you plan to be gone for longer than a week, we suggest you look to see if there might be a diaper service where you will be staying. (Most service will offer an "Out-of-Towner" service and require a deposit and full payment for service in advance).

If you plan to be away longer than three weeks, we'll collect all service products and resume service the week you return.

What not to do...

Please do not wash your diapers at home. Diapers often become stained that way.

Also, please avoid Regular or Original Formula Desitin diaper cream because the high levels of cod liver oil will stain the diapers. Any other formula of Desitin or other diaper cream is fine.

Changes in service...

Please contact us as soon as you know you have a change in service (vacation size change item order, etc.). We will certainly do out best to make a change for your next reguler service day but it is recommended that you contact us a day or more before your service day. Unfortunately it is not always possible to accommodate late changes.

It is usually OK to leave a note for the driver with a change but please make certain you do contact us as well. We leave specific instuctions for the driver and there are times when he may not be able to accommodate your need unless it has been confirmed with us in advance. (We also want to avoid potential confusion).

Diaper alottment...

Our service includes up to 100 diapers but we've found that most people wil never need that many in a week. (Most services start with 60 or 70 diapers and charge per 10 above that, so we decided to begin with a larger base to avoid potentially costly revisits for the few who do use more). Also, over time, your child will go less often and use larger diapers, so it is natural to not use - or need to have - as many diapers. We monitor individual usage and peroidically adjust individual customer's alottment to reflect need. Giving a customer too many diapers creates waste, additional expense and rewuires more storage space in the baby changing area After all, the bigger the diaper, the more space it takes up. For many, the time their child is ready to be potty trained, it is common to use less than 30 cloth diapers per week.

A few words about Day Care...

Don't let your day care tell you it is illegal or against health regulations to use cloth diapers at day care. It's not. We've checked. The Ohio Job & Family Services which pointed us to the Ohio Administrative Code 5101:2-12-15.2 Diapering and toilet training for licensed child care centers (see point 7). Depending on the type of facility and who is doing the laundering, a day care can hold soiled cloth diapers for one, five or seven consecutive days. The Kentucky Division of regulated Child Care states that "An adequate quantity of freshly laundered or disposable diapers and clean clothing shall be available" at each facility. The law allows for cloth diapers to be used at day care facilities in both Ohio and Kentucky. It is not the state (or commonwealth) but, instead, individual care companies that decide to not allow cloth diapering - or even disposable diapering - at its facilities.