Are you really saving money by cloth diapering? Let’s find out!
I have been wanting to stop and do the math on cloth diapers versus disposable diapers but I also kind of didn’t want to stop and do the math. Math requires thinking, and I don’t always enjoy thinking. But, I did it! No guarantees on accuracy though 馃槄.
First off, I want to mention that there are many reasons to cloth diaper besides cost savings. Saving money may just be an extra perk for you.
These numbers are all estimates because expenses vary greatly from place to place. I used national averages when I could and tried to overestimate versus underestimate expenses. Your utility expenses may very well be less than these figures. (Or more if you live somewhere extra expensive, especially a place like Alaska).
Also, there are so many many many variables that come into play here. I wash our cloth diapers every other day, so approximately 16 times a month. You may wash less often. You may have spent $200 on your diaper stash, or you may have spent $500. Maybe you use the same cloth diapers on multiple children, or you may plan to use them for just one. You might potty train at 18 months or 3 years old. I could go on, but I think you catch my drift.
The Calculator
If you aren’t interested in my math and just want to use the calculator (spreadsheet), just use the form below, and the link will be emailed to you. When you open the spreadsheet in Google Sheets, please click File > Make a copy, and only edit the copy of the spreadsheet. Thank you!
Spreadsheet Tips
1. Only edit the information in the light blue cells.
2. If you don’t know how to fill in one of the cells, just leave it as is. It’ll still be a good estimate.
3. The results will calculate automatically on the right in the light gray cells.
Have a question? Leave a comment or send me an email at stephanie@nonstopmommy.com.
Pretty please request: Please don’t share the spreadsheet link with others. Just share this page, and they can sign up for the link too. Thank you so much!
The Calculations
If you are interested in my full calculations, read on. Again, the accuracy is not guaranteed, but I did my best with my tired mom brain.
Estimating Utilities
Water
After doing some research, I’ve estimated the average washing machine to use about 20 gallons of water per cycle. Each load of diapers takes two wash cycles. So we multiply 20 gallons by 2 to get 40 gallons of water per diaper load.
Approximately 20 gallons of water/cycle
2 cycles/load of diapers
= 40 gallons of water/load
If each gallon of water costs $.01 (yours likely costs less), then each load of diapers would use $.40 of water ($.01 * 40 gallons = $.40 per load).
Each gallon costs 1 cent.
40 gallons/load
= $.40/load
I wash every other day which equals approximately 16 loads of diapers each month. (16 * $.40 = $6.40 each month)
16 loads each month
$.40/load
=$6.40/month
$6.40 a month for water
Electricity
Electricity for washing machine
Here, I’m estimating an average washing machine to use 500W. If each cycle is an hour long, the washing machine will need to run for 32 hours each month. Let’s say each kWh cost $.1314. You can see the calculation below.
500W
$.1314/kWh
32 hours/month
$2.1024 = $2.10/month
Calculation:
500W/1000 = .5kWh
.5kWh * 32 hours/month = 16kW/month
16kW/month * $.1314 = $2.1024 = $2.10/month
Electricity for dryer
Now, I’m estimating the dryer to use 4000W and run for 16 hours each month (1 hour per load of diapers).
Dryer uses 4000W
$.1314/kWh
16 hours/month
Calculation:
4000W/1000 = 4kW
4kW * 16 hours/month = 64kWh/month
64kWh/month * $.1314 = $8.4096 = $8.41
$2.10 + $8.41 = $10.51 a month for electricity
Water + Electricity =$6.40 + $10.51= $16.91 a month
Detergent = $4.25 a month
(For detergent, I’m using what it costs me on average per month.)
$16.91 (utilities) + $4.25 (detergent) = $21.16
$21.16 a month for utilities and detergent
Hang Dry Savings
Quickly, I just want to show you how much you could potentially save by hanging your cloth diapers instead of using the dryer. We’re not even talking about your regular laundry.
Hang dry
Monthly savings = $8.41
Yearly savings = $100.92
It’s definitely worth considering, especially if you’re trying to save every little bit extra. I’m certainly more interested after seeing the math.
Comparing Disposables
Now, let’s compare what we’ve learned to disposable diapers. I’ve calculated based on two different brands of diapers, off-brand (basically, the cheapest you can find) and name brand (leading name brand).
Also, I’ve decided to base these diaper calculations on size 3 diapers. Babies are typically in size 3 for a while, and it’s a good middle size. Smaller diapers are cheaper but you go through more in a day. Bigger diapers cost more. Hopefully, it all evens out a bit.
The price is based on buying a large box of diapers. Remember, if you buy small packages, it will cost more per diaper.
Using eight diapers a day is a rough estimate. We typically go through about ten a day not counting overnight.
I would recommend calculating this up yourself if you want to be more precise. Then, you will be able to account for your chosen brand and your child’s diaper usage.
Here’s my calculations:
Disposable diapers (size 3)
8 diapers/day
248 diapers/month
$23.06 (at $.093/diaper (off brand))
$61.75 (at $.249/diaper (leading name brand))
Let’s compare that to cloth by subtracting cloth expenses from the cost of disposables.
Savings/month
$1.90 off brand
$40.59 leading name brand
Savings/year
$22.80 off brand
$487.08 leading name brand
To determine total savings, multiply the saving per year by the number of years your child will be in diapers (ex. if you plan to potty train at 2, multiply the cost of disposable diapers by 2) Subtract the cost of your diaper stash to determine total savings.
Example
Let’s say if using disposables, I would choose the leading name brand. I plan to potty train my child at the age of 2. So, I will multiply.
$487.08 脳 2 = $974.16
Let’s say my cloth diaper setup cost me $200. So, I’ll subtract.
$974.16 – $200 = $774.16
$774.16 is how much I would save by cloth diapering for 2 years. (If you want to determine yearly savings, just divide by the number of years, in this case 2).
Just multiply
“Savings/year” 脳 “Years in diapers” = X
Subtract the “Cost of your cloth diapers” from the product (x).
X – “Cost of your cloth diapers” = ?
The answer is your total cost savings.
Do remember that your cloth expenses may very well be less than the expenses listed here. Mine are less, anyways. Also, I use 10 diapers a day versus 8. That makes a difference of 730 diapers a year. That is a substantial difference.
What We Have Learned
Your personal savings by cloth diapering can range widely, based on many different variables. If expense is your only reason for cloth diapering, I encourage you to go through these steps on your own replacing my estimates with your own. You can simply sign up below to get the spreadsheet link sent to you. It’s very easy to use.
If you use the spreadsheet, please click on File > Make a Copy before you do any editing. Please just edit your copy of the spreadsheet and not the original.
