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Many cloth diaper skeptics have crazy ideas in their head about how you are supposed to clean diapers and deal with the dreaded poop. They imagine poop getting all over the walls, their hands, the floor…maybe they even think it will be so bad they will need a shower or change of clothes afterwards. Well, fortunately it is nothing like that! There are many efficient and clean poop removal methods, and using a cloth diaper sprayer is one of those!
What Is a Sprayer?
A sprayer is something you will attach to the water supply valve on the wall for your toilet. It is pretty much exactly as it sounds. If you have a sink that has a spray nozzle, imagine that–it is very similar!
Sprayers are used to rinse the stuck on poop off of cloth diapers before they go into the diaper pail/laundry. A sprayer keeps you from having to get your hands dirty when cleaning poop off diapers, and many people are sold on one of these for that reason alone. You can simply hold the diaper open over the toilet (or clip it onto a shield) and use the sprayer to rinse all the solids off. Pretty slick! No dipping, swishing, or scraping the diaper.
Is a Sprayer Necessary?
A sprayer is not a necessary cloth diaper purchase because there are other methods of poop removal that are free. If you are on a strict budget, you can certainly skip getting one. Remember that when babies are on formula or breast milk with no solids, you do not need to rinse or scrape poop at all. Breastfed baby poop is water soluble. Formula baby poop is water-soluble enough as well, and will rinse away in the washer no problem. You will not need or use a sprayer at this time.
Once your baby starts solid foods, then you need to look at removing the poop. Babies often get what is called “peanut butter poop” at this stage, and it can be annoying to remove since you can’t just plop it in the toilet.
This is one reason sprayers are very popular. Many families feel they would not have been able to stick with cloth diapering without getting a sprayer. If you are really interested in cloth, but the thought of removing poop is holding you back…get the sprayer. You will love it!
What Should You Look for in a Sprayer?
You will not want to just get any old sprayer. Some sprayers are not very high quality, and you don’t want to have to be dealing with leaks, cracks, or minimal water pressure. Here are some things to look for in a sprayer:
- Durability–Especially if you want to use cloth diapers for multiple kids, you will want it to last for years.
- Adjustable–The ability to adjust the water spray/pressure is important. You will want to be able to have high pressure at times, but you won’t always want high pressure (or say hello to getting dirty poop water back spray on your clothes!)
- Easy to Use and Store–You really don’t want to have to try to keep poop from getting everywhere while you mess around with a sprayer that is cumbersome to use. You also want it easily accessible, so make the sure the sprayer nozzle has an easy way to hang or store itself between uses.
Sprayer Options
There are a wide range of options in the world of diaper sprayers. The most commonly used sprayers for diapers are:
1. Spray Pal Diaper Sprayer and Splatter Shield
This sprayer is probably the most popular in the cloth diaper world.
It is a good quality, adjustable, and easy-to-use sprayer. You can buy the sprayer alone, or you can buy it with the splatter shield.
The splatter shield is an awesome feature, which is why this sprayer is so popular.
2. SmarterFresh Cloth Diaper Sprayer
This sprayer is highly-rated and quite popular. It is also durable, adjustable, and easy-to-use. It is also a smidge cheaper than the Spray Pal sprayer alone if you are looking to save a few bucks (but if you buy the Spray Pal sprayer and shield combo, that is a slightly better deal than buying this sprayer with the shield separately). The kit comes with everything you need to hook it up and start using it.
3. Bumkins Cloth Diaper Sprayer
The Bumkins cloth diaper sprayer is another popular option. It is the cheapest out of the three, is very easy to install, is adjustable, and is durable. There are no tools needed for this install! Anyone could do it!
There are many other available sprayers on the market, but many of them are more complicated to install or use, or they do not hold up quite as well, they leak, etc.
My Top Recommendation
My top recommendation for the diaper sprayer is the Spray Pal Cloth Diaper Sprayer and Splatter Shield Bundle. This is my top recommendation because I strongly feel if you are going to invest in a sprayer, you need to “go big or go home.” There is nothing worse than spending money on a sprayer and having quality issues with it, finding out it doesn’t spray hard enough, sprays too hard…etc. I say this because I’ve experienced it!
The splatter shield that comes with this sprayer is the most important piece (and you can purchase it separately here if you want to use a different sprayer). The biggest issue people run into with a sprayer is the mess it makes. Buying a shield can save you from having to clean your bathroom every time you rinse a poopy diaper.
There are DIY versions of this shield you can look into making, but take my advice as someone who has made and used a DIY shield: there are many perks to the Spray Pal shield–it folds flat, it’s easy to clean, and it lasts. Plus, it is inexpensive. The DIY version I made saved me a few bucks up front, but my DIY version did not fold flat and did not last very long. It was also not as easy to clean, and it took time to make it. It is worth it to spend a few more bucks for their awesome, patented design.
Personally, I would not spray diapers if you’re not willing to get a shield. It would be pretty messy without one, and I think other poop removal methods would be a better choice without a shield.
A Sprayer Can Make Life Easier
A cloth diaper sprayer can certainly make your life easier, at least when it comes to cloth diapering! It can help you quickly and easily remove poop from soiled diapers for washing, and it may help protect you from getting poop or toilet water on your hands as you clean the diapers. This is more of a cloth diaper “luxury” than a necessity, so do not feel bad if your budget doesn’t allow you to purchase one or if you want to see how cloth diapering goes for you before investing.
However, if you are really nervous about the poop and don’t mind making another purchase, do yourself a favor and pick yourself up a Spray Pal Sprayer/Shield Bundle, or any other quality diaper sprayer. You will love it!
I’ve always wondered how you clean cloth diapers…without giving it a lot of thought lol This looks like a great product that will definitely help out a lot with the cleaning process. Whoever invested these was a genius, and was probably just tired of scraping dirty diapers into the toilet. I really like how they have a clip to hold the diaper in place. Three of my sister-in-laws are having babies within the next few months and are up in the air about cloth diapers. I think that showing them something like this might make the mess of them that much less. Do you know if these products are available for shipping in Canada?
Hi Nicki! Yes, I believe it is available in Canada. As I take a look here, it looks like it may be more cost effective to get the Spray Pal shield separately with a different brand sprayer, such as Bumkins. Not sure why, but the Spray Pal Bundle Pack was quite pricey and it makes more sense to buy the pieces separately!
I’m a mom of three kids. I always wondered how cloth diapers should be cleaned. However, I guess it’s not very different from getting a “poop accident” package from the daycare when the child is in transition to regular underwear. My middle son used to bring a lot of these poopy bags, where the brown gold was everywhere – underwear, pants, socks and shirt.
I used to remove the poop with an old used toothbrush, but sometimes it was splashing all around the sink.
The sprayer you recommend is a much better and cleaner solution that can be used not only for cloth diapers but also for later, as I described. Or maybe just to wash little feet from sand after a day on the beach.
Looks like a great product.
Yes, Mary! Definitely useful outside of diapers, too. I imagine you get your money’s worth during potty training!
This is the first I’ve heard of a cloth diaper sprayer… when you think everything that needs to be invented has been invented, you see something else and go, cool, someone was thinking.
I’m long past the diaper stage but, when we first started out with our first born, someone offered us cloth diapers. We were not sold on using them because of the perceived difficulties in cleaning them. Looking back, one of these sprayers might have tilted the scale.
We were so thankful when we bought our last pack of diapers, and refuse to think about how much money we spent on them, never mind how many garbage bags of them we threw out during our 6 year stint of kids in diapers.
This sprayer adds another layer of convenience to the clothe diaper option. Definitely worth a look.
Thanks! I agree that it’s amazing at what has been invented that we don’t even realize. The sprayer can make cloth a lot more convenient.
Will definitely have to buy a cloth Diaper Sprayer for my wife, think will make life easier for her, we were blessed with cute twin baby boys, 8 months ago. I have found my wife struggling with loads of cloths, think this will go a long way in relieving her of the tedious task, at $67, Spray Pal Cloth Diaper Sprayer, does worth the price.
Thank you so much for a great review
Congrats on your twin babies! The diaper sprayer has a lot of practical uses outside of diaper, too!
Your site is quite extensive. I love how you touched on all the ABC’s of cloth diapering. My wife and I would have benefited tremendously from the information on your website around cloth diapers. Unfortunately when our twins were babies we used disposable diapers simply for the convenience factor. I can remember going to the store and picking up multiple boxes of diapers and complaining how expensive they were. We did not give any thought to the impact upon our environment. Sad but true.
I managed a couple of manufacturing plants that made products for Seventh Generation and Method. Speaking from my hands on experience with processing detergents these two brands are as advertised in functionality and being environmentally friendly. They are excellent brands.
Great site that I would recommend for parents before they had children so they can make well informed decisions.
Thank you so much, John! I agree with you about Seventh Generation and Method! Great options!
Hi Holly,
This is a very useful article for those who still use cloth diapers. Most people like disposable diapers ,but cloth diapers are good too. I remember back I 1978 using cloth diapers for my first child. Then, we didn’t have a Cloth Diaper Sprayer.
It’s great that there are Cloth Diaper Sprayers now. I think it is useful to get the poop gone before the diaper goes to the wash. It’s not needed but very convenient to help keep things cleaner.
If I had a chance, the Soray Pal Diaper Sprayer and Splatter Shield would be my first choice.
Even though installation is easy, I would still need some help.
Thank you for sharing this useful information and selection of Cloth Diaper Sprayers.
Maxine
Glad you find it helpful, Maxine! Cloth diapers are starting to grow in popularity a bit more–I wouldn’t say they’re mainstream yet, but more so than they were for awhile there. Disposables are convenient, but they aren’t perfect due to the cost, waste, and chemicals, so many families are opting for cloth options.
Informative…I wasn’t aware that a product like this exists. This is really convenient helps to get rid of the messy stuff. There are a lot of mothers who would really appreciate this product. Diapers can cost a lot, so I imagine that having one of these cloth diaper sprayer would be awesome.
Thanks for sharing .
It is a pretty neat product! Lots of practical uses outside of diapers, too.