Where have all the nappy washers gone :o

[peachybums]

Ive recently noticed that all the nappy laundries in our area have frizzled out. Im not sure weather its due to lack of denmand or if they just simply cant keep up to costs of having a premises to do it in or both.

I was thinking of doing something similar myself, supplying prefolds or terries and washing them at high temps and delivering fresh ones. Do you think it will be cost effective if the demand is there? Only thinking of doing it for extra pennies not a whole empire or anything lol. If it was cheap enough would you concider using one?

I would have thought it would be a bit of a small market in the current economic climate. I think more people are using cloth because it's cheaper and therefore are unlikely to want to pay for it to be washed. Maybe if you could target mothers already using them who are going back to work? maybe more likely to get business in the winter?
Dunno, tryng to be helpful and failing!

I think the thing that puts most mums off using cloth is washing them to be honest. If you had a fresh supply every week that costs the same as a pack of disposables surely you would be more likely to use cloth? You would have nothing to lose really, or maybe im wrong :(

I use washables because they are cheaper, with 2 in cloth its LOTS cheaper. There is no way that I would pay for someone else to wash them, if for the same price, I could just use disposables which would be easier all round. Sorry.

I go the impression that the only people who use a washing service are those who choose washables for idealistic reasons only and who don't need them to be cheaper than disposables, which I think must be a small minority.

I think there is not much demand for nappy washers TBH. Modern nappies are so easy to use and wash. I could afford to 'send them out' but wouldn't want to use terries and prefolds. I am much happier using pockets and some fitteds and doing my own washing.
I think the very fact that you have noticed the existing laundry businesses have fizzled out tells you that there is not much market.
The one lady doing it in our area stopped about 18 months ago.

I used to run a nappy laundry service. It is costly as the machines I bought allowed me to wash to the same spec as hospitals. Viability of running a laundry service depends on how populated an area you live in and how good a take-up rate you have. If you need any further advice, just ask.

From a user perspective....

I've used nappy laundry services in 3 different towns in the South East and found them invaluable as a f/t working mother. Most friends, both with and without children, didn't know that such things existed until I told them. Several have commented that they would have tried one if they'd known of them and might do so for future babies.

If you do start this kind of company up, I'd suggest making sure you have a functional and well-linked website, getting yourself in the phonebook and on local company listings and getting as much publicity as you can on parenting sites.

Although the companies I've used have been great in practice, I had to hunt them down through sheer persistence and bloody-mindedness. It's almost as if they were hiding both IRL and on the net. (Lovely people but not much consideration given to marketing themselves or their excellent service.) I do suspect that there's a small but significant untapped market out there.