Is the drying time for bamboo really long?

[dcb]

I like the sound of the bamboo nappies - absorbant, slimfitting and natural materials. But are they really hard to dry - we don't have a tumble dryer or airing cupboard - just a line and radiators. would we manage? Which brand do u think is the best?

Radiators work well for us. I do tumble dry for 30 minutes or so first but don't really need to. If you put them on the radiator they'll dry just fine. They do take longer than cotton nappies to dry but are so much more absorbant and slim, not to mention the natural anti-bacterial proprties of bammboo, that it is worth it in my opinion.

I use Wambamboo and they are great, but I'm sure Flamebat will be along here shortly to tell you more as she's the resident expert on all things bamboo.

Did I hear my name?

Wambamboos are great (I have tried both those and bamboozles), and yes, they do take a long time to dry so it is best if you are planning to wash every other day, buy 3 days worth so there are 2 days in the wash/dry and one to wear iyswim.

I pretty much only have line and radiator too (can't afford to put tumble on except in emergencies ) - the line and radiator drying is only about 6 hours, it is the cold, clothes horse drying that can take a while iyswim.

There is some confusion here. Many bamboo nappy companies claim that bamboo dries faster than cotton, when obviously it doesn't.

In fact, bamboo dries 10% (or so) faster than cotton. HOWEVER, in practice what happens is that the bamboo nappies absorb more water during washing than cotton (even after spinning), so they've more to get rid of when drying.

But if you did a scientfic experiment where you put the same amount of water on a cotton and bamboo nappy, the bamboo would dry faster.

Coz we all do that when we're washing our nappies, huh.

So that's where the claim comes from. Certainly in practice the bamboo ones take longer to dry but most people don't find it a real problem, and also when they line dry they stay soft, unlike cotton.

so would it be worth giving the bamboo an extra spin to get more of the water out of them?

Bamboo fabric is technically viscose.

Have the nappy companies themselves actually tested the 'bamboo' nappies independently against each other for drying/absorbency? I have just read so many different claims to their performance - would be good to have some facts! So if anyone out there has done it - would be really interested.

Hello,
well, IMHO bamboo does take a bit longer than cotton terry to dry, BUT saying that I have successfully dried one of my own bamboo quick flips on a radiatior- on one of those airer rack things that sits on top of the radiator. I found the standard shaped terry bamboo nappies take ages longer to get them dry right through the middle.
So yes, it is possible to successfully use and dry bamboo terry nappies without a tumble drier as long as you choose the style of nappy carefully.
Catherine.xx