Anyone use a nappy laundry service?

[IsabellyMoi]

I'd love to hear about your experiences. We have a small (not very efficient) combo washer/dryer...just can't imagine trying to keep up with the nappy washing in it so are leaning toward going with a local real nappy laundry service. Our council provides a voucher toward the service. All advice welcome!

Glad to hear your council provides financial incentive as I found it quite expensive. Also needed to use double nappy from quite early on.

Had to wash the "outers" myself and they were not very waterproof.

Had to change him quite a lot in the night so, with hindsight, it might have been better for me to use a disposable at night and keep the others for the day. However, that makes it more expensive.

I only wash nappies every three days; I have a normal sized washer

I don't tumble dry them except on rare occasions - usually I line dry them or dry them on an airer

it might not be so much hassle as you expect - with a newborn you might do a wash every two days maybe

you're definitely not washing every day

I've got a normal sized washer-dryer, nowhere to hang clothes outside and 8-week-old DD but it's working out absolutely fine. I wash nappies every other day (at 60 degrees with prewash), tumble dry for 2 hours and then hang them on an airer. My nappy collection comprises mostly Wambamboos and Tots originals so not the quickest-drying, but even so they finish drying overnight ready for use the next day.
Not exactly being eco-friendly, I know (dreading the next electricity bill too!) but we're moving to a house with a garden this summer, and at least we're not adding nappies to landfill!

I agree with the others - if you spend the extra money that you would spend on the laundry service on having enough nappies to allow for washing twice a week, then it will work out cheaper in the long run.

If you do decide to go for the laundry service option though I have a feeling that Origami used one... lemme check

I've posted this somewhere before and hope I don't seem a tad bitter, but I wouldn't recommend the Cotton Bottoms laundry service - it's pretty expensive and very inflexible. There were some weeks (quite a few, one way or another, what with trips away or illness) in which I had very few or no nappies to put out for laundry, but you get charged the same whether you put out 1 or 50. The Cotton Bottoms over-wraps don't get included in the laundry service, so you have to do those yourself at 40 degrees or less, which really isn't hot enough to get rid of the stains. (If you wash them on hotter temps, the velcro tummy straps get really tough and scratchy).

pmsl - my brain read a thread late at night - origami was what put someone off nappies!!!

Rantum used one!

The thing with laundry services is that they use prefolds to wash at the high temps, and they are one of the styles that has the least babies suited to it iysiwm.

I did use prefolds in the day, always have, and for quick drying they are good so if you don't have much drying facility they are worth looking at

with a newborn you can try different folds whic make them more efficient

but for nights, no. tots or minkis. A minki stuffable is easier to dry than a tot tho

Thank you so much for all this information. I think I should consider washing and drying them myself. REALLY appreciate this input! The service in our area that the council will subsidize is "Number 1 for Nappies" - in case anyone has had specific experience with them and has comments.