By Emma Black, Small Business Owner & Mum, Mix Plumbing.
Cloth nappies. Like many of you reading this, I’m a convert. They’re great for the environment, your wallet and your soul in general, really. However the downside for me came when my daughter started solids. Things got messy. Very messy. So I looked in to cloth nappy hoses as an option. What’s a nappy hose you may ask? Good question – basically it’s a handy hose that can be attached to the toilet cistern to wash poo off cloth nappies easily.
Now before I proceed I must declare I have a total bias as we fit and install cloth nappy hoses. However, the last thing I want to be is a pushy salesperson, so here’s my angle: I tell you a bit about my experience using cloth nappies, what I’ve found helpful, a bit about cloth nappy hose options, a little bit about what we do, and you take what you want, leave what you don’t….. OK by you? Then read on.
Earlier this year my husband and I started our business. Being MCN users, we’d planned to install a nappy hose, and to test this out as a product/service we would offer. The nappy hose went in a few weeks ago. Here’s my take on it….. It is BRILLIANT.
Regardless of where you get it from, a cloth nappy hose is super handy; It essentially prevents the need for wipes and liners, and helps to keep the fabric of you nappies intact. As a bonus it also helps to protect your plumbing from ‘flushable’ liner clogs & is good for the environment.
Now I do understand that the extent to which having a cloth happy hose will change your life depends very much on the degree to which your little one’s solids are, in fact, solid (we have a consistent ‘soft-spreader’ on our hands). Those of you lucky enough to be able to do a quick ‘pop’ of a neat solid package into the toilet my not need this kind of apparatus. However if you are interested, here are your CNH options:
- Hardcore DIY – get the parts from your local hardware store & do it yourself. There are plenty of websites to show you how to do this. The downside for me with this is that you don’t get a warranty and in my opinion it doesn’t look all that nice. Not an issue if it’s going to be hidden away or if you’re not too fussed about appearance. But if you’re not great with plumbing (like me) it can take a while. The upside, it is cheap and for those confident to play around with plumbing, a relatively straightforward DIY option.
- Self-install – buy a cloth nappy hose and install it yourself. The ‘Little Squirt” is Australian owned & made and you can buy it online though many cloth nappy suppliers. The downside for me with this one again is that is it plastic but it is definitely neater than the DIY version, albeit more expensive. Again if you’re not confident with plumbing it can take a while to install. The upside is that it is Australian made, comes with a warranty and you can shop for it online (I’m pretty sure I’ve become Australia Post’s #1 customer since becoming a Mum – online shopping convert!).
- Supply & Install – this is what we do. We’ve sourced a local product that comes with manufacturer’s warranty. It has a shiny chrome finish, has its own hook which also acts as a tap to turn the water supply on & off. I reckon it looks pretty schmick. Of course given we are in the business of plumbing, it is installed by a Licensed Plumber (my husband – unlike me, very good with plumbing!). Upside is that there is zero work on your part (a phone call or email will suffice) & a guarantee of good workmanship free from leaks or possible damage to your plumbing. Downside to this is that it is the more expensive option (though possibly not by much if you are purchasing an existing unit & having it shipped) as it involves labour as well as product. We have tried to keep this cost reasonable, as we know that most of us MCN users are conscious of budget as well as environment. If you’d like to know more visit http://mixplumbing.com/nappy-hoses/ , we have prices for services listed here. Ok I’ve tried my best to be unbiased but I am quite aware there aren’t many downsides listed for this last option. Possibly because I think it’s a pretty darn good product & deal….. And also likely a slight “rather- invested-in-this-option” bias.
Whichever way you go, here’s what you need to be able to install a cloth nappy hose:
- A toilet
- An exposed inlet cistern (see below for a picture). To install a cloth nappy hose this is the little bit of hardware that you need to connect to. If you don’t have one like this, you can’t connect a hose in this way.
So there you have it – my two cents on cloth nappy use & how a nappy hose can help to manage some of the less glamorous aspects. If you’re interested in our product, get in touch. If you’re not but have found this useful anyway, brilliant . Take care and best of luck with your MCN adventure!
Emma Black, Small Business Owner & Mum, Mix Plumbing.
Like the sound of having a nappy sprayer supplied and installed at your house by Emma’s hubby, Michael at Mix Plumbing? If you live in metropolitan Melbourne it could happen! Just leave a comment below letting us know why you’d like a nappy hose at your place and your suburb. One person (chosen by Mix Plumbing) will have a nappy hose installed at their house FREE! All you have to do in exchange is write up your ‘road test’ experience and review after you’ve had a chance to put it through its paces! Entries close November 21, 2016.
This sounds like it would be perfect for us. My son is a master of the poo-splosion! Liners do not contain his wall to wall, front to back poos and so I’m inevitably rinsing poo off the nappy. We’ve just bought our first home in Bundoora and can finally do things like put holes in the walls and install water filters, so this is just one more thing we could do to make the house ours.
I’d love a nappy sprayer installed as it may motivate my partner to have a go at dealing with the nappies rather than just leaving them in the sink for me!
Having a baby on thickened fluid has meant awful sticky poo from day dot. It can be a nightmare to clean off (especially when you’re husband had left it all day for you). I would love to have an easier way to clean them
I would love to have a nappy hose installed as I think it would make life easier. We love using cloth but since changing to solids we have noticed a real difference. The hose would make the washing machines job a little easier and give more life to our MCN as well as encouraging us to continue to use cloth.
Croydon
A nappy sprayer sounds like the perfect answer to my little girl’s mucky nappies. I’m getting a bit tired of dangling microfleece liners in toilet water, in an attempt to shake off any mess! Definitely not a fan of soaking MCNs when the above tactic doesn’t work. Thanks for considering me!
This would mean we could keep using cloth nappies in our house. My daughter consistently does very large poos 2-3 times a day. .. the sticky all over nappy, no liner can contain, nappy is full of poo kind. My husband has since stopped using cloth because he hates dealing with it, making it hard for me to use cloth in case he needs to be the one to change later! He would totally use this as he wouldn’t need to get down and dirty with the poos! Would mean we could keep using cloth. Win win!
Great post. I have been debating on whether to try a nappy sprayer or not. Let me know when you go national!
Would love to have this installed, our current poo stick aka my fingers are just not ok. I try not to flush liners but some toddler poos…ok I won’t go there. Let’s hope my baby isn’t as bad. Needy family are in Avondale heights
My bubba has just started solids, so we can no longer just pop his cloth nappies straight into the washing machine. I’d love a sprayer so that we don’t get tempted to use disposable nappy liners when dealing with poos becomes a step to far!
As a single mum of a 5 year old and a 5 day old using cloth on the newborn this would make it so much quicker which speed is what you nwed in this life as itsnso full of stuff ans so little time.
This would be amazing!
We have a 2 year old and 4 month old in cloth.
I’m not a massive fan of liners because they leave marks on the kids and also not great for plumbing and if it’s a ‘sticky’ poo, like most of my toddlers, are they stink out the bin. Currently dumping in the loo and washing in the laundry sink and stinking the whole house out.
Ohhh this would be the bomb to use when my little man drops his “bombs” (especially the mushy kind ewww yuck)!
This mamma’s hands would also finally get a chance to heal from chronic dry skin.
Plus, my big man won’t have an excuse for why he can’t handle bomb nappies 😉
We live in Footscray too 🙂
We would love one of these!! We have been reluctant to install similar products as we have heard some horror stories of them going wrong, this one looks like its up for the challenge.
What a perfect union of interests and profession to offer this service!
I would love a professionally installed sprayer as we currently have rigged a DIY. I’m aware that these are a flooding risk that wouldn’t be covered by insurance. It works, but but can’t be turned off without disrupting water to the cistern. As my girl gets older, restricting her ability to grab a ready to go water sprayer would be best!
I am an avid cloth user, but highly doubt I would be without a sprayer! Perhaps this is why many MCN users today aren’t encouraged by older relatives; they didn’t have this handy bit of help in their day?! It makes it all completely do able. They are invaluable!
Amendment – my DIY hose is leaking :/
I’d reeeallly appreciate this prize now!!
Has a winner been announced?
We would love to win this, cause with it we can save water and remove solids instantly. Making cleaner longer lasting nappies.
I have been building my fluff stash so I can start with cloth with my first once she is born. So hard in today’s society with the majority of people telling me I won’t last and having many friends have tried and given up after only a couple of weeks. Already nervous about adjusting to motherhood and anything that can help in this transition and especially help with the use of cloth to help our environment would be amazing in encouraging me to stay on this journey. Motherhood and the impending labour is scary enough but something like this can help ease my concerns over putting my princess in cute fluff nappies.
I’m in Cranbourne
Thanks
I’d LOVE to try a nappy sprayer, but my hubby is a little diy challenged…getting one installed would be both handy and keep his reputation as our ‘Handy man’ intact!
I’m super keen to try any nifty contraption that makes cleaning up poop easier!