Monday, July 12, 2010

Homemade Diaper Sprayer

Cloth diapers have one little nuance to them that disposable diapers do not.  You have to clean the solids off of the diaper before you can wash them.  Normally, it's not a big deal.  The solid just rolls off the diaper into the toilet and the rest washes out in the washer.  But sometimes, the solids are a little less solid and the diaper needs to be rinsed before it can be washed.  Traditionally, this is done in the toilet.  Swish the diaper around in the toilet bowl, shake off the chunks, and then into the diaper pail it goes.  This is gross and a little messy.  And being pregnant and that close to something so odorous is, well, risky.


Someone much smarter than myself invented what is called a diaper sprayer.  I've never seen it in stores, but then again, we don't have any cloth diaper stores around here.  But they are sold online for about $45.  But you can also make them from a kitchen sink sprayer and some adapter pieces.


Yesterday, Josh, my awesome and handy husband, agreed to buy the pieces and assemble for me my very own diaper sprayer.  We got our shopping list handy (thanks to this blog) and went over to Home Depot.  We purchased our items and came home.


Of course no plumbing or other home improvement project is complete without a beer and at least one more trip to Home Depot.  So right after I cracked open Josh's beer, he looked at the pipe from the wall to the toilet and discovered that our pipes are not common size.  Why would they be, knowing the house that we have.  So he took the tube that goes to the toilet off and back to Home Depot we went.  With the help of an employee, we decided instead of an adapter, it would be easier to change the spigot coming from the wall.  So we bought the new piece and came home.


Then Josh started to change the spigot only to discover that it's one piece to the pipe coming from inside the wall.  Well ...... nevermind that.  Time for plan B ... or was this now plan C.


I took a look at the toilet in the kids bathroom and wouldn't you know it ... it's the size we needed in the first place.  OK.  Back to our original set of pieces.  Put it all together.  Go to the bathroom.  Screw it in place.  Turn the water back on.  And voila .... I have a diaper sprayer!!!  Complete with only 2 trips to Home Depot.  


Thank you honey!!!!








"I get by, with a little help, from my friend...."




"Watch out Daddy ..."


Entire contraption, attached to the wall with a piece of Velcro.


T-connector at the Spigot to split the line - one goes to the toilet, the other to the sprayer

Shut off valve so I can control my water pressure and reduce/prevent leaks or accidental sprays

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