DIY Diaper Sprayer

DIY Tutorial: Make Your Own Diaper Sprayer

by GIDGET on AUGUST 25, 2008

in FAMILY,GREEN & NATURAL LIVING,SIMPLE & FRUGAL LIVING

After getting fed up with poopy cloth diapers (even with my awesome flushable liners I use), I decided it was time to look into a diaper sprayer, which is basically a kitchen sink sprayer on a hose which attaches to the toilet’s water line. I wasn’t interested in buying one for $40 from the diaper companies, so we started looking online on how to make one ourselves. Unfortunately I only found a couple of tutorials, with no pictures!

So, Moondoggie will be offering his first guest post here on Gidget Goes Home with a step-by-step tutorial on making your own for about half the cost. These parts came out to around $20 at Home Depot and it took maybe 20 minutes to assemble. So without further adieu, here’s Moondoggie.

So Gidget told me one day that she was sick of sticking her hands in the toilet to get Chiquita’s poop off those cloth diapers. Before we started using cloth diapers, I would have never guessed that a kitchen sprayer next to the toilet would be so useful (when I told the guy at Home Depot what I was doing, he actually asked if I was making a bidet).

Anyways, here’s a list of the parts I bought for this diaper sprayer. We looked at several versions on the web that used barbed connections and hose clamps. You will find that all the connections in this design are threaded and (probably) less likely to leak.

-Kitchen Sink Spray Hose & Head Assembly
-Filter Connector Splicer (I think this is actually designed for a refrigerator water filter; it may also be called an “Ice Maker Supply Line”)
-Ander-Lign Compression Connector (1/4″ OD x 1/4″ MIP w/insert)
-“Adapt-a-Valve” T-fitting (3/8″ x 3/8″ x 1/4″)
-1/4″ Shut-off valve (update: picture now below!)

1) The first thing you need to do is turn off the water that feeds into the toilet supply line.

2) Next, unscrew the toilet supply line from the valve. At this point, I should tell you to make sure that you toilet supply line is flexible. The rest of the procedure won’t be possible if you have a rigid toilet supply line. You can replace your supply line if necessary (or just check all the other toilets in your house until you find a flexible one – that’s what we had to do). It is helpful to have a small dish to catch any excess water that may be left in the toilet supply line.

3) Install the Filter Connector Splicer (fancy name for PVC tube with threaded ends) onto the 1/4″ branch of the T-fitting.

4) Attach the toilet supply line to the upper leg of the T-fitting. For those that haven’t done much plumbing work (which includes me; I am only going off what I have picked up since doing this project), the connection on your toilet supply line is most likely 3/8″ compression threads and that’s what I have assumed as I wrote these instructions.

5) Now you can install the T-fitting onto the valve.

6) To prevent the head of the sprayer from being under constant pressure, install a shut-off valve on the end of the sprayer line.  Install the Compression Connector in the other end of the shut-off valve (you will notice that the 1/4″ pipe threads go into the valve and the 1/4″ compression threads will be free for now). This valve goes in between the Compression Connector and the end of the sprayer line shown in this photo (see next step for updated photo).

7) Install the PVC tube onto the 1/4″ compression thread side of the Compression Connector.

8 ) As a general note, I was instructed by the guy at Home Depot (obviously not an Olympian) not to tighten the compression fittings too much. Doing so may shred the washers and leave you with a leaky system. Also, I realized as I was putting the instructions together that it’s possible to install the parts in a different order and still have everything hook up correctly.

9) Once all the connections are properly tightened, turn the water back on to the valve. You will need to play with the pressure to get the right flow out of the sprayer. Also, you may experience some odd behavior from your toilet bowl and tank(running water sounds). I have found that it is just taking the tank longer to fill up (I am not a toilet expert so there may be more to that explanation that I am not equipped to offer).

That’s it. You can now use it to get that poop off without sticking your whole hand in the toilet. And if you are really brave you can start a water fight with your kids (not recommended for bathrooms with carpet).

Disclaimer: The following instructions are for inspirational purposes only, and are not from a plumber, but rather a simple DIY family. Feel free to try out and share this tutorial!

Credit: http://gidgetgoeshome.com/2008/08/25/diy-tutorial-make-your-own-diaper-sprayer/

SoftBums New Snap Colors Giveaway!

Snap Shell 

SoftBums Snap Echo Shell

I know you all want new diapers, so we are having a Giveaway to celebrate that we have 2 new colors being stocked on www.softbums.com this week!

If you haven't tried SoftBums Snap shells, here's a run down on how they work:

1. They don't look all that special, but trust me when I say the Fit is Amazing!  Somehow we were able to make some SoftBums magic happen here at the design team studio and made a super duper easy to use snap configuration that won't intimidate, or confuse, but Fits Amazingly well!
2. NO Wing Droop!  If you don't know what wing droop is, then you can ignore this one because you'll still never know if you buy a SoftBums.  If you do know, and hate wingdroop, this is a diaper for you!
3. EASY!  I love, love, love quick diaper changes personally.  And, I don't think I'm alone in thinking that most daddies do too.  Only one row of snaps, means quick changes.  So, if you want a daddy friendly diaper, here ya go ;)
4. Self adjusting Hip Snap!  We designed that second snap on the wings to work as an inline hip snap, that tag teams with our adjustable leg elastic, for the best hip snap on earth.

I am personally a Velcro lover, but I do appreciate a good snap diaper.  If you love Snaps, this is certainly one to try on your little bundle :)

Here is an oldie, but goodie video with a daddy using SoftBums Snaps on his twins so you can see how they work  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2iZMhSRr5g
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'm a good mother, you're a good mother (blog re-post)

I came across this blog post a while ago, and thought I would share it with our followers. 
 I like it, tell me what you think? 
Taken from:630 and a glass of wine

I’m a good mother, you’re a good mother.

Oh wait, you don’t breastfeed your baby?  You don’t co-sleep with your baby? You don’t swaddle? You do swaddle?  You do co-sleep with your baby?! You feed your child non-organic food?  You feed your child meat?  You have a nanny?  You work?  You’re a stay-at -home mother?  Did you circumcise?  You didn’t circumcise?  Oh my goodness, no, you don’t…..you don’t vaccinate your children do you?

If you answered yes or no to even one of the above questions, then I’m sorry, but you clearly aren’t a good mother.  Not as good as the mothers who either did or didn’t use one or all of the aforementioned parenting tools.  You’re like, the Amber from ‘Teen Mom’ of mothers.  Jeez.  Why don’t you know how wrong your choices are?

Whew!  Its exhausting just pretending to judge everyone else’s mothering abilities, I have to hand it to all the women who do it professionally.  And by professionally, I mean, clog up their Facebook pages, their conversations, their websites, their blogs, with constant reminders of how much better what they do for their children is, than what you do.

But, you know, I really have to respect their confidence as well.  No kidding. I’m a quaking jello mold of crippling guilt and uncertainty concerning my parenting skills.  It must feel so good to just know that everything you’re doing is the best thing, and will definitely NOT result in your child’s future as a homeless street musician.

Here’s what I know I’m good at:

Buying baby clothes.

Here’s what I agonize over:

Feeding the baby.  Cleaning the baby.  Is he warm enough?  Is he too warm? How much he sleeps.  The quality of his sleep.  Do I give him enough affection?  Am I smothering him? Is he normal?  Is he falling behind? Will he get some girl pregnant in high school?  Is that a smear of his poop on the coffee table?

I’ve been blessed with the inability to presume that I’m doing anything correctly as a mother, so you know what I really don’t need?  I really don’t need to open my Facebook page and get a nasty slap from a link to an article telling me that the flu shot I just took is going to kill my unborn fetus, or that the vaccination I just authorized for my baby is going to render him developmentally disabIed.  It really burned me up to see the suggestion to someone who was offering formula coupons on a trade and barter site that they should, “burn them.”  Wow.

Here’s the thing, I don’t want any harm to come my child.  No mother does. Here’s the other thing, I can read.  We all can.  We all see the same news bulletins and essays and articles concerning pregnancy, childbirth, vaccinations, and child rearing.  We do our research and make our informed decisions and thank you so much, but we don’t need to be reminded( day after day) that there are other schools of thought.  We KNOW.   I recently asked a friend on Facebook what she was feeding her baby.  Simple question, right?  She sent me a private email explaining that she didn’t dare to answer me in the public comment thread because she knew she would be attacked by “Breast is Best” advocates about her use of formula!  Holy Hell. I don’t even want to repeat the cliche about how I wasn’t breastfed, and look at me, I’ve never even had a cavity( true!), but oops, I just did repeat it, and for good reason!  Breast is best, but formula isn’t toxic.  In fact, its pretty damn good.

Do you beat your kids senseless?  Do you starve them?  Do you withhold all love and affection?  Do you tell them they aren’t worthy?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then I think we have an issue.  If not, then my guess is you are doing your very best at the hardest, hardest job. And you’re probably doing terrific-ly.  I don’t know about ya’ll, but I could reeeeaally use one less sleepless, staring bug-eyed at the ceiling, doubting my every decision night, compliments of a ” helpful” reminder about the irreversible trauma I’ve caused my son by…..[ fill in alarmist rant here.]

Dial it down, ladies, dial it down.  If you’ve never had a moment of doubt, never thought you were the worst mother in the world, then continue on as you are. But, for those of us who do have doubts and guilt and worries, and I’m pretty sure we all do, then maybe we need to think the next time we offer another mother unsolicited advice.  Is it reallyhelping her?  Really preventing disaster? Or is it just slumping her shoulders a little further down?

About the author: Heather Bogolyubova has an un-pronouncable last name. A Maine native, she's returned to the Pine Tree state after several years in New York. Now, she's a newlywed, has a new baby, a new job, and lots of fancy shoes she can never wear in the snow. The job: Stay-at- home mother and wife. Its hard. She's going to tell you all about it.