Zach Copley

When Wyatt was born my grandparents gave us a gift of a large set of cloth diapers. We never used them for their intended purpose. Some people have the commitment and super-parent strength to use real cloth diapers… washing the big chunks out in the toilet and stuff and running the washing machine all day long. We did not have that fortitude. We did, however, try a cloth diaper service. Their diapers were of a completely different build, so we used them exclusively, and let our own cloth diapers sit on the shelf. Eventually, we switched to Earth-strangling paper diapers from Costco, mainly because they are a million times better. The cloth diapers were horribly uncomfortable for Wyatt, restricted his leg movements, and poop would shoot out of them during the night. We did not like them.

But in the meantime, we discovered many other excellent and wonderful uses for our own cloth diapers…

Washing laptop screens

I mix one tablespoon of rubbing alcohol and three tablespoons of water together, dip the diaper in it, and wash down our laptop screens, and sometimes the rest of the machines, too. The other half of the diaper remains unwet, so I use that to dry everything off. Your screen will be clean as a whistle. I think this should work fine on TVs and probably any glass or hard plastic thing.

Cleaning up spills

Instead of wasting paper towels or busting out a real towel, just throw a couple of diapers on the spill. They are far more absorbent.

Dusting

You can use a dry or wet diaper to do heavy-duty dusting. Dry for books, wet for the bookshelf.

Polishing stuff

Cloth diapers are great for shining up wine glasses or windows.

Improvised hand towels

All the towels in the laundry? No problem, just grab a cloth diaper and dry your hands.

Improvised bandages

Blood spurting out of you body? Grab a cloth diaper and apply pressure. Cloth diapers are made of soft cotton, and usually fairly sterile — at least in my house; I wash them in bleach.

Icepack buffers

If you have an injury, you might also need to ice it down to avoid swelling. I dump an ice cube tray into a Ziplock bag and then wrap it up in a diaper. The thin diaper cloth is porous and conductive enough to let the cold through, but it never gets too cold. A side benefit is that the diaper sucks up any moisture and condensation from the bag of ice, making for a very comfortable and effective ice pack.

Heating tortillas in the microwave

This is one the best diaper tricks I’ve ever learned. Set the microwave at 50% power, wrap you tortillas in a wet diaper, put the whole shebang in a unzipped Ziplock bag, and zap it for four minutes. You’ll have hot, steamy tortillas for tacos or whatever — almost as good as you’d get at a taqueria.

Potholders

Can’t find a potholder or oven mitt? Just grab a diaper or two.

Counter rags

Instead of wiping down your kitchen counters and table with a sponge or paper towel, you can use a wet diaper exactly like busboys use a filthy wet rag to wipe down tables and the bar at your favorite restaurant.

Scrub rags for washing your car

Some dish soap, a hose, and couple diapers for scrubbing are all you need to get your car sparkling clean. After your rinse and dry your car in the sun, grab a couple diapers to polish it up, and make the hubcaps shine.