Why a diaper sprayer is an amazing thing: a review of the BumGenius Diaper Sprayer

I don't think that anyone wants to touch toilet water on purpose, but when babies start eating solid foods and their poop changes consistency, you really don't want that in your washing machine, and it won't always be solid enough to just dump into the toilet. I believe that this is the origin of the "dunk and swish" (in the toilet) routine. I watched my mother do the "dunk and swish" when I was a child while silently thinking to myself that I never would. I think that most people who object to cloth diapers just don't want to touch poop, but don't realize that there are alternatives!

From my research, I found that there are two major alternatives to the "dunk and swish" routine. The first alternative is to use flushable liners. These look similar to dryer sheets, but come in rolls. I have seen them made from many different materials. You simply lay the liner in the baby's diaper and hope that the poop is mostly on the liner so you can neatly transfer all of it to the toilet and flush the liner and poop. This works for many people, and honestly, I am considering these for when we are away from home. The downside is that you have to pay for them, so it is a constant expense, and some septic systems can't handle them. In fact, many online reviews state that the liners caused pipes to clog. Our leach field can't handle anything of the sort, so it isn't an option for us when we are home. I do have fleece liners that are re-usable that I use when our daughter has a diaper rash, but these don't really help with the poop situation, since I would then need to get it off the liner.

The second alternative is the diaper sprayer. This is an upgraded-version of the sprayer you may have at your kitchen sink. Basically, it hooks up to the pipes that go to your toilet and you can use the water pressure to spray off the diapers and not touch anything gross. After the initial investment, which varies from website to website (we paid nearly $60), the installation and use is pretty easy. There are many brands of diaper sprayers out there, but we chose the BumGenius sprayer because a close friend of mine has one that she highly recommends, and the pressure is adjustable, unlike most other brands. The reviews online aren't awesome for any of the sprayers I looked at, mostly because people report dripping from the sprayer. If you look in the picture, notice the valve behind the handle of the toilet brush. That valve turns the water to the sprayer off, which should eliminate dripping (and curious toddler spraying) when not in use. I tend to leave it on all the time because I forget to turn it off, but we haven't had any dripping. My husband did use plumber's tape when installing the sprayer, but it wasn't called for in the instructions. I don't know if it made a difference or not.

The sprayer handle itself is made from plastic and coated with a metallic paint. The flexible hose is made from stainless steel and is just shy of four feet long, which means that you are not too closely tethered while spraying. The sprayer comes with a nifty holder that clips to the toilet and keeps the sprayer handy.

My friend advised that I practice using the sprayer on a clean diaper first, since the water pressure from the sprayer can easily spray the contents of a messy diaper all over the bathroom if it is aimed improperly. Her advice was very helpful. The first time my husband used the sprayer, he sprayed the diaper all over his legs and the floor in front of the toilet. There are some tricks to spraying neatly.

1. I always hold the outer part of the diaper so that my hands stay clean and dry. With prefolds or flats, this won't work so well, but for all-in-ones or pockets, it is great.
2. Hold the diaper low in the toilet, with the interior near the side of the toilet. Sometimes the end of the soaker hangs in the water, but I try to keep the outer part dry. Holding it low and near the side helps to contain the spray within the toilet instead of spraying the entire bathroom. I know of a girl who actually purchased a cheap plastic trash can and cut the bottom out of it so that she could lay the diaper in it, hold it over the toilet and spray down into the toilet while containing the spray.
3. Only spray the water down into the toilet. This may seem like an obvious statement, but seriously, I have to consciously remind myself about it sometimes. Again, the above-mentioned trash can idea could work well if you are having trouble.
4. Start with low water pressure and work your way up. I find that it is easier to spray poop off a saturated diaper, and too much pressure, especially at the beginning, can make for a lot of clean-up afterwards. Also, you are trying to get any solids off the diaper and into the toilet, but it doesn't need to be completely cleaned.

I feel that a diaper sprayer is a great investment for any family, even families that use disposable diapers! The diaper sprayer works for more than just diapers. It can be used to clean out potty chairs, to clean up after vomit, clean out containers that sit in the fridge too long, and to rinse out the toilet after cleaning. I am sure that there are many more uses for the sprayer that we will discover over the years! The BumGenius Diaper Sprayer is a brilliant invention with features that make it stand out from the competition. I very highly recommend it!

Does your family use a diaper sprayer or liners that you would like to recommend? Leave a comment!

This is a photo of the back of the packaging.

a photo of the bottom of the packaging

It is important to note that we purchased the diaper sprayer ourselves

and received no products or compensation in exchange for this review.