Writing recently about my Year of Cloth Diapering, I mentioned a diaper sprayer I've come to see as an essential cloth diapering aid that has come in handy in a number of other situations.

Happy Heiny’s diaper sprayer is plastic with solid brass connectors to attach is to your toilet’s plumbing. The installation requires no tools and was easy for me to figure out with no plumbing experience. (The main problem we have had is a slight leak once in awhile so we’ve resorted to leaving a small towel on the floor underneath it.) There are a couple of similar sprayers on the market - bumGenius sells one that claims to come with "anti-drip technology" - as well as ones marketed as bidets that may function similarly.

When using the sprayer, you take the sprayer head out of the holder, turn the valve, and press the button on the handle. The valve can be adjusted to change the pressure of the water coming out of the sprayer. I was surprised at how high the pressure of the water was coming out of the sprayer. This high pressure does wonders in spraying out dirty diapers. It can also create a mess, but with a little practice, the right angle and getting used to the high pressure, you shouldn’t have any problems. Although it is called a diaper sprayer, I’ve discovered a multitude of uses for this handy piece of plumbing:

• It works great for rinsing out soiled clothing from a blow-out diaper.


• When I recently stepped on a little present left by a neighborhood dog, I was able to use the sprayer to rinse of the sole of my shoe.


• The lower pressure setting of the sprayer is great for personal hygiene after childbirth or as a bidet.


• During the potty-training years, the sprayer will be perfect for rinsing out the potty.


• The hose is a substantial six feet long. Depending on where your bathtub is located, you could use the sprayer when cleaning your bath tub or shower stall.

You can purchase the Mini-Shower Diaper Sprayer at Amazon.com for about $45. For me, it was well worth the investment.

Does anyone else out there use one of these? If so, tell us about it! I'd be especially curious to hear if anyone had experience with bumGenius' "anti-drip" model.