CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Rachel Hall estimates that she and her husband, Charlie, have saved more than $1,000 using cloth diapers on Faithanna, their 16-month-old daughter.

The cost savings enable Hall to stay home with her daughter and to pursue her writing career on a free-lance schedule, rather than return full time to the work force.

The environmentally friendly aspects of cloth diapers appeal to Hall, especially after she and Charlie lived briefly in Hawaii, where recycling and trash reduction are a necessary way of life. There isn't much room for landfills on islands.

"We became more environmentally conscious while we lived there. We were surrounded by this amazing natural beauty that we didn't want to impact in a negative way," she said. "When we moved back here, I realized West Virginia has the same beauty, but I hadn't noticed it before. I didn't want to have a negative impact on it, either."

The statistics about disposal diapers spoke to Hall.

• Each disposable diaper takes 500 years to decompose.
• The average baby in disposable diapers contributes about 2 tons of waste to landfills.
• Disposable diapers cost between $2,000 and $4,000 for each baby. A cloth system starts at $500.

Most people are familiar with the statistics, but don't consider cloth diapers a viable alternative. In May, Hall launched a business, Diaper Parties by Rachel, in which she hopes to both educate parents about the advantages of cloth diapers and to sell diapers and related products.

Hall brings a kit containing a wide array of modern cloth diapers and associated products to groups of parents, or anyone interested in child care.

"They can touch and feel the diapers," she said. "Even people who are pretty adamantly opposed to them, if they just hear about them, especially the financial considerations, they might be interested."

Cloth diapers are a tradition in Hall's family. Norma Gensler, Hall's mother in Huntington, diapered four of her five children in cloth diapers. She didn't have a washing machine when her first child was born, so she had to use disposables.

Hall's sister in Cincinnati introduced her to the modern line of pinless cloth diaper products. While she was still pregnant, Rachel picked out the diaper line she planned to use on her baby. Her options are a bit mind-boggling.

Faithanna's fashionably clad bottom bears little resemblance to traditional saggy white diapers. Her brightly colored and patterned diapers are cute enough for public viewing, but don't show under her toddler shorts and pants because they fit snugly.

All her diapers have a row of snaps so they can be adjusted to grow with her. Faithanna wears the same diapers today that she wore as a newborn. The Halls received nearly enough diapers as baby gifts to outfit Faithanna until she uses a potty chair, but still bought more.

"They're just so darned cute, it's hard to resist," she said

The diapers Hall uses cost $17.95 each. They own 28 diapers, at a cost of about $530. There are associated costs with laundering.

"If we have more children, we'll use these same diapers on them," Hall said.

Hall launders the diapers every two days. On sunny days, she drapes them on a drying rack to air dry. The sun bleaches them.

Hall uses disposables occasionally. When she stays with hosts who might not appreciate dirty diapers in their washing machines, or on family vacations when she doesn't know what laundry facilities will be available, she uses disposable diapers.

"When I use disposables, I feel very guilty when I think of the consequences, like the fact that they take 500 years to decompose," she said.

Faithanna's diapers sometime bring curiosity when Hall changes her in a public rest room. She tucks the soiled diaper into a waterproof zippered bag. Hall uses the questions as a chance to talk about cloth diaper advantages and the business she's making of them.

Most cloth diaper users Hall knows are at-home parents or parents whose children are in the care of a private baby sitter. Most child-care facility owners encourage disposable diaper use, although cloth diapers are not prohibited by state health codes.

"Most baby sitters are pretty receptive to them, if you just show them how to use them," she said.

Her husband, a physical therapy assistant, was initially leery of the cloth-diaper decision.

"He was unsure about the 'ew' factor. He changed his mind after a little bit of experience with them," she said. "Now he's completely on board. He changes her when he's home and folds and puts the diapers away."

Hall debunks cloth diaper myths

• Diaper pails stink: Not if diapers are washed frequently. A 4-day-old dirty disposable diaper smells about the same as a 4-day-old cloth diaper, Hall said. Control cloth diaper odor with a quick laundry turnover. Garbage pickup is usually only once a week.
• It's more work: There is extra laundry involved, probably three loads a week for most families. "At first I thought they were a lot of work, but then I realized I was a new mom and everything seems like a lot of work then," she said.
• Cloth diapers cause rashes: Cloth diapers are softer on baby's skin and contain no chemicals. To avoid soap buildup, Hall "strips" them once a month, which means she washes clean diapers in hot water without soap, then rinses again in hot water, checking for soap bubbles. Her mother had another solution: "I always added vinegar in the rinse cycle."

Reach Hall at rac...@diaperparties.com or check Diaper Parties by Rachel on Facebook. Call 304-415-5335.

Reach Julie Robinson at jul...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1230.