Up until now in our series on cloth diaper fabrics, we've covered the most common natural fibre fabrics - cotton, bamboo, and hemp. But there are some very popular synthetic fabrics used as well within the cloth diaper industry - today we'll look at microfibre. Microfibre is popular due to its very absorbent nature (it can absorb up to 8x its own weight) and the fact that it dries very quickly. It's usually made of a blend of polyester and nylon and is spun into ultra-thin threads, thus the name "micro-fiber." While microfibre is not biodegradable, it is considered an eco-friendly fabric because of its extreme durability and the fact that it's designed for repeated use. And, of course, since that's the whole premise of cloth diapering, it's a "natural" fit. There are very few diapers that are made completely of microfibre, however. Since it is so absorbent, it can dry out a baby's skin if left in contact for extended periods of time. Thus, it's usually used as a absorbent core inside an all-in-one diaper, such as the Easy Fit (where it's paired with bamboo - talk about a no-leak combo!) and the AMP AIO, or as an insert in a pocket diaper, as in the Bum Genius and Fuzzi Bunz diapers. If it is designed to be directly against the baby's skin, it's usually topped with a layer of suede fleece to provide a soft, stay-dry barrier between the fabric and the skin, such as with the Flip diaper microfibre insert. Microfibre is certainly versatile and diapers are only one of its many applications. Do you use microfibre in your home for cleaning or in diapers? Do you like it in diapers? What's your opinion of diapers using synthetic components - is it the best of modern technology or should diapers only contain natural, renewable fabrics? We'd love to hear what you think!
http://blog.newandgreen.com/blog/cloth-diaper-fabrics-organic-cotton
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