After getting fed up with poopy cloth diapers (even with my awesome flushable liners I use), I decided it was time to look into a diaper sprayer, which is basically a kitchen sink sprayer on a hose which attaches to the toilet’s water line. I wasn’t interested in buying one for $40 from the diaper companies, so we started looking online on how to make one ourselves. Unfortunately I only found a couple of tutorials, with no pictures!
So, Moondoggie will be offering his first guest post here on Gidget Goes Home with a step-by-step tutorial on making your own for about half the cost. These parts came out to around $20 at Home Depot and it took maybe 20 minutes to assemble. So without further adieu, here’s Moondoggie.
So Gidget told me one day that she was sick of sticking her hands in the toilet to get Chiquita’s poop off those cloth diapers. Before we started using cloth diapers, I would have never guessed that a kitchen sprayer next to the toilet would be so useful (when I told the guy at Home Depot what I was doing, he actually asked if I was making a bidet).
Anyways, here’s a list of the parts I bought for this diaper sprayer. We looked at several versions on the web that used barbed connections and hose clamps. You will find that all the connections in this design are threaded and (probably) less likely to leak.
-Kitchen Sink Spray Hose & Head Assembly
-Filter Connector Splicer (I think this is actually designed for a refrigerator water filter; it may also be called an “Ice Maker Supply Line”)
-Ander-Lign Compression Connector (1/4″ OD x 1/4″ MIP w/insert)
-“Adapt-a-Valve” T-fitting (3/8″ x 3/8″ x 1/4″)
-1/4″ Shut-off valve (update: picture now below!)
1) The first thing you need to do is turn off the water that feeds into the toilet supply line.
2) Next, unscrew the toilet supply line from the valve. At this point, I should tell you to make sure that you toilet supply line is flexible. The rest of the procedure won’t be possible if you have a rigid toilet supply line. You can replace your supply line if necessary (or just check all the other toilets in your house until you find a flexible one – that’s what we had to do). It is helpful to have a small dish to catch any excess water that may be left in the toilet supply line.
3) Install the Filter Connector Splicer (fancy name for PVC tube with threaded ends) onto the 1/4″ branch of the T-fitting.
4) Attach the toilet supply line to the upper leg of the T-fitting. For those that haven’t done much plumbing work (which includes me; I am only going off what I have picked up since doing this project), the connection on your toilet supply line is most likely 3/8″ compression threads and that’s what I have assumed as I wrote these instructions.
5) Now you can install the T-fitting onto the valve.
6) To prevent the head of the sprayer from being under constant pressure, install a shut-off valve on the end of the sprayer line. Install the Compression Connector in the other end of the shut-off valve (you will notice that the 1/4″ pipe threads go into the valve and the 1/4″ compression threads will be free for now). This valve goes in between the Compression Connector and the end of the sprayer line shown in this photo (see next step for updated photo).
7) Install the PVC tube onto the 1/4″ compression thread side of the Compression Connector.
8 ) As a general note, I was instructed by the guy at Home Depot (obviously not an Olympian) not to tighten the compression fittings too much. Doing so may shred the washers and leave you with a leaky system. Also, I realized as I was putting the instructions together that it’s possible to install the parts in a different order and still have everything hook up correctly.
9) Once all the connections are properly tightened, turn the water back on to the valve. You will need to play with the pressure to get the right flow out of the sprayer. Also, you may experience some odd behavior from your toilet bowl and tank(running water sounds). I have found that it is just taking the tank longer to fill up (I am not a toilet expert so there may be more to that explanation that I am not equipped to offer).
That’s it. You can now use it to get that poop off without sticking your whole hand in the toilet. And if you are really brave you can start a water fight with your kids (not recommended for bathrooms with carpet).
Disclaimer: The following instructions are for inspirational purposes only, and are not from a plumber, but rather a simple DIY family. Feel free to try out and share this tutorial!
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Thanks…let me add this also can serve as a handheld “bidet” (popular in europe,southeast asia,and muslim world) as paperless cleaning of one’s private’s, also as a toilet cleaner.Anyone have any ideas on a wall hanger for the sprayer?
Are you still going to take a picture of the shut off valve? Thanks!
Thanks for the directions on how to do this. I’ve been thinking about making my own diaper sprayer with a kitchen sink sprayer for a while now but have never gotten around to doing it. I have a rigid supply line from my toilet and was able to make it work just fine. I had to struggle a little to get it to connect to the adapter properly but it was able to be done. It would also be very easy to just remove the rigid line and replace it with a flexible one ( just make sure the length on the flexible one is the same or longer and that the new line has the same size fittings on the end as the old line ). It never hurts to bring the “old parts” in to the hardware store to compare either. I did this all while my husband was at work–hope he’s impressed! By the way I got my supplies from my local True Value and it cost me $43 with taxes, but I think they were a little overpriced compared to Lowe’s.
Thanks for all your comments. You’ll notice we’ve now updated the post with a photo of the shut-off valve.
I live in a manufactured home. My toilet water supply lines are not threaded but rather are “pressed” on and clamped [forgive my ignorance of plumbing terminology]. Is there a part that I can buy that will make this work? Also, I priced all the parts at my local Lowe’s in NC and found the price to be about $40. Are there cheaper parts to make this? The Happy Heinys and Fuzzi Bunz ones are $40 also so this isn’t really a cost savings.
Thank You!
Sorry, Jesse, we don’t have any real knowledge of what to do there. Maybe there is a connector that goes from “pressed” to threaded? We bought our supplies at Home Depot which came out a little less so for us there was a cost benefit to DIYing it, but price probably will vary by area. Hope that helps a little!
I know this is several months late, but figured I’d reply anyway. In manufactured homes the usual type of plumbing used is a brand of flexible plumbing called QestPex. They have the same type of valves and shut-offs like copper or threaded lines but they are attached using a copper ring that is slid over the piping and then the valve is inserted into the piping and then a special clamping tool is used to clamp the ring on. Lowes and Home Depot sell everything you would need. The clamping tool can be rather expensive so I would just look up a tool rental shop and rent one from them.
Jesse and all, even though the parts may add up to about the same (maybe a little less) as buying a pre-made kit, the advantage is that if the sprayer head breaks or something, you can just replace that one part. Or in cases like yours where the toilet uses a different type of connection (pressed on, clamped. That is where the savings can come in
Thanks for chiming, Victor; that’s a great point!
I found your website while writing a post of my own on making a home made diaper sprayer. I found your post useful and thought you might find mine as well:
Do It Yourself Diaper Sprayer
I am heading straight to Lowes in the morning! Thanks so much, now I dont have to wait for my husband to get around to installing one for me!
Thanks for the idea and the clear instructions w/photos! I had bought a used Bum Genius Mini Shower through DiaperSwappers.com. Pretty much from the start, it leaked rusty water on our floor and after a couple months the spray button starting sticking, leaving the water spraying so that I couldn’t turn it off while still holding the diaper. Exasperating. Chucked the mini shower and built a DIY. We even had a kitchen hose set lying around in the basement so we were halfway there. Any great ideas how to hang the hose/sprayer when not in use?
Beth- we don’t have any grand ideas, I was just thinking a cute hook on the wall would be cool. When we had it set up before my hubby made a little ring out of a zip-tie on the toilet paper holder that we hung the handle on. Not very pretty but functional.
Okay, so maybe this is a dumb question…but I was wondering if you get better pressure from this than a diaper store bought diaper sprayer? I just ordered our cloth diapers and was going to order a sprayer too but saw this and wondered which gets a higher pressure spray or if they are the same…? Did I just make any sense? LOL
Sorry, Kate, I’ve never used a store-bought one!
we store ours on a large suction cup that has a plastic hook on it– stuck it to the back of the toilet- and hang it there…..
cool idea, Amy!
We made it and it is AMAZING! Works so well! AND, even with going to Home Depot we spent about $25.00! Including a decorative over the door hook that my husband sanded so it seated properly with the toilet lid on and we hang it from that hook now. It has two little u type hooks on the bottom which allows the sprayer to be seated in there properly and slightly leaned back so as to not drip any water down on the floor! This was a great idea! Thank you so much for sharing with all of us!
Thank you so much, I to am a hand in the toliet to clean the diaper mom and my husband wont even use them until my little one poops. So this will help him get over it
Also its easy enough for him to do. He will be doing this weekend, Thanks again 
Kate, thanks for your feedback! If you have a photo of yours with the hook, could you email it to me at gidgetblog{at}gmail{dot}com? Thanks!
I found a replacement bracket for hanging removable shower heads that fits the base of the sink sprayer above. It screws into the wall with a couple of screws and I might even try double sided tape or suction cups to put it on the side of the toilet tank. Found it at Menards (called a shower head wall mount).
Thanks patrick! Do you have a link to a photo of that? or maybe you could take one and email it to me {gidgetblog(at)gmail(dot)com}.
Hi All,
I just came across this website while researching on how to make a toilet sprayer (aka: hand-held bidet, diaper sprayer, shattaf) and I just want to add to the already great DIY by Gidget. Someone earlier asked if you can get a holder for the sprayer and the answer is yes. It’s basically a “fixed wall bracket” or “hand shower holder” that you need to buy. Lowes & Home Depot only carry one brand in-store but if you do a search on their websites for “fixed wall bracket” they have a few you can order online.
But if you just want to get it at the store right away check out these links. This is what I got in-store and it looks pretty good (the sprayer comes in chrome, nickel, or white):
Danco Sprayhead- http://www.homedepot.com/DANCO/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xh0Z3za/R-100180688/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
Danco Sprayer Hose- http://www.homedepot.com/DANCO/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xh0Z3za/R-100159659/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
Danco Wall Mount- http://www.homedepot.com/DANCO/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xh0Z3za/R-100561665/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
Hope this helps.
Thanks a lot for the links, Mike!
FABULOUS! Except finding a 1/4″ shut off valve has proved impossible, so we just have constant pressure going to the sprayer for now. But otherwise it works great. Thanks so much for this.
I had trouble finding it too. Finally found it out by the sprinkler section of the garden department.
Came upon your page while researching a handheld bidet sprayer – thanks for the detailed info. I actually went to Home Depot after reading thru your instructions but found a shower sprayer there and thought it was much more easier to setup. I guess if someone’s toilet is situated close to their showerhead, it might work for them.
Here’s the product info: http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xgl/R-100140090/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
Jesse:
Sounds like your pipe is PB – polybutylene. It is used with copper crimps. Go to the hardware store and ask for a “sharkbite” or other brand adapter for polybutylene. You need to get an adapter that goes from PB to female thread. You will need to cut off the crimped piece, and then you just slide your PB pipe in one end of the sharkbite adapter, and then you will have a female thread on the other to enable you to connect to screw on hoses, etc.
Hope this helps
What is the red shut off valve called? You did not have the in the list of parts to purchase.
This is awesome, but I have a couple of questions:
1) Why do you need a Filter Connector Splicer ?
2) What does the Compression Connector do?
My guy at Home Depot (who also gave me the wrong sized T-fitting , mind you) said I didn’t need them. I have to say that I don’t understand why I need them…seems like (once I get the correct T-fitting) that all the remaining pieces will fit together.
Thanks!
Nevermind! With the guy at HD’s help, I learned that those two pieces are to basically make the other pieces fit together. He was surprised at the way you guys figure out how to make the sink sprayer fit to the t-fitting….he thought it couldn’t be done!
My reco to anyone trying to mimic this is to go to HD, not Lowes. The Lowes guy wasn’t smart, but that isn’t why. When you’re clueless like me it is easier to match up the pictures/brands/item #s from this tutorial since the folks who wrote this bought their things at HD.
Just installed mine! Had to improvise with a part but I think I got it to work. we had a bit of a language barrier with getting a shut off valve and I couldn’t figure out how to install the one they gave me (it looks like a toilet shut off valve). I’ll have to look for the one you recommend when I can get to a HD…(don’t have one in my area). Does it hurt anything to not have the shut off valve??? Otherwise, with a little muscle from the hubs, it doesn’t leak and works great! Can’t wait to try it out tomorrow
Thanks so much for the post, the instructions and the pictures!!
Just bought the parts (bought two sets) at HD and it cost $35 each. I was hoping to save more money, but if in the long-term we do have to replace a part, that should prove a cost savings. Will post more on ease of installment.
Has anyone found the 1/4″ shut off valve? It seems like it is important because if you have constant pressure on the sprayer head, it could eventually burst and flood your house. The guy was really exasperated with me at home depot, though, and I couldn’t find one of that size. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Melissa, I found my shut off valve near the air compressor accessories at Home Depot. I checked with the folks at Home Depot and they assured me it would work with water and it has worked fine. Looks like someone above found it in the sprinkler section…hope this helps.
MY husbands a plumber and I have been asking for a set up like this for almost 5 years now. Well thanks to your tutorial I know we don’t have to spend $40 on a sprayer I will be making him do this post haste. Thanks!
If your husband has any suggestions or input after trying it (since he is a professional), please share!
Ok my wonderful husband just helped me with this today. The parts were in two sections. I am not sure if all Home Depots are setup the same but here goes. The sprayer and hose itself was found in the toilet and sink repair section. Then we had to go to the copper plumbing section to get the rest of the parts. The Shut off valve from Home Depot is a 1/4″ Mueller Global Ball Valve (Model # 107-701). You can use any other type of Copper Ball Valve but the ones at Home Depot seem to be Muller Global. The 3/8″ x 3/8″ 1/4″ Adapt a Valve is Part ( the T) number BPAV-664 again in the copper plumbing section. The 1/4″ OD x 1/4″ MIP w/insert is part number A-23. Also the Ice Maker Supply Line was in the copper plumbing section also. Plenty to choose from but we chose PBCC120-44.
This is a great write up and hope it helps some people. Also Teflon tape may help with some of the leaks and is like 99 cents. Thanks for the write up Gidget.
Thanks, Nikki!
Thanks for the article. I found this after I went to Home Depot today and requested their help with how to get this setup. I ended up with a whole bunch of parts that came in around $60. I want to clean my diapers with ease, but, man, that’s a bit of investment! Your method reduced the number of parts a bit and brought the cost down to about $40 (at my local SoCal Home Depot)… not quite as appealing as the $20 you spent, but better than $60.
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