Rockin' the Dipes

So, a few weeks ago I did a post about some cloth diaper soap that I wanted to try out.  I ordered some samples, and promised to come back and do a product review.  So, here is my review of Rockin Green Soap.  I tried samples of the soap that is specially formulated for hard water, which we have, in four different scents:  watermelon, green tea, clean, and lavender mint.  First of all, let me say that this soap is amazing when it comes to rinsing.  Every other soap I have tried on my diapers required multiple rinses, but with this soap, the water was free of suds on the first rinse!  This one detail deserves MAJOR props as far as I'm concerned.  It saves water, time, and money, and there's no harsh chemicals, so that gets an A+++ rating in my book.  And, when they are done washing and come out the dryer, they don't have that weird smell like other soaps I've tried.  It wasn't a bad smell, but kind of off, and not fresh or clean.  With this soap, the diapers came out without any scent at all, which was a nice change.  The *only* thing I was disappointed about was that they didn't actually come out smelling like the scent on the package.  The watermelon smelled weird in the package, the clean one didn't have too much scent at all, and both the lavender mint and green tea smelled nice in the package.  Of all four, I liked the green tea the best.  It actually did have a slight fresh scent after one wash.  So, I'm thinking that maybe if I use it for awhile, maybe the scent will kick in.  Or, maybe it's just our water that over powers the natural oils in the detergent, and causes the other soaps to have that weird smell.  I use regular detergent for our clothes, and not all of those make our clothes smell the way it smells in the box.  Oh, I should also mention that after I tried the Hard Rock samples (that's the name of the line of detergent for hard water), they came out with a Hard Rock 2.0 version, so maybe that one will work better, scent wise.  Either way, I highly, highly recommend this detergent if you use cloth diapers.  I've never tried a detergent that works as well as this on my diapers.  I give it 4.5/5.0 stars.  Oh, and another added perk is that they have a rewards program.  You earn points when you purchase items, and once you reach 300 points, you get a free bag of detergent, or you can cash in for other items they sell.  Good stuff!

Product Pre-Review

My last post about Andrew in the diaper pail reminded me that I am starting to run low on soap for my cloth diapers.  To make a long story short, we have hard well-water, so I have to be very choosy about detergent for my diapers if I want to avoid build-up problems that can cause leakage, or worse, ruin my diapers.  You pretty much can't use any detergent that contains scents, dyes, bleaches, or other additives that can ruin the absorbency of the diapers.  So, after MUCH research, trial, and error, I've found a detergent that works well enough.  I currently use Allen's Naturally, which is free from any kind of agent that may destroy my investment in cloth diapering.  And, while I'm happy with the level of cleanliness, and the fact that my diapers don't leak, I have never been excited about the fact that it is scentless.  I like my laundry to come out smelling fresh and nice, but my diapers just don't.  They don't stink, but they don't have a nice scent, either.  So, a friend of mine on Facebook, who also cloth diapers, posted about this new detergent specifically for cloth diapers, and they are scented!!  And, get this, they have a special formula for hard-water!!  I can't wait to try this stuff out.  It's called Rockin' Green Soap.  I ordered some samples today (just in case it doesn't work as well as advertised), in 4 (oh yes!  FOUR) different scents:  watermelon, lavender mint, clean, and green tea.  They actually have a few more than that, but those were the only ones I was interested in.  I also got a bottle of the pail freshener to try out in the lavender mint scent.  So, for fellow cloth users, I'll follow up this post with a review of how well the stuff works.  Also, if you are a cloth user, what kind of detergent do you use, or have you ever tried the Rockin' Green Soap?  I'm always on the lookout for tips on keeping my diapers clean and in good condition...I need these to last through several rounds of diapering! 

The Joys of Laundry

Remember those days when you were a child, and the rule was that if your Mom found any money in the laundry, she got to keep it?  It was really just a ploy for her to motivate you to do your own laundry, so she no longer had to fold your underwear, but nevertheless, I am looking forward to that phase.  How fun to find dollars here and there that I get to keep and spend on coffee and such!  But, seeing as my kids are too young to even have a penny to their name, this is what I am stuck with:

Yes, that is a dead animal carcass that made it's way into one of my kids' pockets, and made it through the wash.  I just have no idea what to even think about this one.  Gross!!!  At least I found it before Rachel used it as a teething toy.  Blech!  The kids are sleeping right now, so I'm kind of anxious for them to wake up so I can get the story behind this little treasure. 

My Conscience has Spoken

After all the excitement of last night's game - Oh yes!  The Saints did when the Superbowl!! - the kids and I had a pretty lazy morning.  So, when we finally got up, they were starving.  Atleast they thought they were...so, I headed straight to the kitchen, by passing my Morning Offering.  After breakfast, I headed to the massively over-flowing laundry basket for a knock-down, drag-out fight.  Then, my conscience steps in.  Her name is Natalie.  And this is the conversation that followed:

 

Natalie:  Mom, you didn't say your prayers yet

Me:  I know...I'm just going to put this laundry to wash and then I'll do my morning prayers

Natalie:  But Mom, you have to pray every morning...you have to!

Me:.....

(humility strikes me down yet again)

Needless to say, the laundry is still piled up and the breakfast dishes are wreaking havoc in my kitchen, but my Morning Offering is in Heaven working it's magic and my soul is more peaceful than it was an hour ago, and the kids are actually playing together nicely. 

Now about that laundry....