REVIEW: Country Save laundry detergent

For the first few months of cloth-diapering, I used Tide Original to wash my diapers. There is no clear stance on Tide from cloth diaper experts. Some swear by it, others claim it will ruin your stash. I figured I would start out with Tide and see if I had any problems. At first, I didn't.

Back home in Central Florida, we had soft water. I never had an issue with my wash routine. Once we moved to Texas and started using the luxurious (*eyeroll*) city water, my laundry lost its luster. (The English teacher in me refuses to edit the alliteration.) Every load seemed to be slightly dingy and my diapers never smelled completely clean. I considered changing detergents, but never really got around to it until I had a conversation with the lovely ladies (kids, today is brought to you by the letter 'L') at my cloth diaper store, Mami's and Papi's--yes, I am in there a LOT, at least once a week--and had a sample of Country Save thrown at me. :D

I figured it couldn't hurt, and I had heard great things about Country Save from other mamas. I threw it in with my next load, and I was relieved to find that they didn't look or feel as grimy as they did when they were washed with Tide. (I'm telling you, I said a secret prayer every time I opened the lid on my washer that it didn't smell like ammonia and/or poop.)

Why is Country Save considered safe for cloth diapers? It doesn't contain any fragrance, dyes, phosphates, or optical brighteners that could affect the integrity of the fabric. It is also:

• Completely biodegradable
• Gentle for sensitive skin but tough enough for battlefield conditions!
• Ultra-concentrated - actually get 40 scoops of detergent out of a 40 wash box!
• Septic Tank Safe
• Gluten free; no coconut-derived ingredients
• EPA - Design for the Environment Certified

My hesitation to buy any "specialty" detergents has always been cost, but Country Save is actually (wait for it) almost HALF the price of Tide! (According to their price comparison chart, Country Save costs about $0.12/HE load whereas Tide HE costs about $0.23/load!) That makes my cheap behind VERY happy. As soon as I figured this out, I went back to M&P's (as we local folk affectionately call it) and bought a 10lb box.

I've been using it with my cloth diaper laundry ever since with absolutely no complaints and I can rest easy knowing that I'm not prematurely wearing out my diapers with the additives found in most commercial detergents. Also! I can use it with my regular laundry and not worry about "wasting" the expensive stuff on non-diaper loads. In fact, as soon as I run out of this batch of Tide, that's exactly what I'm going to do.

If you haven't tried it yet, you can order a sample here. As a skeptic, I can appreciate your reluctance. ;) HOWEVER, if you trust me, just order the big box.

***I've said it already and I'll say it again, I will only review products I have used and I will only provide positive reviews for products I can confidently stand by. My reputation may not mean much to y'all, but it's pretty much all I've got. ***

MERRY FLUFFY CHRISTMAS!

Welcome to the 3rd annual Merry Fluffy Christmas Giveaway Event, hosted by And Then There Were 5…!

 

I am so excited to be involved this year and give you the opportunity to WIN some seriously rockin' cloth diapering prizes valued at more than $65 USD. Please check out the blogs at the bottom of this post for MORE amazing prize opportunities!

One lucky MM reader will win:

A Rockin' Green bundle in your choice of scent/formula + Funk Rock ammonia bouncer!

AND

6 felted wool dryer balls from Bog Berry Handicraft!

Rules are simple:

This giveaway is open to US residents only.

Please make sure you fill out all the information asked of you in each entry. This will be make things go a lot easier on me when I go back through to check all entries.

The Hop Link code is at the bottom of this post. Make sure you read the instructions carefully on each blog, as each has their own rules.

There’s an easy Rafflecopter entry form so good luck and let me know if you have any questions!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rockin' Green Sponsor Spotlight/Review

If you are considering cloth diapers, one of the most overwhelming aspects you'll come across is the wash routine. You will hear a variety of responses when you ask (or Google) about length, temperature, detergent (How much? What kind?), bleach, soaking, stripping, drying, and so forth. While it will be a matter of trial and error depending on your machine, diaper material, water hardness, and your baby's diet, the Rockin' Green website is a fantastic place to start.

The site features a wealth of information that can help you determine the best wash routine for you, and if you're still having trouble, Rockin' Green employees and fellow consumers can help you out in the Community section of the site as well as the Support Page.





From the About Us page:

     Rockin’ Green is an award-winning manufacturer of eco-friendly cleaning products designed to make cleaning easier and greener. Most well-known for their clean-rinsing laundry detergent formulated for use on all fabrics and especially useful on cloth diapers, Rockin’ Green produces detergents for hard, soft and normal water conditions (known as Hard, Soft and Classic Rock varieties).

I was mailed three samples of the Classic Rock variety (which was the right formula for the type of water in my area) in the Smashing Watermelons scent so I decided to wash a load of diapers and then soak some of the stinky microfiber inserts I have been using.

Since I have a front-loader, I consulted the Frontloader Database to figure out which wash cycles are recommended for my particular machine. I found this to be extremely helpful because front-loaders operate a little differently than top-loaders and it does make a difference! I realized that I needed an additional pre-wash in my routine. Who knew?!

I ordered the Smashing Watermelons scent, which was yummy, but not overwhelming, which is probably at least partly because all of the scents are natural. You can also get Rockin' Green laundry detergent in unscented (Bare Naked Babies). I thought my diapers may end up scented (like my clothes normally do when I use other detergents) but instead, they smelled CLEAN! I can't describe it in a better way, but if you've ever had a yucky smell after washing diapers, you know how relieving it is when they end up smelling like NOTHING. It's a good thing. ;)

I was having some issues with the microfiber inserts I use with my pocket diapers. They hold in the ammonia stink and I can always smell it, however faintly, even after I've washed them. While checking out the Rockin' Green website, I came across the "How to Rock a Soak" page. Since I have a front-loading washer, I can't soak in my machine, so I used the bathtub instead. I soaked them for 60 minutes and then threw them in the washer on a rinse cycle. It worked! The ammonia smell was gone! I was thrilled. Microfiber is pretty high-maintenance, though, especially if you are using it in an overnight diaper. In that case, Rockin' Green recommends trying their Funk Rock ammonia bouncer (which you can win along with a Rockin' Bundle from me in an upcoming giveaway!)


Even if you don't use cloth, Rockin' Green detergent can be used for clothing (and so many other things!) as well, and as far as I know, it is the only detergent with three different formulas to accommodate your water hardness. They also provide pet-safe detergent for chew toys and bedding, a garbage pail freshener, and odor neutralizing spray!

I was skeptical about "CD-specific" detergents going into this review, but I can honestly say that I absolutely LOVE Rockin' Green detergent! Their products are of the highest quality, eco-friendly, and bio-degradable and the website is more than just an online store. I have learned so much about my wash routine from visiting their site.