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.
