Rockin' Green Gets Cloth Diapers CLEAN Review and Giveaway! 5/14

A very Sleepy Sophie rocking her Ebber-Deeber diaper!

As a mama of cloth-diapered babies, I have found that one of the bigger challenges in using cloth, other than night time diapering solutions, is how to keep my stash CLEAN and stink-free. Yes, we have had nasty ammonia issues in my house, and what was the culprit? Using the wrong detergent! I will not call out the company whose detergent failed to clean my diapers well in order to protect the guilty, but I will say this: If you cloth diaper, it is VERY important that you use the right detergent for your stash. Otherwise, you could end up with ammonia funk, diapers that don't come clean enough, or even the dreaded diaper rash caused by either detergent build-up or ammonia burns. Ouch! And no mama wants to see their babies' bottoms all red and irritated, especially while using cloth, since conventional diaper rash ointments are NOT cloth-friendly and can actually cause your diapers to repel rather than abosrb. Eeek! You know what THAT means, I'm sure... LEAKS GALORE!

So obviously, finding the right detergent for your household is paramount if you want to be successful in your cloth-diapering ventures. There are a number of variables that need to be considered. One of the biggest is what kind of water you have in your home. Do you have hard water? Soft? Somewhere in between? YES, this makes a difference! If your detergent is not formulated specifically for your water type, it may not be as effective as you'd like. Luckily, Rockin' Green has you covered there. They offer a cloth diaper and laundry detergent in 3 different formulations, unique to specific water types. They have Hard Rock for those with hard water, Classic Rock for those in between, and Soft Rock for those with soft water. Here's a handy map so you can figure out what kind of water YOU have:

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I live in the beautiful Commonwealth of Virginia, so according to the map, I should use either Classic Rock or Soft Rock. I have actually used all 3 formulations, and have had good results with each one. I found with the Soft Rock, I needed extra detergent to do the job. Hard Rock seemed to get the job done, as did Classic Rock. I should note that I have a pain-in-the-butt, cloth-diaper-hating front loading HE washing machine. Because of the water-saving nature of this machine, I often need to add a wet towel to my diaper loads so the washer "thinks" the load is heavier and therefore uses enough water for the rinse cycles. Yes, I actually have to come up with sneaky ways to fool my washing machine! What I wouldn't give for an old-fashioned, water-guzzling top-loader. C'est la vie.

I have had many problems over the past year of cloth diapering finding ways to get my diapers clean enough. Between having an HE washer and using detergents that gave my babies rashes, it has been a journey with a lot of trial and error. One of the only detergents I have always found to be effective, gentle, and reliable has been Rockin' Green. Rockin’ Green is free of dyes, enzymes, whiteners and brighteners. So you can rest assured that Rockin' Green detergents are safe for all diapers. The scented version does contain natural fragrances, so for those worried about warranty issues order either the soft rock version, or the classic or hard rock formula, unscented. I personally LOVE the scents that they offer. I especially love Mighty Mighty Marshmallow and Lavender Mint Revival. They have a ton of different scents, all with very fun names that music lovers like me can appreciate.

Rockin' Green is wonderful for cloth diapering, but it is also great for normal laundry, too! So if you have family members with sensitive skin issues, definitely give Rockin' Green a try. I have even used Rockin' Green on carpet stains! With 2 babies and a dog, we definitely have our share of accidents on the carpet and furniture. Rockin' Green has taken care of these stains gently and easily.

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Are you new to cloth-diapering? Confused? The nice folks at Rockin' Green have a WONDERFUL FAQ's page that gives very in-depth, detailed instructions on how to use their detergents and launder your diapers. They even have specific cycle settings for a HUGE list of specific washing machines. They also have answers to many dilemmas, such as diaper stink, sensitive skin, as well as tips and tricks on how to get your diapers squeaky clean! When I first began using cloth, I actually bookmarked this page for easy reference, since there is so much great info there, all in plain English!

You can also sign up for their 52 Weeks Of Clean newsletter! Every week, you'll receive helpful cleaning tips, cloth diapering answers, and much, much more. Another reason I LOVE Rockin' Green is their customer service. If you ever have any questions or cloth-diapering dilemmas, you can shoot them an e-mail and they will do their best to answer your questions and offer solutions. At Rockin' Green, they truly are experts of the art of CLEAN.

I have always had wonderful experiences using Rockin' Green detergents. I used another brand for awhile because it was on sale, and had nasty ammonia funk issues, and Sophie got a nasty rash out of the ordeal. I solved this problem using Rockin' Green's new product, Funk Rock, an ammonia bouncer, and I switched right back to their detergents. Lesson learned.

I highly recommend Rockin' Green to anyone who cloth-diapers or has family with sensitive skin issues. Plus, they use only biodegradable, eco-friendly ingredients. Even their scents are 100% natural! This is much better for the earth, as well as for baby's cute little booty! Did I mention that Rockin' Green is also a PTPA Award Winner? That speaks volumes right there as to the excellence of their products.

Are you interested in giving Rockin' Green a spin? (No pun intended,lol)

BUY IT:

You can buy Rockin' Green detergents on their website. They also have a handy list of retailers so you can find Rockin' Green near you!


WIN IT:

One VERY lucky follower will have the chance to win a FULL-SIZED 45/90 load bag of Rockin' Green in their choice of scent and formulation!

HOW TO ENTER:
I am going to use comment entries on this one, as I am still undecided on whether or not to ONLY use google doc entry forms. While some like the forms, others do not. I'm still on the fence!

Please complete the MANDATORY entry first. No extra entries will count unless this is done. Also, please leave a valid e-mail address so I can contact you if you win!

MANDATORY ENTRY:

• You must be a public GFC follower of this blog.
  
• Visit Rockin' Green and let me know which scent you'd love to try!

EXTRA ENTRIES:

• +1 Like Rockin' Green on Facebook. You're not required to thank them, but it would be nice if you did! Leave user name. 
• +1 Follow Rockin' Green on Twitter. Leave user name. 
• +2 Subscribe to the Rockin' Green 52 Weeks Of Clean newsletter.
• +2 Subscribe by e-mail to this blog and confirm subscription.
• +1 Enter any of my active giveaways. MOST HAVE EASY ENTRY FORMS!Let me know which one! 1 entry for EACH giveaway entered!
• +2 Follow me on twitter, facebook, or networked blogs. 2 ENTRIES EACH.
• +1 Share on Facebook and leave URL. This can be done DAILY.
• +1 Vote for me on Picket Fence. Can be done DAILY.
  
• +1 Tweet this giveaway. Feel free to use this sample tweet. Can be done DAILY. 

    #WIN some some awesome @rockingreen #clothdiaper detergent at #NewlyCrunchyMamaOf3 Ends 5/14 http://alturl.com/tp5qb

• +5 Grab my button and leave me the URL where I can see it! 

This giveaway will be open until 11:59PM EST on May 14,2011. I will select a winner using random.org, and the winner will be announced here and contacted via e-mail. The winner will have 48 hours to respond before I have to choose a new winner. Thanks for entering, and good luck!


***Disclosure: I received sample products to facilitate my review. No other compensation was provided, and my opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way. Your opinions may differ. ***