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Hard Water Hardships

Posted by on December 9, 2010 Leave a Comment

I’m so happy to be livin’ back in the country. I love the taste of real water. I’m not drinkin’ chlorine or fluoride anymore. Real water on my face, devoid of the chemical smell is so relaxing. I love well water.

Unfortunately, my laundry hates it.

My once bright white wife-beater tank tops have a true wife-beater orange tinge to them. I guess that’s OK, if I’m pretending to be hardcore, but there’s nothing OK about my adorable Fuzzi Bunz stained by iron from my well water.

Rockin’ Green Hard Rock laundry detergent can fix the hard water stains though. It’s time to make the switch for the sake of my cloth diapers. My friends all use the Rockin’ Green on their cloth diapers and the specific formulas for everyone’s unique water types are acclaimed for their almost heroic ability to keep cloth diapers lookin’ adorable. I trust my friends. We tell each other the truth of the matter whether it comes to our cloth diapering challenges, our parental failures, or our product recommendations.

I have been asked consistently if I’ve tried the Rockin’ Green detergent yet for hard water issues.  Thinking, I’m being asked for my opinion, I apologetically tell them “No, not yet.” Turns out, they want to rave about the Rockin’ Green laundry detergent for their cloth diapers.

This will be one of the first times I’ll be tryin’ a new product with any expectations. I know my friends are straightforward with their opinions. I know this product is going to be amazing. I can’t wait to try the Rockin’ Green Hard Rock on my diapers (and wife beaters.) I’ll report back more, when I have first-hand experience.  I’m so excited!

-Dawn Papple

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Dreaded Build-up Caused by Hard Water

Posted by on November 11, 2010 7 Comments

Around 85% of homes in the U.S. have hard water.  Hard water is basically water that contains too much of dissolved minerals like magnesium and/or calcium and these minerals can build up in your diapers, hair, clothing, pipes, etc.  Clues that you have hard water are those pesky spots all over your dishes, your soap won’t suds up, you get that gross ring in your toliet bowl or your clothes and hair get that rusty tint to them.

If you suspect that you have hard water and you don’t have a softener unit or the one that you have is out dated I urge you to contact a company like Culligan for a free water analysis.  We found out that our well water had toxic levels of iron  after having Culligan come out to service our old softener and filtration unit!

If you’re already having an issue with build-up I suggest that you strip your diapers.  Personally, I really recommend getting some Rockin’ Green Hard Rock Formula (which is also available in sample form) to strip your diapers.  Make sure that your hot water heater is turned up to 130-140 degrees which is the temprature that most bacteria dies at and if you have diapers with PUL this is a safe temperature to avoid melting/overheating.

To strip your diapers using Rockin’ Green Hard Rock fill your washer with hot water and 3 Tbsp of Rockin’ Green, along with your diapers.  Let that soak for a good 30-60 minutes. Then run a regular hot wash several times skipping the soap. If you have a HE machine, you may have to consult your manual but you can usually do a soak by pausing the machine.  If your diapers have excessive buildup or residue, it may take a few soaks to get them back to fresh fluff.

Others swear by using Dawn to strip their diapers but this is best used for oil and wax build-up.  Great cases where Dawn could be used is if you accidentally use fabric softener or rash creams on your diapers. But, a word of caution when using Dawn – dish detergent is not formulated for washing fabrics or for washing easily out of fabrics. It has been specially formulated to wash hard, non-porous surfaces making it extremely difficult to rinse Dawn from the fabric when you use a sufficient amount.  The extra rinses needed when using dish detergent have the potential to waste time, money, and water which by using cloth diapers you’re obviously trying to avoid said issues.  Dawn is also not the most natual product as it contains enzymes, dyes and fragrance which have their own issues when washing diapers.

If you have an build-up or stink issues ask them here.  We’ll be glad to help!

Disclaimer: Please refer to washer manual before using any of the suggested washing methods. Always check with your diaper manufacturer regarding recommended wash procedure and temperature thresholds.

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I love LOVE Laundry Day

Posted by on October 8, 2010 Leave a Comment

My entire life I’ve hated laundry. I hate taking it out to the garage (in California, w/d are located in the garage). I hate sorting it. I hate loading in the machines. It hurts my back so much to deal with it. And then wait 30-45 minutes, go back out, pick up heavier clothes and put them into the dryer – which is even lower than the washer.

Then after that’s all done, I get to fold the laundry and put it away. There were days when I would just throw it in a pile on the couch and that was my dresser. That doesn’t go over so well when you have a family though – that’s more of a single adult or college student solution.

Laundry day was even worse when I lived in an apartment and had to carry 50 lbs of clothes to the laundry room (halfway across the complex) through rain or snow. And then to get there and only find out that all the machines were being used, or someone took my CLEAN clothes out of the washer and threw them on the floor.

But now, I have a love affair with doing laundry. What changed, you might ask? Well, I use cloth diapers. For the last 6 months or so we’ve been using cloth diapers. We don’t even use the fanciest or prettiest diapers. We have a small stash of Econobum and Flip diapers. And a few that I’ve made myself. But something about washing them and knowing that they are clean and ready to go on my daughter’s bottom makes me giddy. To know that I’m helping the environment by not throwing away chemicals and plastic filled with human waste. Knowing that her bottom is healthier because of the cloth. It all brings a big smile to my face.

And when it’s warm and sunny outside, I love to take the diapers from the washing machine and put them on the clothesline outside. It gives my daughter a chance to play outside with the dog while I do my part and save the environment just a little bit more.

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Rockin' Green Ticket Event

Posted by on July 2, 2010 Leave a Comment

Your July Rockin’ Green Purchase could contain a winning ticket!

The Rockin’ Green Ticket Event!

buttonforwebsiteJuly marks the 1 year anniversary of Rockin’ Green! It has been an AMAZING year, and we feel so blessed to have such a fantastic fan base. Seriously, our customers ROCK!!! So in honor of you guys- we have cooked up a really fun anniversary giveaway blowout.

Here’s all the details:

Throughout the month of July, we are going to be putting special concert tickets inside specially marked packages. There will be 50 tickets in all, and we will then distribute them through our various channels. So, you may find a ticket in a bag in our store, for sale on our website or at one of our retailers! We don’t even know where they will end up!

Once you find a ticket, you can then contact us OR your favorite retailer to redeem your prize. Each bag is a chance to win (though there are other ways to enter too- so check the terms and conditions below) and the contest is open to all US and Canada residents.

The specially marked bags will start landing on your favorite retailers shelf in a week or two, so be on the lookout!

Here’s a list of the prizes that will be available:

• One Grand Prize winner receives a year supply of Rockin’ Green (12 bags worth)
• 100 dollar store credit to be used at your favorite Rockin’ Green retailer!
• 10 full size bags of Rockin’ Green – one per winner
• 25 sample size bags of Rockin’ Green – one per winner
• 9 Shake It Up! Pail Freshners – one per winner
• 5 Buddha Bunz Dryer Balls – one per winner

And there are even more surprises in store! We will also be giving away a bag of soap here on the blog, so to enter tweet the following “Check out the @RockinGreenSoap Green Ticket Event- for a YEAR’s worth of soap! http://www.rockingreensoap.com” or update your facebook status to say “Check out the Rockin’ Green Ticket Event- for a YEAR’s worth of laundry soap! http://www.rockingreensoap.com” and leave a comment here to be entered for the bonus bags.

Have fun!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO WIN, for official rules and details click here.

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