Laundry Wars!!!

I decided to try as many WHAM brands as I could before writing this review. I still have a few on my to try list, but figured 4 different detergents is a good start. I tried them all on towels on a hot cycle, sheets on a hot cycle, the baby's clothes and ours on a cold cycle and finally.. those stinky stinky, dirty diapers. That being said, let's get this started.

Nellie's Laudry Soda (WEB) (BLOG) (FACEBOOK)
Retails for $20.99 CAD (100 Loads / 200 HE)

Hypoallergenic, and amazing for softness. It's ok on diapers, but staining is a little more difficult to deal with - I had to do more than 1 wash, even with a presoak. It's concentrated, which means you only need one tablespoon per wash and half of that for HE washers. My favourite use for this is towels and sheets!!! Towels come out feeling amazingly soft. (We don't use fabric softeners due to skin allergies.) It doesn't smell like anything - the way I personally think laundry should smell like.... I also wash my sheets in Nellie's and ONLY Nellie's. MY red bumps have gone away and laundering is now only a fraction of the cost from using Store Brand names. It's worth the switch. I love that you can buy this stuff in bulk, and that it's available from Costco in an enviro pack (samples of MOST of their products) or in a HUGE pail!

Boasts:

• Made for HE washing machines
• Made in Canada
• Does not test on animals
• Works in cold or hot water
• Leaves no residue
• Biodegradable, non-toxic, hypoallergenic
• Uses recyclable packaging
• Made of nothing but all natural ingredients: all natural laundry soda, sodium silicate and coconut oil based detergents

The box reads that it is "especially good for babies clothes and individuals with allergies or sensitive skin." (Agreed!)

Tip: if you put a scoop of Nellie's in the soap dispenser of your carpet cleaner mixed with hot water, you may be able arm water), you may be able to get up very old stains.


Rockin Green (WEB) (BLOG) (FACEBOOK)
Retails for $19.99 CAD ( 90 loads/180 HE)

This was a CLEAR winner. It worked on all of our needs. Even used it to clean some dingy toilet as a tester. I bought some used diapers that were in serious need of stripping and had some nasty stains on them. I bought this diaper for a mere $5 because the seller thought it was a goner. I figured it was a great opportunity to test out my detergents. Rockin Green was the ONLY one that got my diaper virtually stain free (1 overnight soak is HOT kettle water, 1 HOT wash and 2 days of sunning.) For diaper cleaning, Rockin Green is my pick. Great smells that are barely there after the wash. With my skin sensitivities, this is a MUST.

It was a little difficult to find here in Canada at retail price of $19.99 CAD for 90 load bag. However, they are winning their way into Canadian hearts and are finding more and more retailers. Rockin' Green detergent comes in your choice of fragrance (Orangevana (discontinued, snag it while you can!, Smashing Watermelons, Rage Against the Raspberries, Mötley Cleän, The Plain Green Tea's, Lavender Mint Revival, Bare Naked Babies and the newly introduced Mighty Mighty Marshmallows) . They also sell 8 oz Shake It Up! Pail Freshener in your choice of fragrance. I honestly didn't see a difference between using this and a few drops of tea tree oil on a rag - but then again Tea Tree Oil is expensive and can harm the vinyl lining of your diaper wet bags.

Boasts:

• No fillers
• Great for sensitive skin
• Economical at 0.13 cents a load!
• Rids microfiber stink
• HE compatible
• Great for all water types (offers soaps designed for your water)
  
• Reduces repelling
• SLS Free

Crunchy Clean (WEB) (BLOG) (FACEBOOK)
Retails for $18.50 CAD
(80 loads / 160 HE loads)

Crunchy clean is a cloth diaper detergent made from "naturally occurring minerals, detergents, oxygen releasing agents that have proven to clean diapers in a safe way that does not harm your precious baby or your diapers". I don't fully agree with this statement. I tested is on lightly soiled towels. It made my towels stink like wet dog. I tried it on one load of diapers and it made my diapers smell like skunk - I read reviews that Crunchy Clean also made diapers repel - I did not experience this. I'm wondering if it was the scents I chose??? I have a second sample pack that I am willing to try... stay tuned. Available scents: Monkey Fart, Pink Sugar, Baby Bee Clean, Clothespin, Vanilla Lavender, Unscented, Custom fragrances also available. See website for details.

Boasts:

• No optical brighteners, fillers, dyes, or enzymes
• Great for military use!
• Clean rinsing - an extra rinse isn't necessary!
• No soap to build up in your diapers.
  
• HE compatible.
• Great for all of your family's clothing and diapers.

- Phosphate free
- Chlorine free
- Non-toxic
- Planet friendly
- VEGAN (ALL NEW, FALL '09!)
- Dye free
- Free of enzymes, and optical brighteners
- Approved for military use!


Lastly....

Soap Nuts (WEB) (BLOG) (FACEBOOK)
Retails: $22.00 CAD (500g bag)
Trial Size $1.00 CAD (good for 4-5 washes)

Great little story - which I've already blogged about in the past. (See HERE) The idea behind this, is that you place 4 Soap Nuts - they look like empty shells - in the small muslin bag (provided), tie it closed, and throw it into the drum of your washing machine along with your articles of clothing or diapers that need washing. You can reuse this batch for 4 or 5 loads of laundry. The soap nuts turn mushy and grey when they're no longer usable. You can then throw them in your garden as compost. INGENIOUS!? Thought so. I'm not sure how I feel about these... ridiculously cheap to use, but they left a spring air smell - and not the good kind. I found it smells a bit like rotting leaves. Just not as pungent.

Soap nuts are perfect for HE and front load washers since they don't really suds up. That makes me feel like it's not really cleaning. I know this isn't true, it's just my store brand mentality I guess. Go marketing! The jury is out on this one... I'm not sure if the diapers would have been just as clean had I just used really hot water. I'd have to try them again on a very soiled load before I could make a good verdict on this. That being said - it does NOT work on removing deodorant from shirts.

However, it claims that there's a myriad of uses other than laundering...

PERSONAL USE

• Mosquito Repellent: Spray it onto your hands and then rub onto bare arms, legs or face. Safe and gentle to use for babies and children.
• Liquid Hand Soap: Fill a regular or foaming pump bottle with the liquid and use to wash your hands. It will not create tons of lather like traditional soap, but it will still get your hands clean. Also consider adding some tea tree oil to make your hand wash a tea tree soap.
• Shampoo: Use the liquid instead of your regular shampoo. It can even help prevent dandruff and hair loss! Leave it on your scalp for 5-10 minutes, and rinse as normal. It will not create a lot of suds, but it will still work!

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Try your Rockin' Green for FREE!!!
Sugar Baby Sweetness is currently having a $50 gift certificate giveaway on their facebook page. They carry Rockin' Green products! web product link