Got Ammonia?

I found a new post about battling a case of the stinkies.  I've done overnight soaks with cloth detergents but never stripped with dawn as in this post.  Have you stripped with dawn?  How did it work (or not work) for you?

Read all about it at Thisties Blog!

While you are there... check out their Thirsties Thursdays Giveaway!

Rockin' a Soak. My first Cloth Experiment!!

I'm so excited to finally write up my first cloth experiment!!  This brings my new love of Fluffy Cloth and my scientific background together for the first time.  I feel like I'm back in the lab again!

It all started with ammonia stink.  Funk Funk Funk!  After washing my son's diapers, I would smell the inserts and they still smelled like pee, right out of the dryer.  I also noticed they were not as absorbent as they once were.  Talk about Cloth Diapering frustration.  About ready to turn in the towel, I received a sample of Rockin' Green in the mail and it saved the day.  I was eager to do my "rock a soak" and even resorted to putting my son in disposables for a day so I could soak every last one of them.  I was determined to get rid of the funk, for good!

Here's how I did it:

I set my water heater up as high as it would go and 4 hours later gathered all my diapers for their soak.  Remember to turn it back down to your normal settings after filling your bathtub, or your hubby may have a surprise scalding in the shower.

 I followed the directions on the back of my Rockin' Green sample pack.  Washed my diapers in the washer as I normally would but didn't let them dry.  Filled my tub with hot water and 3 Tablespoons of Rockin' Green Detergent.  Added my 13 Pocket diapers, 26 inserts/doublers (and 4 pads from my floor steamer =)). Then ran downstairs and turned the water heater back down to normal hotness!

I took the temperature of my water as I put the diapers in and it was 130° F.  Since I'm crazy a scientist at heart, I decided to see how fast the water temperature dropped.  So I set my portable timer and checked the temperature of the water and stirred/agitated the diapers every hour for 7 hours.  Here are the results:

• Initial Temp 130° F
• 1 hour         118° F
• 2 hours       108° F
• 3 hours        99° F 
• 4 hours        92° F 
• 5 hours        88° F 
• 6 hours        82° F  
• 7 hours        80° F 

Take what you want from that information.  I was just curious about how long it would take the water to cool down.  After 7 hours, since the water wasn't hot anymore, I took out all the diapers and put them into the washer where I ran 5 rinse and spin cycles with warm water (my washer only has cold or warm rinses to choose from).  Before draining the water from the tub, I took a picture to prove just how much funk was trapped in my diapers causing all that stink.  

Here is the result:

YUCK!

All that yuck in my diapers was hindering them from working up to their potential.  I was so impressed by this experiment, and disappointed about my current detergent that I've decided to purchase Rockin' Green.  Now to decide what yummy scent to pick first?

To get your own Rockin' Green Detergent, check out a cloth diaper retailer near you, and if you need help locating one... Search for a retailer on their website via this link: http://rockingreensoap.com/?page_id=23.

Happy Diapering!

Disclaimer:  This is not a paid post.  This Experiment was preformed by me for fun.  

All items including the Rockin'Green sample were bought by me 

and preformed as part of my diaper washing routine. 

Rockin' a Soak

I'm Rockin' a soak tonight with Rockin' Green Soap and have my FIRST Cloth Experiment (hence the title of my blog) in the works.  Look for a detailed Experiment post later in the week, time permitting, since I have a sick little 8 month old in the house. 

Stripping diapers

While surfing around today, I found a new post explaining how and when to strip your cloth diapers.  You can find it here: http://bumcovereddiapers.blogspot.com/2010/12/bye-bye-build-up-how-to-strip-your.html.