Save Even More Money with Cloth Diapers!

I've already talked about how much money you can save by switching to cloth diapers even with a start up cost of $500. But many people make the switch to cloth without spending near that much!

Read on to learn about some of the most popular ways to save more money with cloth diapers.

1) Buy Used Diapers

Because cloth diapers can last for years, you can almost always find gently used diapers for sale somewhere. Some of the most popular sites for used cloth diaper sales are diaperswappers, Spot's Corner and there are many facebook groups that focus only on buying, selling and trading (b/s/t) used diapers. Many cloth diaper stores also offer a gently used section. You can usually buy an entire stash of gently used cloth diapers at 50% or more off the retail price.

Personally, I've never had an issue with the gently used cloth diapers I've purchased but there are some things to consider if you decide to buy previously used diapers:

• Yeast and bacteria can live in cloth diapers. If possible, try to bleach any microfiber inserts and wash well before using. You may also need to sanitize the rest of the diapers and inserts. You can find a good article about sanitizing cloth diapers at PinStripes and PolkaDots.
• Many gently used diapers have already gone through some wear and tear so they won't last as long as brand new diapers would. You may have to replace some of the used diapers before your child is potty trained.

Some people prefer to only buy gently used diapers from family or friends while others decide not to buy used diapers at all. If buying used diapers isn't for you, keep reading for other ways to save money.

2) Make Your Own Diapers

If you are handy with a sewing machine or serger, you might want to try making your own cloth diapers. As cloth diapers and diaper making becomes more common, the materials are becoming more accessible. Babyville produces a whole line of diaper making supplies that can be found at many JoAnns and Hobby Lobby stores. Fabric.com now offers a whole Diaper Central category. Wazoodle and Nature's Fabrics are both sites that are dedicated to diaper making. You can make cheap diaper inserts with the microfiber towels found in the automotive section of Walmart and Target.

There is a bit of a learning curve when making your own diapers. Just like premade cloth diapers, not all diaper patterns will work with all babies. So you might have to adjust or change your pattern a few times before you find what works for you. Also, some diaper materials can be expensive. Diaper manufacturers are able to buy their materials in bulk which is a lot cheaper than buying a yard or two at a time. And, they are able to pass that savings down with the cost of their diapers.

3) Buy Prefolds & Flats with Covers

This is probably the easiest way to save even more money with cloth diapers. You could easily purchase 24 prefolds and 6-8 diaper covers for under $200. For example:

24 Sweet Pea Infant-sized Prefolds = $78
6 Diaper Covers = $60 - $100
2 Snappis = $8 or less

Total Cost = $146 - $186

The medium sized prefolds will work at pretty much any age. They can be folded down for newborns and folded in thirds and laid in the cover for toddlers. My favorite way to fold a prefold is the Angel Wing Fold but there are other folds that can be used too. You can find some nice fold tutorials here: http://diaperpages.com/pf_folds.php

Prefolds and flats aren't hard to use, but they aren't as easy to use as pocket or AIO diapers so they can be intimidating to some people. It can be harder to get family and caregivers on board with cloth diapering if they have to use prefolds or flats.


Have you done any of these things to save money with cloth diapers?

Will I Really Save Money with Cloth?

Most of us have heard that you will save thousands of dollars if you switch to cloth diapers. But, I have a lot of moms ask me if they will really save that much. They don't buy the more expensive brand name diapers. They stick with store brands or buy them on Amazon. They say there is no way they will save that much money.

 

Trust me, you will!



You will use more disposable diapers than this in 3 days!

You could spend around $1000 a year per kid on disposable diapers & wipes. Even if you use the generic store brand, you're going to spend at least $700 per kid per year. Don't forget to add gas and/or shipping costs to that! C'mon, you know that moment when you pull the last disposable diaper out of the bag and realize you don't have any more? I don't know how many trips I had to make to the store for just diapers.

 

Around the same amount of cloth diapers will last for years!

 

 

We were able to buy a full stash of cloth diapers for around $500. But, you could spend less or more than that. If you stick with prefolds & covers, your costs will be a lot less. We use cloth wipes that I made myself with old t-shirts, receiving blankets and scraps of flannel. For a wipes solution, you can just use water. Yes, there is the cost of detergent & washing your diapers. The detergent we use costs around $15 and it lasts for at least 45 loads. That's around 33 cents every 2-3 days. Our water & energy bills combined maybe went up $5 but I'm also doing more regular laundry because I have a very messy little boy. :)

 

If you take good care of your cloth diapers, you can use the same ones for other children you'll have. And, you can also resell used cloth diapers that are in good condition for around 50% of the retail price!

 

So, here is a quick breakdown on costs:

(I am figuring very low costs on the disposable diapers and high costs on cloth diapers. More than likely, you will spend more on disposables and less on cloth. I'm also not including costs of diaper creams.)

*I'm averaging 10 diapers/day for the first 2 months and 6 diapers/day for the next 10 months. Although, it is generally recommended you change diapers more often than that. :)

 

 

Generic Disposable Diapers: Approx $550

Generic Disposable Wipes: Approx $120

Total for one year: $670

 

 

Enough Cloth Diapers to wash every 2-3 days: Approx $500

Cloth Wipes (use old t-shirts & receiving blankets with water) :$0

Laundry Costs: Approx $50

Total for one year: $550

 

 

Disposable Costs after 2 years: $1340

Disposable Costs after 3 years: $2010

Disposable Costs after diapering a 2nd child for another 3 years: $4020

 

 

Cloth Costs after 2 years: $600

Cloth Costs after 3 years: $650

Cloth Costs after diapering a 2nd child for another 3 years: $800

So, after 6 years of diapering, you will spend over $4000 using generic, store brand disposables and only $800 or less using cloth diapers! If you use brand name disposable diapers, you will spend much more than that.

 

How much money do you think you've saved since switching to cloth?

How NOT to Wash Cloth Diapers

Ask 20 people how to wash cloth diapers, you will most likely receive 20 different answers. Have you ever seen Wash Routine questions on cloth diaper forums? EVERYONE has a different answer. One cloth diaper manufacturer will recommend a certain detergent and another one will tell you not to use that detergent. The thing is, it doesn't have to be that hard.

Since our family started using cloth diapers, I have used almost everything on our diapers. Sometimes it was for research, other times it was out of desperation. I've soaked, bleached, sunned, used borax, vinegar, baking soda, washing soda, oxiclean, mainstream detergents, cloth diaper detergents, and everything in between.

What I've found is pretty simple - find a good detergent and stick with it. Use lots of water. Don't use additives unless you ABSOLUTELY have to, like if you're dealing with yeast.

GroVia AIO affected by soaking & additives

Before you start adding anything to your wash, talk to your local cloth diaper store or, if you use a cloth diaper detergent, email the maker. Kim from Rockin Green and Lulu from Lulu's in the Fluff have both been extremely helpful at troubleshooting laundry problems.

Do your diapers still smell dirty after you wash them? Try adding more detergent. Also, make sure you're washer isn't stuffed full. You need room and enough water to really agitate the crud out. I wash diapers every 3 days and I have to split it into two loads.

PUL cracking after using a mainstream detergent & bleach

Ammonia smell? Try rinsing your diapers before you put them in the dry pail. Yes, it's an extra step but it helps and, really, it only takes an extra minute.

Repelling issues - have you used diaper cream lately? If it wasn't CD safe, scrub a little bit of dawn soap on the diaper lining with a toothbrush, rinse really well and wash as usual. Are you using too much detergent or too little water? If you have hard water, it might help to add a little bit of Calgon in your wash.

If you think you have to use bleach, only use it on microfiber inserts. It's terrible on PUL and will eat away your diapers' natural fibers.

If you have a good wash routine down, you shouldn't have to strip your diapers. And, don't soak your diapers too much that can be hard on them too.

If you can, try to line dry your diapers as much as possible. Especially if they are velcro/aplix diapers. If the diapers are stiff after line drying them, just put them in the dryer for a few minutes to soften them up. Plus, line drying will get some sun to your diapers and I've found, that's the best way to get those stubborn stains out.

Thinning Organic Bamboo Velour

There are so many factors that can affect your diapers - water type, minerals, water temperature, diet, etc. So, what works for your friend may not work for you.

Here is our wash routine with really hard well water:
-One full cold wash cycle with no detergent to rinse the diapers well
-One Hot wash cycle with detergent
-Extra warm rinse

We normally switch between Lulu's Extra Hard Water Formula and Rockin Green Hard Rock.

GroVia AIO that has only been washed with Lulu's & Rockin Green and line dried.
This diaper has been used & washed as many times as the AIO in the first pic.

Now, there are some diapers that seem to stand up to more abuse than others. Pretty much anything with microfiber, microfleece will hold up better than natural fibers like hemp, cotton and bamboo.

BumGenius, Charlie Banana, GroVia Snap Shells, Knickernappies, and Tiny Tush are a few of the diaper brands we have that have held up over all the abuse. Some of them may not look like new, but they have no issues with PUL leaking and the inserts still work great.

Do you use additives in your laundry? Have you found a wash routine that works for you?

What I Wish I Had Known from Jess @ Top to Bottom Baby

As with most things in life, everyone has an opinion about cloth diapering.  Even my non-cloth diapering friends had opinions about using cloth.  I spent a lot of time researching cloth diapers and listening to everyone's opinions when I was pregnant with our second child Z.  We had started with a cloth diapering service when C was born, but by that time we were beginning to have leaks and fit issues.  At this point, I have to mention our babies were only 15 months apart, so by that point we were actually pretty new in the cloth diapering scene anyway.

No matter how many opinions I heard, blogs I read, or information I gathered, I still distinctly remember times when I thought to myself "Wow, I wish someone would have told me that".  So, for all of the new moms or the new-to-cloth moms, here is all of the things I wish someone would have told me:

1)  Switching from disposables to cloth diapers, especially prefolds, will have challenging moments.  Heck, there are probably even going to be moments when you think to yourself "Why in the world did I think this was a good idea?".

2)  No matter how many of the above mentioned moments you have, there is no way you are going to tell hubs about those moments because, most of the time, hubs already thought you were crazy for trying it and there is no way he gets to think he is right if even for a minute.

3)  Diaper laundry isn't big, bad, or scary.  I remember reading all of the blogs, posting on discussion boards, and spending hours "reviewing" the perfect way to wash diapers.  I've decided simpler is better.  My word of wise, get a good soap and keep it simple.  We do a rinse, a wash, and pop in the dryer.  I have heard a hundred ways to wash diapers and I think sometimes the more complicated routines do more harm than good (that is only my opinion after trying a million different ways).

4)  This one I actually just heard recently from another retailer (Thanks Julie):  Diapers are like jeans.  When you buy jeans you have different choices, you can buy the $8 jean, $25 jeans, or $100 jeans.  The $100 jeans won't last longer but they do fit better than most.  The $8 jeans will fall apart in the wash after a couple months.  Finally, the $25 jeans will last long enough and will fit well enough for most people.

5)  Another great point from Julie:  If you wash anything every day it is going to wear out a lot more quickly than something you wash a couple of times a week.  This will hold true with clothes and cloth diapers.  We can't expect a diaper to survive what we wouldn't expect a shirt or pair of jeans to survive.

6) Last, but definitely not least, diaper is an addiction....wait, I'm sure you've heard that.  But, then comes the obsession.  I remember keeping my computer next to my bed so I could check the diaper websites when I was up nursing in the middle of the night.  I heard of a friend who would hide her new diapers in the wash so hubby wouldn't "notice".  I can't advocate the hiding, but I definitely know that obsession exists.  Just so you know...you've been warned!

Jess and her husband Justin are the co-owners of Top to Bottom Baby in Omaha Nebraska.  Top to Bottom Baby grew out of the need for diapers after their second child was born a month early.  During her master's program, Jess had to write a business plan.  As graduation approached, Top to Bottom was born.  Nowadays, Justin runs the business, while Jess and partner Robyn, get to spend their weekends playing with diapers and spend time educating moms and dads about natural parenting options.

***CLOSED"***Why I (Heart) bumGenius! and Diapers Etc.

The winner is....

Laura O!!!!

Laura, check your email for a message from I Heart Fluff. 

I was thrilled when I found out about Diapers Etc. Blog Party - and I was even more excited when I found out I could review a bumGenius! 4.0 Artist Series!!! Instead of a standard review, this time I wanted to share the top reasons I (heart) both bumGenius! and Diapers Etc.


Why I (Heart) bumGenius! 4.0 Artist Series...

~ They are so absorbent. These are one of the few pocket diapers that my son can wear at night without soaking completely through it. And that's with only ONE insert!

~ These would work from birth to potty training. They fit children 7-35 lbs and the smaller insert is perfect to use when the diaper is on the smallest setting. This would help create a trimmer fitting newborn diaper.




Smallest Setting




Largest Setting


~ The stretchy tabs. I remember when I heard about these and thought, "how different could stretchy tabs really be?" Well, they are pretty darn awesome! It seems to me that the stretchy tabs make the bumGenius fit even better around little man!

~ The replaceable elastic. This is another one of those upgrades that I didn't think was much of a big deal...until the elastic started to give out on one of our favorite diapers. Cloth diapers can go through a lot of wear and tear, especially if they are used with multiple children. So, I love the fact that I can easily replace the elastic, making the bumGenius! 4.0 last even longer!



It's hard to see in the picture, but the elastic can easily be replaced by turning the diaper and using a seam ripper to remove a few stitches.

 ~ The print. Sure, it's probably a little vain, but I absolutely love the print. And the fact that no two prints are exactly the same makes this diaper even more awesome. Of course, I love all of the cutesy prints. But, it's really nice to be able to have some modern, artistic looking cloth diapers too.

Why I (Heart) Diapers Etc...

~They have a ton of USA made products!

~They've been in business since 1998. Obviously, they know what they're doing!

~They carry much more than just cloth diapers - BPA free products, organic clothing, skin care and more!

~Their website! I love a website that is fresh looking and easy to navigate. Plus, blue and green make me happy. :)

~Their commitment to customer service. From quick shipping to money back guarantees, Diapers Etc makes their customers their top priority.


Here's something you'll (heart) about Diapers Etc - they are giving one of our I Heart Fluff readers the chance to win a $25 gift card!!!

It's so, so simple to enter! Just fill out the form below with your name and email address. The winner will be randomly drawn next Friday, February 25th.

*CLOSED* Sweet Cheeks Laundry Review & Giveaway

The Winner Is....

Bev23anc!!!

Do you have the stinks? Do you have to double or triple rinse? Does it feel like it takes all day to wash a load of diapers? Is your water bill outrageous because of all the extra rinses? Do you spend a ton of money on laundry soap for diapers? Do you have to strip diapers because of soap build up?

Well, I have the answer for you! My Posh Nest has an amazing cloth diaper wash by the name of "Sweet Cheeks". I know once we find something that works, we stick with it. But I was offered the chance to step out of my comfort zone and I am glad I did. The WAHM behind Sweet Cheeks sent me a 45/90 (HE) bag of Cucumber Melon scented diaper wash. The cost is only $7 a bag plus shipping!

The first wash made a believer out of me. Cold rinse to get the 'stinkies' out. Hot wash with 1 teaspoon of Sweet Cheeks. The directions say 'Final cold rinse IF YOU LIKE, but Sweet Cheeks is clean-rinsing. It isn't necessary. Okay...throw them in the dryer. I smell them as they go in the dryer. NOTHING! No smell. Let's see what they smell like when dry. Again, NOTHING! No smell at all!

I thought, 'Okay, well maybe it is the initial use'. So, two diaper loads later, still no smell. I decided to try my luck. My oldest son, due to medical issues, has nighttime enuresis (bed wetting). I washed a load of his bed linens in Sweet Cheeks. They are clean with no urine smell. I am so happy! I took his comforter to the laundry mat to wash in a front loader. Again, completely clean.

I will be using Sweet Cheeks diaper laundry soap on a regular basis. It comes in many different yummy scents like Monkey Farts (I don't know if I will use this, my little monkey does enough of that on his own. LOL), Sweet Clementine, Butter Cream Cupcake and many more.

Lucky for one of you, Sweet Cheeks wants to give one I Heart Fluff reader a free bag in their choice of scent!!

Just fill out the form below to be entered:


Giveaway ends Sunday, Feb 15. Winner will be announced on 2/16.


~Tracie

Bootyful Baby Boutique Review & Giveaway

When we first started using cloth, snaps scared me and side snaps terrified me! Oh, I have to laugh at that cloth newbie. If she only knew how fabulous side snapping diapers were before little man figured out how to take his velcro diapers off...during his naptime...while they were filled with poop.

Here's the fantastic thing about side snapping diapers - they are much harder for a toddler to get off than velcro, or even front snapping diapers. So, I jumped at the change to review a Bootyful Baby Boutique All in Two diaper. 

Since this is an AI2 diaper, you can just change the insert if the diaper cover is not soiled. The insert in generously sized so the chances of the cover getting soiled are minimal. Just snap another insert into the cover, and you're ready to go. This would also make a great cover for fitteds or prefolds.

The insert is made of a hemp/cotton blend topped with microfleece which makes it very absorbent, but it can still keep little man dry whether he's wearing it while we're out and about during the day or if he wears it for 8 hours straight at night.

Like I said before, the great thing about side snaps is that they are much harder for a toddler to undo, but an added benefit is that side snapping diapers just seem to be trimmer than other diapers. Plus, I think the side snaps of the Bootyful Baby Boutique AI2 would make it a great diaper for potty learning.

The picture above shows how trim this diaper is - not much junk in the trunk here!

The Bootyful Baby Boutique AI2 is one fabulous diaper, from the easy side snaps to the super soft insert, this is a diaper that won't let you down.

To buy your own, visit Bootyful Baby Boutique, where you can find a whole variety of products, including fitteds, prefolds, diaper covers, and more!

To win a custom Bootyful Baby Boutique AI2, just fill out the form below! It couldn't be any easier!!


Giveaway ends Saturday, Jan 22 at 9pm CST and winner will be announced on Monday, Jan 24.

Primm N Proper Baby Review & Giveaway

Since I've found the fitted love, I can't get enough of them. The problem is that a lot of the fitteds we have are fairly bulky, so most of them are only used as nighttime diapers. You can just imagine how excited I was when I got this Trim Fit Fitted Diaper from Primm N Proper Baby. Absorbant, trim, and cute all rolled into one diaper! 

The outer print is cotton knit; the hidden layer is made with bamboo fleece and the inner layer is cotton velour. This is one of those diapers that you can't help but rub when it comes out of the dryer. It is so soft!

The soaker is also made with bamboo fleece and cotton velour and it happens to be my favorite feature of the diaper. It's 24" long so you can fold the soaker to customize the absorbency. So, depending on how you fold it, you still get 6-9 absorbant layers while getting a soaker that dries fast.

Another great feature of the diaper is that it is one size and I could definitely see a newborn rockin' this diaper. Of course, it will be bulkier on a newborn than a toddler, but it is still much trimmer than other newborn diapers I've seen.

You can add snaps to the diaper at checkout, but I actually prefer leaving them snapless and using snappis instead. I feel like the snappis help keep the diaper trim by providing the best fit around the waist.

We used our Primm N Proper fitted both at night and during the day. We never had any issues with leaking and this is one of the few fitteds that little man can wear under his jeans during the day. Just to test out the absorbancy, I did let him run around without a cover. After about 2 hours, this diaper was just slightly damp on the outside.

All in all, this is a great diaper with a great fit and I would definitely recommend this to anyone!

Want to buy your own? Go visit the Primm N Proper store to get your own Trim Fit Fitted Diaper. While you're there, make sure to check out all the other fabulous products Meaghan makes!

Want to win one?
Just fill out this super easy entry form for your chance to win an instock or custom fitted diaper valued up to $21!


Giveaway will be open until Saturday at 9pm CST. Winner will be announced on Monday, 1/24.

The Dreaded Yeast Monster

Rashes were the main reason we switched from disposables to cloth diapers. While they weren't as bad, even in cloth diapers we still dealt with teething rashes and heat rashes. So, I felt I was pretty experienced in how to effectively manage diaper rashes...until the yeast rash. 

I had noticed little man's bottom turning red in a couple spots, so the hubs and I would apply some CD friendly creams and go about our merry little ways. But, it didn't go away. In fact, it started to look a little bit worse after a day or two. The thought that it might be a yeast rash hadn't even crossed my mind, so we started putting some cornstarch based powder on little man at each diaper change. BIG mistake! 

Cornstarch actually feeds yeast infections and can make the whole situation worse. I knew that, but like I said earlier, it had never once crossed my mind that it could be yeast, until the next morning. Little man had a small blister-like sore on his bottom. Luckily, we were already going to the doctor that morning for his 18 month check up. She confirmed that it was yeast and gave us a prescription cream.

When we got home, I did some quick online research about yeast rashes and cloth diapers. I wanted to know how to get rid of the yeast and keep it away. While there were many different methods, the three most common treatments for yeast were bleach, tea tree oil (TTO), and vinegar.

While little man wore cloth diapers with disposable liners for a week, I began disinfecting the (already clean) diapers, pail liners, wet bags, and wipes with the following routine:

• Cold rinse with 10-15 drops of TTO
• Hot wash with 1/4 cup bleach
• Cold rinse with 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• One more hot wash/cold rinse cycle without any additives
• Dry on high setting (if it was nice outside, I would've sunned the diapers)

Yeah, I realize that might have been a bit of an overkill, but I read about some people having continuous yeast issues after just using one or two of those methods. I figured this wasn't a time to experiment so I combined all three methods.

Before I go any further, I want to remind you that I'm no chemist and what works for me, might not work for you and vice verse. Now...back to the article.

Here's the deal with vinegar - I have heard so many conflicting stories about whether or not to use vinegar with cloth diapers. After tons of research, I've found that white vinegar may be the vinegar that causes the problems. Did you know it can actually contribute to yeast? Apple cider vinegar is the only type I have found that is almost universally recommended to kill yeast. I've continued using it by adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup to the rinse cycle for all of our clothes, including the diapers.

While I obviously can't tell you if it was the combination of everything I did or just one of those components that helped combat the yeast, we haven't seen that dreaded monster around for almost a month. So, something must have worked!


Here are some other ideas for dealing with yeast from some I Heart Fluff fans:

• Let your little one be diaper free as much as possible.
• Soaks in warm water and Epsom salt.
• One fan developed her own Healing Butter that can be found at Snuggli Bebe.
• Empty an Acidophilus capsule into your child's milk or directly on the rash.
• Another fan made a cream using mango butter and TTO and applied it to the rash.
• CJ's BUTTer for yeast is what worked for other fans. 

If you suspect your child has a yeast infection, please visit with your doctor before trying any of the above methods. Often, you will need to use a prescribed cream as well as disinfecting your diapers. 

*CLOSED* Bottombumpers Giveaway from Sweet Lil Dimples

The winner is entry #76 -

stikuumup,

who said they'd take a Medium, Honeydew Bottombumpers.

One of the best things about this blog is all of the wonderful people I come in contact with. Rhonda, from Sweet Lil Dimples Baby Shop, emailed me about some ad space and while we were sending emails back and forth, I found out that she really enjoys spreading the cloth love and giving back to the community. Plus, she's a mom of four children and still runs a cloth diaper store. That's pretty awesome!

Something else that's pretty awesome - Sweet Lil Dimples Baby Shop wants to give one of you a Bottombumpers Perfect Size Diaper in your choice of color and size and a sample of Rockin' Green Detergent!

Since I posted about the Google forms the other day, I figured we might as well try it out. So, here's what you need to do:

Like Sweet Lil Dimples Baby Shop on Facebook

Visit the Sweet Lil Dimples website and tell me what color and size of Bottombumpers you'd like to win.

For extra entries:

Follow The Cloth Chronicles via GFC

Subscribe to The Cloth Chronicles Newsletter

Let me know how you like the new entry form.

Giveaway ends Sunday, October 31st, at 11:59pm CST.

♡

Cow Patties Cloth Diapers Giveaway ***1000 Fans Celebration***

*Giveaway is CLOSED* Winner is Lilypad Mom!!!

Today's giveaway is for a Famous Pocket Fitted from Cow Patties Cloth Diapers!!! One lucky I Heart Fluff fan will win a Famous Pocket Fitted in their choice of size!

This is your nighttime diaper solution. It's the best of both worlds, the Pocket and the Fitted. This diaper is made out of non waterproof fabric so it will need a cover and requires Pins or a Snappi to secure closed. The Pocket feature allows you to stuff the diaper with enough absorbency so there will be no more leaking diapers and wet beds at night!!!!!!

The Bamboo option gives you 2 full body layers of Bamboo Fleece and a printed Cotton Knit on the outside. The insert is long, and when folded up gives you 10-12 layers of Bamboo Fleece

The Famous Pocket Fitted comes in small (7-13lbs), medium (14-24lbs), and large (25-33lbs).

To enter, just make sure you're already a fan of I Heart Fluff and Cow Patties Cloth Diapers on Facebook. Then just comment on this post and let me know which size you'd like if you win. The diaper will be a super cute gender neutral print. (The pictures above are just examples of previously made diapers.)

Giveaway ends tomorrow, July 23rd, at 11am CST.

♡

Lulu's in the Fluff Review & Giveaway

**Look for a 25% off coupon code with ordering details at the bottom of the post**

I haven’t met Lulu, a fellow cloth diapering mama, in person, but her energetic and enthusiastic personality is evident even through her emails. This is a lady I know I could share a pot of coffee with and chat the day away! Although, I’m sure she’d be too busy for that since she is churning out batches of Lulu’s In the Fluff Glamour Wash.

She switched to cloth because her son, who’s now 3, had extremely sensitive skin and was a nighttime super soaker! In Lulu’s words, “Disposables were no match for our son!!” As most of us do, she used cloth diaper detergent as well. With the first brand, her son kept getting horrible rashes that required prescription cream for treatment. So, she switched brands. This one had issues with rinsing clean and Lulu became concerned about the ingredients when a bag exploded across her laundry room as she was opening it! This is when she started researching and developing the formula for her own detergent.

She ended up with a product that was gentle enough for some of the most sensitive-skinned babies but had enough power to pull the nasties out of cloth diapers. It wasn’t long before people started requesting Lulu’s formula for their own use. Thus, Lulu’s In The Fluff Glamour Wash was born. The Glamour Wash is now available in Regular and Hard Water Formulas.

I was lucky enough to review the Glamour Wash Hard Water formula and I was floored! We’ve been battling the stinkies almost since day one. We tried at least 3 different brands of detergents. I added Calgon with the detergent. I added vinegar. I added baking soda. I put the diapers in the sun. Nothing worked! I would strip my diapers until the water was clear and I could still smell ammonia when they were done! Ugh!!! Honestly, I was starting to get fed up. I knew cloth was the best thing for my son, but that ammonia couldn’t be good for him!

Then, along came Lulu and her amazing Glamour Wash! I did strip the diapers before I started using the Glamour Wash, but I could still faintly smell ammonia. So what I did was fill the washer with hot water, added double the amount of Glamour Wash, and let the (clean) diapers soak overnight.

Yeah, these were CLEAN diapers!!!

The next morning, I finished the wash cycle and ran the diapers through a couple more hot wash cycles until the water was clear. When the diapers were clean and dry, guess what?? They smelled like…nothing! Exactly how fresh, clean diapers are supposed to smell. No ammonia or other stinkies!

I was so amazed by this, that I started my own little trial and used it on our towels, clothes, and hubby’s work jeans (he’s a farmer so you can imagine how dirty he can get). I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves…

Bath Mat and Towels...Yuck!

A load of whites that had already been washed AND bleached...

Hubby's grease & oil covered work jeans. I had already washed these twice with our regular detergent and stain remover before this wash in Lulu's!!!

I also conducted a little experiment using Lulu’s and one of the diaper detergents we had been using before. We have a bunch of leftover homemade baby food in the freezer, so I took out some pureed peas, blueberries, and squash and spread each onto some gray PUL, suede cloth, and bamboo velour (3 fabrics commonly used in cloth diapers).

I let the fabric sit overnight so the stains would have a chance to get a good hold onto the fabric. The next day, I rinsed the fabric (found out squash really doesn’t stain), and then mixed together two separate pastes of each of the detergents.

After rinsing in cold water.

Lulu's is on the left side of the fabric, other detergent on the right.

The first thing that I really noticed was the chemical smell of the other detergent, while Lulu’s Glamour Wash has no smell at all.

I spread the paste on the fabric and let it sit for 10 minutes. I noticed that Lulu’s started working almost right away. I cut the fabric in half and soaked the other detergent half in that detergent for 5 minutes and Lulu’s in the Glamour Wash for 5 minutes. I only added 2 teaspoons of each detergent into a sink full of water. Look at the difference:

Other detergent. Hmm...no wonder it's so hard to rinse it all out.

Lulu's

I rinsed each piece of fabric until the water ran clear and then let them dry. Just looking at the fabric, there’s not really a noticeable difference between them.

PUL Fabric. Lulu's is on the left.

Suede Cloth Fabric. Lulu's on the left.

Bamboo Velour Fabric. Lulu's on the left.

There’s still a little bit of a stain from the peas, hardly noticeable, on the fabrics from both detergents. But…the smell is the big difference. Even though I rinsed all the fabric until the water was clear, the fabric that I used the other detergent on still smells like that detergent. So, I know that not all of it was rinsed out. The fabric that I used the Glamour Wash on smells like nothing though.

So, I'm convinced!! I’ve already ordered two more bags of the Hard Water Glamour Wash. Since I hate wasting things, I’m still trying to use up the rest of the detergents in our Laundry room on our clothes. Nothing but Lulu’s will be touching our diapers though.

Lulu is graciously offering a bag of your choice of Glamour Wash to one of our lucky I Heart Fluff fans on Facebook. It’s super easy to enter. Just make sure you are already a fan of I Heart Fluff. Then become a fan of Lulu’s In The Fluff and comment on the post here (http://www.facebook.com/iheartfluff?v=wall&story_fbid=143691298977578).
The giveaway is open through July 21st and I will announce the winner on July 22nd.


One more surprise!! Lulu's is giving The Cloth Chonicles readers and I Heart Fluff fans an opportunity for 25% off your order! Just use the coupon code SWEETDEAL. To place your order, go to Lulu's In The Fluff and contact Lulu with your order and the coupon code and she will send you an invoice through paypal.

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