Funk Rock Review

        Got stink? As much as I love cloth diapers, I have to admit that nothing is more frustrating than dealing with the dreaded ammonia stench. I use Rockin Green Soap for my diaper laundry and for the most part, it does a good job at keeping the stink at bay. Every few months, however (especially in the winter when I can't get my diapers on the line as much), I notice the ammonia smell to creep it's ugly head back into my diapers. It starts as a mild nuisance and gradually builds its way up to an eye watering, wretched stench as soon as one of the boys pees (I use mainly pocket diapers). I've tried every stripping method I can find, but still, the smell rears its ugly head...
         Enter a new product, FUNK ROCK from none other than the geniuses behind Rockin Green Laundry Detergent! Known as the "Ammonia Bouncer," Rockin' Green describes its product as :


Do you have the funk? Stinkies? Ammonia problems? Diapers that make your eyes water? Have you considered a kryptonite lined diaper pail to contain the smell of your dirty diapers? Did fluffy or fido have an accident on your bunny slippers? Dealing with the dreaded toddler pee? You need funk rock! This 100% natural compound is unlike anything you have tried before. It targets funk at the source and leaves no prisoners. Just 4 tablespoons is enough to de-funk up to 20 diapers in one sitting. A little to your pre-wash to keep the stinkies from coming back. That’s right, this little 9 ounce bag will keep the diaper funk away for over a month! Phosphate Free – Enzyme Free – SLS Free


      Kim, the creator and owner of Rockin' Green, graciously gave me the opportunity to review her newest product. Since both of my boys are in the toddler stage (and beyond), I was more than happy to get this opportunity! I received the 9 oz bag of Funk Rock, pictured below, about a month ago. 

Notice the size of the bag compared to the regular detergent.

          The first thing that caught my eye upon arrival was the size of the bag. In my head, I was thinking it would be the same size as the regular detergent bag, but it was quite a deal smaller (and if you read the product description it does say 15 loads compared to the 45/60 loads of the regular detergent). The 9 oz bag retails for $12.95 and should help you maintain your cloth diaper stink for about a month. The directions on the bag read:

How to Use:

1. Throw everythin in the washer, sink, tub, or bucket.

2. Add 4 tbs of Funk Rock with hot or warm water.

3. Let it soak for 30-60 minutes.

4. Rinse, and wash like normal using Rockin' Green detergent.

(The bag also states that you can maintain your diapers by adding a tablespoon to your cold pre-rinse or wash every load and also recommends doing an overnight soak in Rockin' Green prior to doing a Funk Rock treatment for best results). 

          I have a rather large stash, since I have two in cloth, so I was ready to start my stripping right away, and crossing my fingers that Funk Rock would perform as promised. I did four loads of 15-20 diapers and couldn't wait to see how the freshly washed diapers smelled upon being soiled (LOL- things you never thought you would be excited about). And guess what, you know that awesome, fresh, exhilarating smell of nothing that happens when your diapers are washed properly, well that's what I smelled- NOTHING! Absolutely NOTHING- WAHOO! The ammonia smell that had been eluding me for so long had finally seemed to disappear! My mostly microfiber inserts were suddenly light and fluffy and I was thrilled! The true test, however, would be to see if the smell stayed away for good...

           Fast-forward about a month. Since using Funk Rock a little more than a month ago (and  I also got about 2 maintaining loads out of the bag), I still have fresh, smell-free diapers! I am truly amazed at the power of this product. Nothing has worked this long at keeping the ammonia stench away! My only sadness is that the product was used so fast. I give this product :

     5 out of 5 Diapers for Quality 

and

3 out of 5 Diapers for Quantity 

           Bottom line, if you are currently battling the ammonia stench, this product may save your sanity and your love for cloth, but it is a bit on the expensive side so may be hard to use continuously. I would love to see Rockin' Green add whatever extra ingredients (can't find the Funk Rock ingredients listed anywhere) of Funk Rock to their existing detergent for an "Extra Hard Rock" formula option (and would gladly pay a few bucks more for that product). Overall, I'm very pleased to have my diapers smelling clean once again and would recommend this product to the cloth community.

Disclosure: The Funk Rock product reviewed above was given to me free of charge by Rockin' Green Detergent for the sole purpose of review. The opinions of this post are strictly my own. See my PR Friendly tab for my full disclosure policy. 

Cloth Diaper Limerick/ Sweet Pea Diaper Cover Review 17/365

CLOTH

There once was a sweet, tiny boy;

who disposables did annoy;

his bum was so red

that changes he did dread

until cloth made him enjoy!  

Sweet Pea Diaper Cover in Indigo

Diaper Cover pictured above with prefold- very trim!

Sitting down shot- no bunching or gapping! 

LOVE that these diaper covers have gussets

Action shot! Little Man is on the second setting and is 14 mths- 24 lbs; plenty of room to grow!

SItting down shot- again, no gaps or shifting! 

Awesome laundry tab for easy line-drying! 

And this one is just because I love how he's being a ham :)

        I met Nancy, the owner of Sweet Pea Diapers at #MeetSweetPea, an @EcoChicParties twitter party a few months ago. I was instantly drawn to her diaper covers based on affordability and a few unique features. 

       The first thing that I LOVED about Sweet Pea Diaper Covers is that they retail at a very affordable $10.95. Since they are one-sized, that means that you could cloth diaper a child on a budget! I'm actually a pocket lover at heart, but I've been wanting to add some more affordable options to my stash to share with other local mamas that are wanting to start their own stash with limited funds. If you are looking for a thrifty alternative to cloth, consider purchasing 6 or so Sweet Pea Diaper Covers along with a dozen or two prefolds , and you could have a starter stash for under $200 (the amount of diaper covers and prefolds of course would depend on the age of your child as well as how often you would like to wash- please don't hesitate to contact me if you want to talk cloth or have any questions). And just b/c the diaper cover is affordable, doesn't mean that the quality is compromised! Of all the one-size diaper covers that I own, the Sweet Pea is the most affordable while still being of high-quality. 

       Pictured above on Little Man, is the Sweet Pea One-Size Diaper Cover in Indigo with snap enclosures along with a Bummis (toddler-sized) Indian Prefold (tri-folded). The fit, is super trim which I feel is extra important now that Little Man is up and running around - who wants a bowling ball between their active little legs? In addition, the Sweet Pea has inner-gussets to provide extra protection from blow-outs and leaks, how cool is that? 

       The final unique feature of the Sweet Pea Cover is the laundry tab- the little white loop is a simple yet brilliant added feature to make line drying even more convenient.
      So in review, if you are a thrifty mama looking to start a diaper stash while on a budget, or a current fitted or prefold mama looking for a new and innovative cover, then I think the Sweet Pea Diaper Cover is for you! It's a snap closured, one-sized cover with bonus features of inner gussets and laundry drying tab that is sure to please both your pocket book and your aesthetic side (go check out the fun colors available here).
       Sweet Pea Diapers have been described as the, "Most competitively priced multifunctional cloth diapers on the market." Now I know from first-hand experience that that is true! Make sure to check Sweet Pea out on FACEBOOK and TWITTER for more information. 

FluffaLumps Wool Dyer Balls- Review and Giveaway!

          So when I first started cloth diapering, I had no idea that something like a wool dryer ball even existed! But now that I have found them, I am TOTALLY in love and couldn't imagine my laundry life without them- LOL! 

         SO, you're probably thinking, "What the heck is so great about dryer balls anyway?" First, let me start out by sharing with you the benefits of the wool dryer ball in general:


1. The dryer balls bounce around making your clothes and diapers SOFT , much softer than with dryer sheets!


2. The dryer balls bounce around therefore separating your clothes and decreasing your dryer time!


3. Dryer balls are a natural and chemical-free alternative to the classic dryer sheet, therefore, no residue is left in your dryer or on your clothes/ diapers!  


4. Dryer balls last for years- that's right, YEARS making them much more cost effective than purchasing dryer sheets! ***MY FAVORITE PERK :)


And now, WHY I LOVE FluffaLumps: 

          Fluffalumps are dryer balls made by a very sweet WAHM that is passionate about cloth diapering. She started making wool dryer balls to help make her cloth diapers nice and soft without creating build-up like dryer sheets do. 
        Victoria was kind enough to send me four 100% Peruvian Wool FluffaLumps- 2 for my review and 2 to giveaway! The first thing I noticed about them was how soft they are! I also  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the bright vivid color pallet that Victoria has chosen to use for her dryer balls. I've been using two of her balls for almost two weeks now, and I have definitely noticed both an increase in softness in my laundry and a decrease is dryer time- (although with only two balls, the benefits are only slight. Victoria recommends using 2- 4 Fluffalumps depending on your dryer size and load size if you are wanting to experience a signifiant reduction in drying time and increase in softness).      
      Overall, I'm very impressed and cannot WAIT to get some more! I especially LOVE how soft my diaper inserts have become. I'm also thinking that with winter on the way I will be line drying less and the Fluffalumps will help me save energy and time by drying my diapers faster! So what are you waiting for? Go try some Fluffalumps TODAY! 


FluffaLumps Pricing (from the FluffaLumps Facebook Page): 


Any single color wool dryer ball- $8.00

Custom color combination dryer ball (pick up to 3 available colors in photo album)- $9.00

Total custom (You tell me the color you want and I find it)- Cost of skein of wool plus $5.00
**With a total custom you will receive however many dryer balls I could make out of the skein for the price listed above**

Buy 3 dryer balls get the 4th for 50% off

      


 SO, how would you like to win 2 100% Peruvian Wool FluffaLumps?!? 

        Up for grabs are two wool Fluffalumps in colors Caribbean Blue and Pink Elephant! HERE's how to win:

1. MANDATORY ENTRY: Please visit the Fluffalumps Facebook page and "like" them. Next, go to Victoria's photo album here and choose your favorite wool color. After completing, come back here and leave a comment with your FAVORITE dryer ball color! NOTE: PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL CONTACT so that I can get ahold of you if you win (you only need to do this on the mandatory entry). 


Extra Entries (Please leave a separate comment for each):


1. Visit Victoria's Etsy page, and tell me what other product you would be interested in trying (1 entry).


2. Follow Victoria on twitter (1 entry). 


3. Follow my blog through Goggle Friend Connect (1 entry).


4. Tweet about this giveaway something like, "2 AWESOME Fluffalumps (100% Wool Dryer Balls) are up for grabs over at @ShortyRobs blog! http://tiny.cc/s409c #win #clothdiapers " Leave me the permalink in your comment. (1 entry per day)


CONTEST RUNS FROM SEPT. 16 through, SEPT. 30, 2010 at 11:59 PM ET. Winner will be chosen via Random.org and posted on Oct. 1, and will have 48 hours to claim their prize! GOOD LUCK!


Disclosure: The items listed above in the giveaway are donated to me for the sole purpose of review and giveaway; I was not in anyway compensated for this review. Please read my disclosure policy for more info.