Rockin’ Green Detergent Review and Giveaway!

One of the hardest parts about cloth diapering our little guy has been finding a detergent that works well for us.  If you’ve ever delved into the wash routines and detergent preferences of cloth diapering parents you know that it can be so confusing.  Everyone has a different opinion about which detergent works the best and which ones will leave a residue that makes your diapers repell (i.e., non-absorbent).  Unfortunately, after reading hundreds, and possibly thousands, of parents’ experiences with various cloth diaper detergents, I can only conclude that what works for some may not work for others.

When we began our cloth diapering journey I didn’t realize that you can’t just use any old laundry detergent on your diapers.  Many detergents have additives that cause build-up on the diapers leading to repelling/absorbency issues.  We were using an eco-friendly detergent which I assumed would be great for our eco-friendly diapers.  It turned out that my logic was not very sound.  Little Brother’s diapers quickly developed horrible ammonia buildup which could be smelled immediately after he peed.  Using the trial and error method to find the correct detergent can be very expensive.  I had no idea how to determine if a detergent would be appropriate for cloth diapers until I ran into a must-read article like this one.

A few months ago I lucked out and won a bag of Rockin’ Green from a fellow cloth diapering blogger.  Rockin’ Green has 3 different formulas, Soft Rock, Classic Rock, and Hard Rock, to choose from according to your water quality. I got Rockin’ Green’s “Hard Rock” formula.  –Side note: the Rockin’ Green website has a cool map that shows you which formula you’ll likely need according to where you live.–  Each formula comes in a variety of scents (each scent cleverly in keeping with the “rock” theme).  All the scents are 100% natural.  I chose their unscented formula “Bare Naked Babies”. 😉 Gotta love the name.  Little Brother is sensitive to so many things that I didn’t want to take a chance on a scented formula.

When I started using Rockin’ Green the diapers were in need of a good stripping.  I didn’t do the full stripping that they needed (it is a pain in the neck!).  I just boiled the inserts with a little vinegar (for the ammonia), drained, and then “rocked a soak” per the instructions on the Rockin’ Green bag.  I put the diapers in the washing machine with the recommended amount of soap and let them soak overnight and then ran the wash in the morning.  When I got the diapers out of the washing machine they didn’t smell perfect, but they smelled much better than they did before.

Each time I washed the diapers got a little better.  Reminder: I never actually stripped the diapers, Rockin’ Green did that for me.  However, I was never able to completely get rid of the ammonia smell.  Until very recently…

Rockin’ Green recently came out with “Funk Rock,” a formula specifically for getting ammonia odor out.  I was surprised when the bag arrived, it was much smaller than I had anticipated.  It ended up lasting me a month.  At $12.95 per bag it is definitely pricey, but after 3 soaks with Funk Rock we have no more ammonia!

So many parents LOVE Rockin’ Green detergent that it was recently awarded the “Parent Tested, Parent Approved” (PTPA) Award.

So, here is a little break down of the pros and cons:

Pros:
Works for many cloth diapering parents without a hitch.
Washes very clean; no residue.
No need to strip the diapers.
Rockin’ Green is currently developing a hypo-allergenic formula!
You can purchase samples so you can see how it works for you.
Works in standard and HE machines
Free of brightners, phosphates, enzymes, and dyes.

Cons:
Price! If you’re like me and still have ammonia issues, buying both detergent and ammonia bouncer can be very pricey.

Buy It!
Rockin’ Green retails for $13.95-$15.95 for a 45/90 load bag and can be found at many online cloth diaper retailers.  To purchase with the option of free shipping check out Diapers.com.  Rockin’ Green can also be purchased on the Rockin’ Green website.  *I was just informed that Utah County CDing parents can now purchase Rockin’ Green and Funk Rock at the Provo Quilted Bear Booth L-12! Wahoo!*

Win It!

 Here are the rules:

Giveaway is open to residents of US and will end 2/4/11 at 11:59 MST.  Winner will be chosen via Random.org, will be notified by email, and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: I was provided with 3 sample sizes of Rockin’ Green at no charge in order to provide and accurate and honest review of the product.  The opinions expressed are entirely my own.