Buncha Farmer's Stain stick

I got to try this little magic stick a few months ago.  Buncha Farmers Stain Remover.  Normally I am willing to try everything that is recommended to me.  I first heard of this stain stick about a year ago.  I was not at all interested.  I rinse my diapers right after messes and typically do not have any stains on them.  Several months ago one of my friends and I were talking and she recommended the stain stick to me.  I was skeptical and ignored it.  Then again in June she recommended this stain remover to me.  She also told me where I could get some.  While skeptical, I figured I had to at least try it.  If it didn't work I would not be out much money and could just give my supply to my friend since she loved it so much.  

After I got these in the mail I must admit, they sat on the shelf for at least a week.  Then I got a grass stain on my khaki pants.  When I first noticed the mark was while we were getting family pictures taken, outside, at a park.  I told myself I would rinse it as soon as I got home so it would not stain.  Well, later that night I had put the children to bed and remembered I forgot to treat the stain.  I was worried I would forever have this grass stain on my pants.  Visions of my pants from my childhood all stained up continued to flash through my head.  And then, I remembered I had the Buncha Farmers Stain Stick.   

I stared at the box reading and re-reading the directions.  I wanted to be absolutely sure of what I was doing.  I put a small splash of water on the grass stain then rubbed the stick over the spot.  To my surprise, the stain quickly vanished!   I could not believe it.  

I soon found myself searching my house for different things to try this out on.  I "Googled" uses and watched several Youtube videos.  One video I came across said to mix the stick with hot water and use it as a carpet cleaner.  I own a carpet scrubber, but I have to be honest.  I have not turned it on in about a year.  My carpet has accumulated stains from the past year and also had stains from 6 years ago when we first got out dogs and they tracked a bunch of mud on the carpet.  The mud around here has that red clay tint to it, staining everything.  

So, I grated half a stick and mixed it with hot water, stirred it until it dissolved, then added it to my carpet scrubber.  It took a few hours to scrub my carpet, but the results were absolutely amazing!  

                                      

(seriously, I did not realize how yucky my carpet looked before) 

Amazing right?  

Want to see it in action?  I made a video, just for you!  

(Note, I am not at all a videographer and do not know how to edit these, so there are two parts to the video, the before and the after.) 

After:

After washing

I keep a spray bottle filled with the stain remover to treat any stains before washing.  I keep a stick and an old toothbrush by the sink.  After I am doing spraying diapers I simply spray some of the stain remover on to the diaper, rub the diaper together, rinse, and toss into the diaper pail.  It only takes about a minute and ensures stain free diapers.  Any stains that do not come out right away will fade with every wash.  

The instructions state to wet the stick and rub on the stain.  I find it easier to wet the stained area and rub the stick on it. Either way, it works.  Also, a little goes a LONG way.  It only takes a quick rub from the stick and then a little scrub to get a nice lather on the diaper (or other material).  After lathering rinse and enjoy your stain-free item.  Toss in the wash and check to see if the stain is gone.  If it is not (which may happen) treat the stain again and let sit for a couple hours before rinsing.  

This stuff is seriously amazing!  It is also made of natural ingredients with no harsh chemicals.  It contains eucalyptus oil too, which I absolutely love the smell of.  

BUT, Don't take my word for it, try it out for yourself!   Kelly's Closet sells these wonderful stain removers.    

Enter to win your own stain sticks!  

Entry-Form

Traveling with cloth diapers

This past week I was away from home.  This does not deter me from using cloth diapers.  I packed all the diapers up and headed to Maryland.  I was staying at my sister's house and she had tried cloth diapers before so she was familiar with them and knew what to expect.

Before I travel I wash all the dirty diapers so that they are all dry about an hour before I want to leave.  Then right before leaving I hand wash the last dirty diaper and hang it to dry.  This way I do not leave any dirty diapers behind.  While away I washed the diapers in my sister's washing machine.  I have never been anywhere with cloth that didn't have a washer.  My first time will be our camping trip this summer, which I intend to use flats and hand wash them.

At my sisters I did not have a diaper sprayer.  I had to dunk and swish.  I miss my sprayer every time I go without it.  It is not a necessity in diapering, but it sure does make cleaning them off much easier. The disadvantage to cloth diapering on the go is the space they use.  I am fortunate to have this nice suitcase.  I was able to fit Charlotte, Owen's, and my clothes in it, plus the cloth diapers.  I also had the diaper bag with diapers in it for on the road.  While driving the diapers were stuffed with a flat and a hemp doubler.  Using microfiber increases the chance of compression leaks, not to mention microfiber is thicker than a flat and hemp doubler.

I am a die-hard cloth addict.  I do not think I could ever use a disposable diaper again.  Going on vacation definitely does not mean disposables have to be used.  Traveling with cloth is just as easy as using disposables,

{52 weeks} Week 3: all about cloth

When thinking of things I can change in my life to be greener and healthier I also think about the changes I have already made. Switching to cloth diapers and using cloth wipes, and cloth nursing pads for starters are all great steps. I then see the huge stash of paper towels that I have. As I finished off a roll today I realized how much we waste using paper towels, not to mention the money we spend on them. I then realized I do not own any kitchen towels and I only have one kitchen wash rag. I do have "rags" from torn shirts or bath towels in addition to a few microfiber towels, but we never use them.  So this week I will be buying some kitchen towels and making the switch. I will still have my stash of paper towels for the really dirty messes, but for regular cleaning and doing dishes, we will be switching to cloth.