Showing posts with label laundry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label laundry. Show all posts

Sunday, September 14, 2014

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!  



Saturday, September 13, 2014

Miss Lily's Washing Powder

Miss Lily's Washing Powder



A little over a month ago my friend Kristen entered a giveaway for Miss Lily's Washing Powder.  It popped up on my Facebook and I felt the need to try it out myself.  Guess who the lucky winner was?  That is right, me!  I was so excited.  About a week later the owner, Jill, posted she was looking for bloggers to write reviews for her products and get her product out to more people.  I thought this was the perfect opportunity for me.  After all, I did just win some of her product, so I had the supplies needed to write a review.

After receiving the product I could not wait to get the laundry started.  Laundry is one chore that is not really a chore for me.  I find it some what therapeutic. We dirty clothes, they go into the wash, and come out clean.  Folding clothes and hanging them all in their place gives that sense of order.  Having a child in cloth diapers adds to the laundry.  I wash diapers every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.  It has been a month using the washing powder and I still have half a bag left.

For a normal wash I add three tablespoons of washing powder (you would use less if you have an HE washer).  Miss Lily's recommends using 1-4 depending on load size and the machine itself.  I sprinkle the powder in the machine, add the clothes and turn it on.  With diapers I add the detergent, add the diapers and set the machine for "whitest whites" (after reading my manual and some trial and error this setting works best for us.)  turn the temp to hot/cold, add an extra rinse, and turn it on.

Miss Lily's washing powder works great for getting out stains and for people who have hard water. When I wash Charlotte's diapers they always come out clean and smelling fresh.  The washing powder does have the fragrance of your choice, but I can't smell any type of scent on my clothes after they are dry.  They simply smell clean.


Up until I received the Miss Lily's Washing Powder I was using Rockin' Green.  Both of the detergents are great for hard water.  They both come in scented and unscented formulas (and Miss Lily's has a wide variety of scents).  I have noticed that Rockin Green often has chunks of detergent that I need to break up so I can accurately measure.  The washing powder seems smoother and does not have any chunks in them at all.  
The packaging of the product could be better as right now it is just in a gallon size Ziploc bag inside a little sac (which is cute and Charlotte started putting toys in and carries around like a little purse.) I also took a marker and wrote on the bags the scent because I can't really tell them apart.  Those are my only complaints, and neither affect the actual product performance. 

Since starting cloth diapering I have tried making my own detergent twice, I have used Tide, Rockin' Green, Grovia detergent, and Bum Genius detergent.  Of all of these I had liked the Rockin Green the best.  Now, I am thinking about switching.  I have one bag of Rockin' Green left.  After that is used I will be using Miss Lily's washing powder.

Want to try Miss Lily's Washing Powder?  Now is your chance!  Enter below.  The winner will receive 2 bags of Miss Lily's Washing Powder directly from Miss Lily's and will also be able to choose their favorite scent.  Winner will be announced on 09/17/2014.



The Ingredients include Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Percarbonate, Sodium Borate Decahydrate, Essential Oils (essential oil version only), Fragrance Oils (scented version only).