Organizing Kids Craft Supplies – No Longer Out of Control!

closet

My kids and I have amassed a large collection of art supplies.  Obviously, from the picture above you can see that our organizational system (ie: a basket and a box) was not working so well.  The craft supplies were taking over my laundry room, I was tripping over them, and my 1 year old thinks it is her duty to take a few items and litter the house with them each time someone leaves the laundry room door open.

closet 2

I bought this cabinet from Walmart.com and chose “Pick it up Today.”  For just $29.47 I had a cheap solution that solved my problem!  The first thing I did was sort the craft supplies to try to figure out how to organize them in the new cabinet.

closet 4

I remembered I had a bunch of empty diaper wipe boxes that would work great for corralling items in the cabinet.  I went and found my stash and I was right!  They fit perfectly!  {Hey that’s green – reusing items – and FREE!  The best kind.}  I found a couple of other containers I had lying around for holding other supplies, like a big cup from a show at Phillips Arena for markers, a take-out container for paint brushes, and a coffee container for glue sticks.

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Every item now has a home in the cabinet and it is infinitely easier to locate the items we need for projects.  Everytime I go in laundry room and I see my tidy little cabinet I smile.  I love being organized. {I’m weird like that!}.

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To finish off the project I added some labels to the containers.  They make it much easier to remember where I put little bits of this and that.  I found my labels online but I can’t find the link for the life of me.  however, I found two very similar ones here and here.  You can see other printable labels I’ve found on my pinterest board here.

What do you think?  I think I have regained a little bit of my sanity. ;)

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Walmart Sustainability: Save Money, Live Better

I’ve been a Walmart Mom now for over 3 years and during that time period I’ve had the opportunity to get an inside look at Walmart.  I’ve been to headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas 3 or 4 times and I’ve had the oppotunity to meet head executives and have discussions with them about how they can better their store/business – and they actually listened!

One thing I’ve gotten to hear a great deal about is how Walmart has accepted that they are one of the world’s largest corporations and that they have increased responsibility because of that.  They have come to realize that the world is watching them “under the microscope” and their actions will be noticed.  So, they’ve decided to use that for good by trying to do better – to set a good example – specifically in sustainability.

Each year, Walmart has a Sustainability meeting where they share their initiatives, new goals, and goals met as they pertain to sustainability.  I had the opportunity to watch the live webcast and I want to share a little bit about what I learned.

When I was first “tagged” as a green blogger I wrestled with that label.  I don’t consider myself that green, actually.  When questioned about my green characteristics my reasoning is always something like, “its what is best for me,” “its what is best for my family,” or “it saves me money to do it this way.”  For example, my family eats organic because I believe it is healthier.  It also happens to be better for the earth since organic farming means less chemicals in our soil, in our water (from run-off), and in our food.  That is just a bonus.   Another example: we compost our food scraps.  Sure, it is great for our environment and it creates less waste in my trash bags but the real reason?  It saves me money and it is great for our garden.  Cloth diapering, line drying, yep, they are both earth-friendly.  Saves energy? Check.  Saves trash? Check.  They are also both very frugal options – that’s why I have done/still do both.

I guess that is why I relate to Walmart.  We have this in common.  We both want to save money and live better and in doing those things we also happen to be making choices that better our environment. Charles Holley, EVP and CFO at Walmart said “it is a win-win-win-win. The customer wins, the associate wins, the shareholders win, and the environment wins.”

One example he gave was the CFL light bulbs.  Walmart set a goal to sell 100 million CFL light bulbs in the first two years that they were available and they beat that goal by 2 months.  By the end of 2010 Walmart had sold 460 billion CFL light bulbs. That equals saving the Walmart customers 15 billion dollars in utility costs. That is the same as saving the emissions for 25 million cars!!

Another example is that they set out to improve their fleet efficiency (trucking all those shipments to the stores).  They did improve their efficiency – so much so that they drove 28 million fewer miles (less emissions and less fuel consumption) BUT there were 65 million MORE cases delivered!  In 2011, $75 million were saved due to fleet efficiency.  And, that is just one example (of many) of how Walmart cut their operational costs, which in turn cuts the cost for the customer, saves the Shareholders dollar, and this decision also helped our environment in a big way.

One of the other things I loved hearing over and over in the meeting was how it was the associates that were coming up with these fantastic ways to save the customer money AND to be more sustainable.  They are the ones working in the trenches day after day and see where Walmart can make better/wiser decisions AND I am always impressed at how corporate Walmart is interested in and acts on what they learn from their associates – the little guys.

This was a fantastic synthesis of all the ways Walmart is trying to become more green all the while staying true to their slogan of saving more and living better.  There was more awesome news to share, more than I can write in one post, so if you’d like to learn more check out the whole webcast.  The 90 minute webcast is up and available for anyone who would like to watch it:  Walmart Sustainability Milestone Meeting 2012

*Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom. This post is sponsored by Walmart. Walmart has provided me with product and/or compensation in exchange for my time and efforts in creating this post. My participation is voluntary. As always, my opinion is my own.

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It’s Easy Bein’ Green

I’ve been part of Seventh Generation’s Challenge to live Greener for a month now and I am very excited about the changes that we’ve made.  I just want to point out that living green isn’t just for hippies… being green is and should be for everyone!  I’m an average everyday mom who just wants to give my family the best, on a budget, so if I can do this, everyone can.  And, I’ll bet you’re already doing a bunch of green things unknowingly – because a lot of green things are frugal and just make good sense!

For example, here are some of the green things we were doing before the challenge that were frugal or just made sense to me… and what you know they were “green!”

  • packing lunches in reusable containers
  • recycling cardboard and soft drink cans
  • reusing plastic bags and/or carrying reusable bags to the grocery store
  • Buying fresh ingredients instead of pre-made/processed foods (less packaging)
  • Filtering our water and carrying it in glass reusable bottles instead of buying bottled water
  • Composting food scraps (vegetable and fruit peelings, coffee grounds, egg shells, etc)
  • Reusing containers
  • Reusing packaging paper for drawing paper
  • Using CFL bulbs
  • Hanging and reusing bath towels
  • Rewearing clothes like jeans, dress pants, etc. that aren’t dirty before laundering
  • Cloth diapering
  • turning off the water when brushing teeth
  • line drying some of our clothes
  • Using a green laundry detergent (Charlie’s Soap)
  • Use rechargeable batteries
  • Use up stuff in the fridge  and fresh foods so we’re not wasting food

I’ll bet you’re doing a lot of those things already too!

Here are the new things we started doing and it is so easy it hasn’t hurt us one bit!

What other things are you doing that you can recommend?

Seventh Generation and Walmart challenged me to take a month and share the things I’m doing to make my home greener.  You can see what other Walmart Moms are doing, too. Sheena from Sophistishe, Monica from MommyBrain Reports, Jenn from Frugal Upstate and Jenna of Green Your Decor are also participating. B

Disclosure: I am a participant in the Walmart Moms program. Seventh Generation has provided me with products. Walmart has provided me with compensation to blog about attempting a more sustainable household for a month. Participation in this program is voluntary. All opinions are my own.

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Changes in Personal Care

Image Credit: The Gloss

Slowly but surely we’ve been ditching the chemicals around our home.  Already, I have cleaned out my cleaning cabinet and replaced my old chemical cleaners with natural ones.  Some of them were store bought from the Ecostore, Seventh Generation, or Charlie’s Soap and other are homemade, made from a few simple ingredients.

But, cleaning products that we use in our home aren’t the only changes that we’re making.  We’ve been switching some of our personal care items as well and have been sticking with it for the last month and a half.  I wanted to share some of the solutions that I’ve found.  If you haven’t shopped for natural personal care products, you might be in for a little sticker shock.  The price on good products runs high.  In some cases extremely high.  But, I’ve found a few products that will do the trick with good results and won’t leave you pennyless.  This is one area you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled for sales and coupons and coupons are scarce in this department (although kiss my face frequently has coupons online and on store shelves).  I’ve been able to find most of my products reasonably priced at Earth Fare and still others I order online.

First, I’ve cut back on my regiment… way back.  I use to use an arsenal of products.  I’m slowly but surely whittling them down.  This is really the first step in making your cosmetics and personal care products more natural…become more natural!  I want to smell good and look good, so if that is what you are in to as well, I hope you’ll find some of my finds helpful!

Here’s what I’m using (but I’m still searching and welcome your thoughts and suggestions!):

  • Toothpaste: I’m using Tom’s of Maine.  I like several of their “flavors” including new Wicked Fresh and my old favorite, cinnamon.
  • Bodywash/Soap: I’ve found several acceptable products including Everyday Shea.  It is by far the best product for the money that I’ve found.  One of the things you have to stay away from in commercial products is “fragrance.”  When the word fragrance is in the ingredient list – stay away!  But, it isn’t the scent that is bad!  It is the chemicals they use to make the fragrance.  So, I love that I can still have a lovely scent with Everyday Shea – because they use natural, essential oils like lavender, vanilla, and mint. We also like the Kiss My Face Bar soaps, our favorite is the olive and honey bar soap.  I have ditched the shaving cream and am using body wash in its place.  So far, so good, and it is one less product I have to buy and use!  For Judah I love the smell of Kiss My Face Orange U Smart Bubble Wash.  It has a lovely orange scent and has a great lather for body wash and can be used as bubble bath too!  A little goes a long way!  Although, since all the soaps we are buying are natural with short ingredient lists, Judah could really use the same soap as we are.
  • Shampoo: My husband has so little hair (and has since we’ve been married) that he just uses body wash all over – no shampoo needed!  However, I have to have my shampoo.  I haven’t tried any yet… but I’ve got my eye on Kiss My Face Big Body Shampoo.  I’ve also been tempted to buy Whole Foods 365 Everyday Value store brand.  The price can’t be beat and grapefruit might smell great!  And, Everyday Shea has a very affordable one as well, in the same scents as their bodywashes.  I am getting ready to make the switch here, so I’ll let you know how it goes!
  • Face Lotion: I’ve ditched them all together and have been using almond oil in its place.  And, the result has been terrific!  I dab a little on a cotton ball and apply it to my face.  Then I use my fingers to massage it into my face.  I was afraid it would be greasy feeling, but it absorbs right into my skin.  I can even apply make-up right afterwards if I want to.  Look for a good quality oil right in the cooking aisle.  That is about as natural as you can get!
  • Make-up:  I have to be honest and say while I’d love to be able to go “au naturel,” I have really uneven skin and red splotchy patches that I really dislike.  While I have been limiting myself to a little foundation, a dab of eye shadow, and some mascara – only on the days when I’m going to work – I just can’t seem to give it up all together.  So, I am exploring some more natural brands but I haven’t settled yet.  But, my make-up bag has definitely gotten MUCH lighter. =)
  • Hairspray: Another fail.  I am still using my nasty aerosol hairspray.  Until I find a hairstyle that I’m happy with that doesn’t require it…I’m not sure this one will change. =(

So, there you have it.  That is what we’re using.  And, while it isn’t perfect, we’re doing our best to make smarter switches and to eliminate products too!   I’d love to hear what products you’ve found that are both affordable and hard working!

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At Last, a Natural Deodorant That Works – Soapwalla Deodorant Cream

I’ve been on a quest for healthier personal care products.  I’ve been reading labels and reading articles and trying to determine what is safest to buy and what to stay away from.  If you’re new to shopping for safe and healthy cosmetics and personal care check out the Environmental Working Group’s site, Skin Deep.  Their Guide to Safe Cosmetics is very helpful and will fit in your pocket when you head out to the store.

Buying healthier personal care is a lot like buying healthier food: the shorter the list of ingredients the better.  However, finding safe personal care is a lot harder because reading the labels of shampoo, deodorant, or lotion seem more like reading a periodic table of elements!

I’m making lots of changes and slowly but surely I’m ditching the chemicals from our lives.  After much reading I decided deodorant seemed like one of the hardest challenges and most important challenges when it comes to making a switch from traditional to natural cosmetics.  First of all, my reason for switching is that some research shows that there could be a link between the aluminum in deodorants and antiperspirants and breast cancer in women.  Aluminum is a toxin and it has also been linked to Alzheimer’s and brain disorders.

So, all this sounds kind of scary, right?  But the truth is…no one wants to stink!  I know I don’t.  The last thing I want is to show up stinky to an important meeting!  Everything I read online about making the switch to natural deodorants didn’t sound so good.  It seemed that natural deodorants had been left wanting when it came to making people feel and smell fresh.

That is why I am very excited to share that I have found a terrific deodorant that has held up to the sweltering heat here in Georgia.  Soapwalla’s deodorant cream has held up even during these weeks of 90′s even 100 degree weather and has kept me stink free!

Another thing I love about this product is that it was made by hand in the owner’s Brooklyn apartment kitchen.  It is made with care and the product is good!

I have to admit, it took a little getting used to at first.  It is a cream…not a stick like I was used to. However, it is just like rubbing lotion into your skin and it doesn’t feel as weird as I originally thought it would.  It is made with peppermint and tea tree oils, so the scent is nice.

My husband and I use it.  The scent is neither feminine or masculine.  And, IT WORKS for both of us.  Strong enough for a man…ah, you know the rest.  The cost is $10 for a pot of this miracle cream.  And, it will last a while.  But, I have a treat just for you and your wallet!

Right now, Rachel is offering WholesomeMommy readers 10% off their orders!  Until September 15th, customers who enter “WSM10” in the messages section during Etsy checkout will receive 10% off their order, which she will immediately refund via paypal. So, give it a try for yourself and let me know what YOU think.

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle FUN for Kidlets

At our house we try to look at items before we toss them out to find out if there is something else we can repurpose them for.  Sometimes containers can be reused for storage or craft projects or other things.  I’ve got a whole file folder full or fun crafts that children can make and do out of recycled materials.  I’m just waiting for Judah to get a little older so that he can do them!

However, I’ve recently came  across a great way to repurpose something I have a lot of lying around my house and have a little fun with Judah at the same time.  I’ve discovered that a lot of my packages have been packed with paper in order to keep the products from shifting around.  Sometimes that paper is nice, long sheets of what I call butcher paper.

I’ve been folding it up and saving it for drawing paper for Judah.  These big sheets of paper make for tons of fun for us and it’s the perfect canvas for little hands that are just learning to use crayons.

Judah uses Clemetine Art’s natural crayon rocks.  These crayon rocks, like all of Clementine Art’s products, are made from natural, certified nontoxic, and environmentally friendly ingredients.  They are made of things like soy wax, carnauba wax, beeswax, and  mineral pigments.  I love them because Judah is bound to put these little boogers in his mouth at least once while I’m coloring with him (note – they are a choking hazard for children under 3 but I monitor him the whole time we color).  I don’t have to worry it he get a little git in his mouth!

What are some other ways that you’ve turned recycling or repurposing into fun for your children?

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The Story of Cosmetics

Annie Leonard of The Story of Stuff released the short video The Story of Cosmetics and its been blazing around the blogosphere and Twitter like wild fire. If you wash your hair and body on a regular basis, or use any type of makeup or personal care product, this is a must-see! It’s very easy to understand and only 7 minutes long.

After watching this video you’re likely going to have some questions, like, what does my {hair product, foundation, lotion, deodorant} have in it?  Is it bad for me?  Well, you can look up your personal care products on the Environmental Working Group’s website – Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database.  It will tell you where your product(s) rank and what ingredients are harmful to you.  You can also print off their cool pocket guide to safe cosmetics HERE.

I must confess that this is an area where I haven’t been very aware.  Now that I feel that I have a good handle on what is going IN my family’s bodies I’m ready to focus on what is going ON my family’s bodies.  Most important to me at this point are body washes, lotions, deodorant, and face products (things that are applied and sink in to the skin).  I am doing some of my own research and I’m in the process of locating and trying new products that are better for our bodies.

This is all new to me!  So, feel free to comment and help me out!  Also, be sure to check in and we can learn from each other as we continue on this journey.  I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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Packing a Waste Free Lunch

With school starting here in just another couple weeks I’ve been thinking about getting back into the habit of packing lunches.  I’ve made a commitment to feed my family well, including doing the research to determine what foods are the best and the safest for my family’s health.  In the process, I’ve been using what I already had in my arsenal as far as saving money goes in order to be able to afford these new foods.

One of the most important things you can do to save money while feeding your family whole and organic food is to make sure you use up all your food!  I know I’ve said it before but using what you’ve got is so important.  One way you can use up that food and get rid of leftovers is to pack you lunch!  You’ll save a bundle (and it will be much more healthy) by packing food from home.

I don’t buy a lot of prepackaged products.  You know what I’m talking about, single packs of chips, lunch kits, juice boxes, prepackaged crackers, cookies, or other snacks.  Instead, I bag up my own.  It is much cheaper to buy the big boxes of things and package them into smaller bags all by yourself.  I also try to limit processed foods like cookies, fruit snacks, and other junk food.  We buy these things occasionally, but when I do I try to buy healthier versions, like real fruit leather, wheat crackers with blocks of organic cheese (I slice or shred it myself), and by baking my own cookies.  Instead of processed foods I pick up things like fresh fruit, almonds, yogurt, applesauce, raw veggies with dip, homemade humus and pita chips, etc.

But this year I want to take it one step further.  I want to pack a waste free lunch.  That means getting rid of those extremely convenient plastic baggies and look for ways to pack in reusable containers.  I’m already using a stainless steal thermos for hot items (I got mine HERE), a glass reusable water bottle (I got mine HERE & get TONS of compliments), and small Pyrex dishes for heating leftovers at work (bought at Walmart to replace all my plastic divided plates).  But, I needed to ditch the baggies. You know, for crackers, cheese, grapes, cookies, almonds, etc.  You could just use plastic dishes with lids, but sometimes you just need a baggie!  So, I’ve been in search of reusable bags.  I’ve came across several HERE.

I have Snack Taxi’s reusable snack sack and sandwich sacks.  I love that they are made of funky fabric with velcro closure and are lined with coated nylon.   The coated nylon keeps them sort of water-proof (plastic bag-like) and also super easy to clean.  You can just wipe them clean with a damp rag or if they are really messy you can toss them in the washing machine (they are machine washable!).   I haven’t had the opportunity to try other brands, but I am really happy with these.  They come in lots of cute kid friendly prints and the two sizes are great because the large one fits a nice big sandwich and the snack size is perfect for chips, crackers, fruit, or other bits of things.

I also pack Judah’s snack crackers or dry cereal in the snack sized bag and toss it in the diaper bag.  There are lots of uses for these things … well about as many uses as there are for plastic bags!

Not only will this help the environment by saving plastic bags, this baby step to a greener life will also save me moolah!  That is what we really like to hear, right?  Did you know you could save $246 per school year per person (how many kids are you packing lunches for?!?) just by ditching those plastic baggies!  That alone is enough to push me to make the switch… I love saving money!

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Choosing Cloth Diapers

Before my baby was born I looked into using cloth diapers.  They are both good for the environment and for baby’s behind, as well as WAY cheaper than disposable diapers.  After making my mind up I realized I had forgotten to run it by my husband!  Oops!  So, one day I sprang it on him.  At first he was a little hesitant and had a few questions like, how do you get the poop out. But, he was willing to give it a try.

I did a lot of research, and I must say it can be very overwhelming!  There are so many options out there now – not just your typical cloth diapers and rubber pants your mom may have used!  I had no idea what would work better and where I should order them from to get the best buy.  I read a lot of articles and even posted questions on Twitter to pick other moms’ brains.  Finally, I ran across a great article by a fellow ElevenMom, Amy Clark, at MomAdvice.  (You can read it HERE).  She did a great job explaining what the difference was between the various diapers and covers.  I also found the website www.greenmountaindiapers.com very helpful.

Finally, I decided on prefolds (your typical cloth diaper) and diaper covers as well as Pocket Diapers.  I have ordered 2 dozen infant-small sized prefolds and 4 diaper covers.  I also have 12 one size fits all SmartiPants pocket diapers.

I used the prefolds when Judah was just a newborn and they worked really well.  As he gained a little weight I really grew to LOVE the Smartipants pocket diapers.  What I love about them is that they are very “user friendly.”  You just snap them on and then when they are dirty you  drop them in your diaper pail.  When it comes time to wash them you just dump them in the wash.  You don’t have to take the insert and the cover apart, they come out in the wash all by themselves!   I also love that have snap closures because they last a long time and make it more difficult for your little one to take off by themselves!  Plus, because they have so many snaps you can snap them many different ways to alter the fit for your little one.  This way they can wear the same diapers when they are very small and when they are bigger- a HUGE cost savings.  Other cloth diaper choices (although still cheaper than disposables) come in varied sizes so you have to keep buying new sizes as your baby grows.

The cost breakdown is what made me make up my mind to give cloth diapering a whirl.  The average cost of cloth diapers if you were going to use them from birth until they are potty trained is between $400 and $1300, depending one what you decide on – believe me the cost really varies!  But, compare that to the cost of disposables at about $3000!  If you use the same cloth diapers for baby number two your savings gets even better because it won’t cost you another penny to cloth diaper versus another $3000 to use disposables!  With each baby you use them with the savings just gets better!  And, with cloth diapers you can expect them to hold up through several babies.  I’ve even heard that there are sites where you can resale your cloth diapers and if you take good care of them they will hold their value!

The final chore for me was taking my baby out with cloth diapers.  It seemed a little scary to me.  However, it wasn’t as big of a deal as I thought!  I just packed my cloth diapers with a wet bag (I have used a grocery sack when my wet bag was dirty) and away we went!  They change just like disposables and we didn’t have any leaks!

So, if I can do it, anyone can!  And, I have to admit I have used a mix of cloth and disposables for a while just so I could get used to everything – you know being a new and totally inexperienced mom!  Also, we use disposables if we are going to be away for 24 hours or longer.  But, the task of cloth diapering hasn’t been any harder than using disposables, except I am doing a couple more loads of laundry.  But, I have found that I am doing laundry non-stop with the baby any way so who’s counting?

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Washing Your Cloth Diapers

Once I ordered my diapers and they arrived, the next hurdle was determining how to launder them. It really isn’t as scary as it sounds!  There are a hundred different ways to do it and everyone has to decide what works for them.  But, here is what I do.  I have a diaper pail that has a lid.  I put wet diapers straight in.  For poopy diapers, I swish them around in a clean toilet bowl and wring them out, then I add them to the pail.  About every two days I dump all of the contents into the wash and do a cold rinse cycle.  Then, I do a wash cycle with detergent.  After the washer fills up with water and it swishes the detergent around I turn the washer off and allow the diapers to soak in the water for several hours (and sometimes over night).  Then, I turn the washer back on and let it finish washing.  I usually run one more rinse cycle just to make sure all the detergent is out because detergent residue can give your baby a nasty case of diaper rash or skin irritation.  In the summer I hang my diapers on a clothesline to dry (and I have been known to hang them over the bar stools in the dining room!).  Besides saving energy, hanging them on the line outside also eliminates stains!  Sunlight really works – try it!  I also  put all of my diapers in the dryer in the winter.  If my diapers have poopy stains I use Oxiclean spray and leave it for a minimum of 24 hours before laundering as usual.  And, if they are really bad, I bleach the inserts – but NOT the covers.  This brightens them right up!

What kind of detergent do I use?

I have literally tried them all!  I’ve used lots of name brand detergents and off brands as well as “green” or environmentally friendly varieties.  I like Charlie’s Powder the best.  As I mentioned earlier I like Oxiclean for a pretreatment and on occasion I use Biz detergent for soaking or bleach although this is not part of my regular routine.  If I don’t have Charlie’s I use Biz and on occasion I have used Purex naturals.   You have to figure out what works for you but one thing to keep in mind is that “free” versions of detergents (as in free of dyes) that sounds really great but something in it is not great for cloth diapers. Read the label- do not use anything containing “whitening enzymes”. Above all, DO NOT use Arm and Hammer Fabricare Advanced Powder Detergent. It has whitening enzymes in it which apparently “eat” skin causing severe rashes. Avoid whiteners and brighteners.  Tide, Ivory Snow and Dreft are considered harsh and are also not recommended for regular use.

If you talk to other cloth diapering mamas you’ll get a thousand other tips and washing scenarios.  I tried dozens of detergents and lots of different methods and finally came up with what works for me and it is likely that you will too!

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