In June, our family participated in the Father's Day Run for Prostate Cancer. At New & Green we ran a few promotions and decided to donate a portion of the sales for June to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of BC. We want to do our part in ensuring every Daddy we meet has the longest, healthiest life with their little one. So, thank you.  For your support, for shopping with New & Green and for helping us to give back.

Hey all you Rockin Green Fans, If you've purchased a bag of Rockin Green from N&G lately, you could be a winner.  We started delivering orders from the batch of detergent that was being randomly packed with Green Tickets.  We'll be getting one more shipment of detergent that may have winning tickets in it, so make sure you check your bag and let us know if you are a winner! Here’s how it works:

• Purchase a bag of Rockin’ Green Cloth Diaper Detergent
• Open up the detergent bag (stop and smell the aroma of course), and look to see if you have a green ticket!
• If you’re a lucky winner, then redeem the ticket using the printed code for a chance to win up to 150 prizes ranging from a bag of Rockin’ Green Cloth Diaper Detergent (scent of choice), a Shake it Up!, a Rockin’ Green Bundle…or one of two grand prizes
  • Two concert tickets to the Ticktmaster event of your choice (event value up to $250)
  • A year supply of Rockin’ Green!

If you didn’t find a green ticket – fret not, play again. The tickets are going in bags at random so you never know when it will be your chance to win! So let’s get this party started! Be sure to spread the word on Facebook too to make sure all your Rockin’ Green family and friends are up on the good news! Kind of reminds us of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory.  Oompa, Loompa.... ;)

No matter whether you have a front loader or a top loader, you've likely tried a few different things to get your wash routine just the way you like it. Today we're posting four hacks to help you know your machine even better.

For Top Loaders

Don't be afraid to change the amount of water you use. Often it's tempting to just set the machine on "extra large load" so that you've got tons of water for washing and swishing and rinsing. However, if you're washing only a day or two or diapers, especially if you use lots of pockets, it can make a big difference to reduce the amount of water so that the diapers aren't just swimming around, but are instead rubbing against each other, which is what gets them really clean. Change the temperature of your water heater, not just the dial on your washing machine. Many detergents activate most efficiently between 55-60° C (130°-140°F), including Rockin’ Green, which is also the range at which most bacterias are killed. If you reduce your water heater to this temperature range, you'll not only save money on your monthly bill, but you'll get the most efficient wash as well.

For Front Loaders

The secret in the detergent drawer... Many HE washing machines arrive in your home set to use liquid detergent. Some cloth diaper manufacturers even tell you that liquid detergent is the only way to really get your diapers clean - but you already know the right temperature, enough water, and an appropriate wash time is a dynamite combination with any type of detergent, as we've discussed several times in our laundry science series. It's easy to change your machine to accommodate a powdered detergent, such as Rockin' Green or Country Save. Just open the detergent drawer and either pop out the detergent cup or raise the bar that's there and you are now equipped to just scoop your powdered detergent straight into the detergent slot - no more fussing around dissolving your powdered detergent in warm water! Fantastic! Check out the Front Loader Database. We've written several posts on how to tweak your wash routine to make life easy with a front loader, but the owner of Rockin' Green Soap has taken it even a step farther. She has put together a database of different brands of front loader machines and specific wash routines that tend to work with each model. Check out the database, use the information, and submit your own routine if your own works well for you!  

Photo credit - apdk

One of the best perks to cloth diapering is the money you save by using reusable diapers instead of disposable ones. When you can use all those diapers for a second child, your savings are multiplied - not to mention you get to keep using all your favorites! Here are four tips for packing your diapers away to keep them fresh and protecting your investment.

Wash them with plain ol' hot water

Wash all the diapers to store away in a hot wash cycle without any detergent. This will make sure to remove any detergent residue that may be lingering on the fibres that can eat away at elastics and synthetic fabrics over time. It will also make sure you start without any residue when you unpack them again. Also, if you decide not to use them with another child, it makes them all the more ready to donate or sell!

Put the diapers through an extra dryer cycle

You want to make sure your diapers get packed into their storage containers completely dry so that no mold can grow. Put the diapers through an extra dryer cycle or outside for a full day on a hot, sunny day to make sure they are thoroughly dry all the way through, especially for fitteds and AIO's.

Use sturdy, dry storage containers

Rubbermaid-style totes are ideal for this situation, as they offer dry storage, keep insects and dust out, and protect the diapers in case of unforeseen circumstances, such as leaking pipes and flooding. Large garbage bags can also work, but be sure to store them off the floor and set them in a place where they won't get ripped open. Avoid cardboard boxes or baskets that can facilitate mold and mildew growth. In our moist BC climate, spores and fungi grow easily!

Store them in a temperature consistent place

Put your storage containers in a place that won't vary considerably through the seasons - that is, avoid damp garages, storage sheds that get super-hot and humid, and basement suite closets that have no air circulation. This will make sure moisture can't infest your lovely fibres to grow molds and mildew. Taking care of your diapers will ensure that they last you for years, saving you time and money. Do you have other tips for storing cloth diapers for long-term?

Photo credit - Robert S. Donovan

It's summertime and it's that wonderful time of year when many parents choose to potty train. Reaching the milestone when your child is ready to understand and (dare we say) celebrate using the toilet is a monumental one - if you're at that time, congratulations! In that spirit, we thought we'd offer a few pointers for making the switch from using diapers (be they reusable or disposable) to using cloth trainers. (You can also read a few of our previous blog posts and tips on cloth training pants, along with visiting our Toilet Training page.)

An introduction to trainers

Cloth trainers exist for the same reason that disposable ones do - to provide "support" for your little one when he or she is ready to move out of diapers but not yet ready to be full-time in underwear. They catch the dribbles and small messes that are inevitable during this time and they provide a bit of extra time to get to the potty. The biggest difference with cloth training pants, however, is the immediate feedback your child gets when the trainer gets wet. Disposables are so well designed these days that they lock moisture away from your child's skin, and thus there's very little bio-feedback for your child when they've eliminated. With cloth, however, there is the sensation of being wet, which often translates into a child more quickly learning his or her body's urges and the sensations that accompany them. Cloth trainers also save you beaucoups bucks. If your child uses training pants for six months, the cost for disposable pants is easily well over $300. If you invest in cloth trainers, the cost is approximately $78, regardless of how long your child needs them.

A potty training tool

Training pants are a wonderful, helpful tool in whatever method you choose to use in helping your child learn to use the toilet. However, they are not substitutes for diapers - trainers are designed to catch a few dribbles here and there, but not as much as a diaper. Also, to anyone who has ever had to take off a poopy trainer (since trainers are designed to pull on and off like underwear), you know that that's only something you want to do if you really have to - diapers make dealing with poo nice and simple, while trainers..... not so much.

Bummis makes bums cute!

Bummis training pants are one of the best-crafted, most reliable training pants on the cloth diaper market. Even better, they're Canadian made and super-kid (and parent!) friendly. Kids can pull these on and off easily by themselves, which boosts their confidence and doesn't rely as heavily on you in the later stages of potty training (always a plus). We've raved about them on our product page, so be sure to read all about them!

Your Turn

So, mamas (and papas) - what tips and tricks did you use when you were potty training? How did training pants help (or hinder) your endeavors? Leave a comment!