Must-Know Monday: Cloth Diaper Safe Laundry Detergent

Because we will be cloth diapering Billy, there are many layers for me to peel back and different topics to learn about. Last week I learned all about cloth diaper safe laundry detergents - so I'm here to share what I've learned!! 

Even if you don't have a tot in cloth diapers, you may learn a few interesting nuggets about eco-friendly detergents now! 

All along I planned on using our standard Kirkland Powder Laundry Detergent on our cloth diapers. I'd heard that Tide works well on cloth and is safe, and since the Kirkland is basically a knock-off of Tide (it smells the same to me!) I thought, "We're good to go!"

Then, I started reading horror stories of moms who made the mistake of using whatever detergent they had on hand or detergents they hoped were CD safe. What happened is they ruined their (expensive!) stash of cloth diapers because the chemicals in these 'standard' detergents blocked the pores in their cloth diapers, causing them to lose their absorbency. 

Diapers that don't absorb what they should = leaky, stinky, yucky diapers. That's not welcome on my child, thank you!! (Some moms described the smell like 'a wet dog' or 'very strong ammonia stench' - eww.) 

Knowing I needed an answer from the source, I posted the question on a number of forums as well as the OsoCozy Facebook Page to see what exactly was recommended. I wanted a detergent I could buy in bulk, because I am already at Costco weekly. They were extremely helpful!! 

They sent me this link from Bummis on cloth diaper safe laundry detergents. On another forum I found this link from Pinstripes and Polka Dots spelling out lots of cloth diaper safe laundry detergents.

OsoCozy is the brand I chose for unbleached prefolds, so I knew they would know the answer on how to wash their diapers! They quoted Bummis in the explanation of what can happen when diapers are washed incorrectly that helped me understand why the right detergent is so important: 

"Optical Brighteners are added to many detergents. Words like “brighter, “whiter,” or “cleaner” on packaging are signs that a detergent might include them. Optical brighteners (also called optical bleaches or fluorescent whitening agents) are fluorescent white dyes that absorb ultraviolet light and emit back visible blue light. This gives the impression that clothes are brighter and cleaner – but these dye particles can build up on fabric causing leaking and wicking and sometimes eye or skin irritations. Optical brighteners have also been identified as being toxic to fish and other aquatic life – and some are even capable of causing mutations in bacteria. On top of that, they are very slow to biodegrade. So far, science does not know the full extent of their presence in our environment, and how their presence affects animal health…"

In the end, we discovered that Costco sold the ECOS Earth-Friendly Detergent.

On the two lists linked above, ECOS is mentioned to be an acceptable choice for CDs, so I sent Hubs to Costco last week for a bottle of it. Upon further review, I will unfortunately need to return this product. The specific line of ECOS which Costco sells includes fabric softeners AND brighteners, both "unsafe" for cloth diapers. Bummer! 

Thankfully... yesterday at our baby shower someone gave us a large bottle of BabyGanics Laundry Detergent which is listed on both lists as "Maybe" safe for cloth diapers. 

According to some reviews on the product, it works well on cloth diapers, so I will use it on our cloth diapers for Billy! This week I will begin "prepping" the diapers and get them all ready for our little's arrival.

Can you believe all the things you can learn from researching something like laundry detergent?!

*P.S. Tomorrow I will give a run-down of the baby shower, full of photos!! In short, Billy is the luckiest little boy on the planet.*

UPDATED TO ADD: After 22 months of cloth diapering, I wanted to give you an update! We use Norwex Ultra laundry detergent and LOVE IT. Click here to buy it.  I use Tide Original (powder) with oxyclean on our regular laundry and if my diapers start to get a stink, I use Tide Original (powder) with 1/4C of bleach once a month to freshen them up. I have an old-fashioned top-loader washer so it uses lots of water and gets our diapers REALLY clean!! Hope this helps :) 

Read More

Must-Know Monday: House Hunting

Before I start this post, know that I'm not a realtor.

I'm not even a pretend realtor or someone who understands real estate. I just happen to have been through the process of listing a home, renting a home, shopping for a home and buying a home in the last year.

A few of my friends are house hunting right now and I thought I'd share my two cents on the subject, so take it all with a grain of salt, it's just my own experience!

via

So you wanna buy a house...

• Start by talking to friends in your area who have experience with a local realtor. Using a realtor who is experienced and knowledgeable on the market you hope to buy a home in is essential, in my opinion. Our realtor not only lived in the area we decided to buy a home in, she knew about the builders and layouts of certain subdivisions. Jackpot.
• Plan for the future and do your research. Are you planning on staying in this home when you start a family? Do your research on schools in the area you want to buy a home in. Use websites like Neighborhood Scout to learn test scores and general demographic information for the schools in the area. The suburb we live in has seventeen elementary schools in the district. Seventeen! I wanted to do my research to know our kids were going to a great school. A lot can change in a school in the time you're prepping to have a family, but doing your homework can really help you in the long run.
• Be honest with your realtor and listen to their expertise. If you know you can only spend a certain dollar amount, don't try to be a hero just to see homes bigger than your budget. Being honest will ensure your realtor shows you the right homes. He or she may even have suggestions on other neighborhoods where you get more "bang for the buck" if you're willing to step outside the box.
• Use the Redfin app. My husband and I stalked this app like you wouldn't believe. We had it on every device and refreshed it constantly. It was a huge help in our home search. Your realtor will email you MLS listings daily but the interface on the Redfin app and website is so easy to use - it helped us compare homes quickly and find lots of open houses in our area every weekend. We also received notifications when the homes we liked changed prices or went under contract. 
• Go to open houses. A LOT. Visiting open houses gives you an idea of the housing market before you're ready to shop with a realtor and gives your realtor the day off if you find enough homes in the areas you'd like to live. It is also fun to see homes a little outside your budget to learn why they are worth more and what upgrades put them in that category. Seeing how they are decorated will also give you ideas for your future home! 
• Give it time. This is the hardest one to swallow, because the minute you decide you're ready to buy a home, you want to move in that moment. House hunting can take a long time (it took us months of serious looking, we'd been casually looking for years) and rushing it will only build frustration. 
• Get your funds ready. If you're planning on putting 20% of the total home purchase down on the home you buy, fluff up your savings account so you have that amount plus emergency living expenses and house hunting expenses. Home inspections are a must whether you're buying a foreclosure, short sale or traditional sale home. Knowing what you're getting yourself into before you sign on the dotted line will really help you down the road. Whatever items the inspector finds in the home inspection, plan a budget around fixing them. They may not be "emergency fixes" - as in you can live in the home without doing them - but trust me when I say, you will find things to spend money on in your home. Take care of the suggested inspection issues first before they become emergencies. 
• Don't fall in love. We made several offers on several homes before we found the right home for us. I fell in love with every home we saw that had granite counter tops and a walk-in closet but you know what? Our home has neither of those things. The right home will find you, so be patient and make smart offers. Don't fall in love with the details of a home, make offers on homes in the right location with the right amenities for your family. You will turn it into your home in no time! Cosmetics can change - location cannot.
• Adding onto the "don't fall in love"....Don't panic. When you find a home you love online, don't panic and think "It's going to sell before we can see it!!". Do your research (using Redfin or some other real estate app/website) and learn the history of the home. This research will save your realtor time if you do it yourself - learn when the home went on the market, what the original asking price was and what school districts it is in. Homes with beautiful finishes can shock you and be on the market for months to years before getting scooped up. So relax, your home will find you.

Been there, done that? What tips and tricks did you find most useful in your home search? 

Read More

Must-Know Monday: Sun Shade Options

Summer is coming (right? it's going to come to Chicago this year....) and our plans for our deck continue to evolve.

If you were around last summer, you remember that we had a new deck built. This summer we hope to seal the deck to keep it as beautifully cedar as possible. Once that project is complete Hubs decided he wants to build us a patio table.

Originally we planned to find one on Craigslist or (even better) Freecycle, but once he saw this little wonder online, all bets for a "normal" table were off:

Because why wouldn't you have a patio table with beer buckets built in?! Being an eternal optimist, I love to imagine all the bottles of Tazo green tea that puppy will hold :)

When I got pregnant I read on all the blogs and forums that sleep dissipates as you reach your due date and I always thought, "Maybe for other chicks, but I KNOW I'll be able to sleep."

Funny how irony works, because I am in the middle of week 32 and I maybe sleep two nights a week. The other nights I lay in bed, thinking about things like "If we have this table, how will we get shade on our deck because it doesn't come with a built-in umbrella!" I wish I was kidding, but that really is what I lay awake thinking about at night. 

So, the researcher in me reached out to Google this weekend to uncover my options and these are the final four I've found:

1. Motorized Awning

These are the "Cadillac" of awnings. Priced around $2,400 they will beautifully shade your entire deck space. They use a handy little remote control to roll out and in, giving you as much or as little shade as you'd like throughout the day and evening.

2. Manual Awning

Equally as beautiful as the motorized version, these awnings retract and expand via hand crank and are priced in the $500-$1,000 range. They also cover a large area and can offer as much or as little shade as you'd like for that area.

3. Free-Standing Umbrella

This option comes in around $150-300 and is handy because it's movable, so we can put it wherever we'd like on the deck. If we want to eat in the sun but keep Billy covered in his play pen, we can adjust the umbrella to do just that.

4. Table Umbrella

The classic built-in table umbrella is the least expensive of the sun shade options I've found. They range anywhere from $50-300, depending on retailer and of course are commonly found on Freecycle/Craigslist. We won't have the flexibility of shading specific areas of the deck the way we would if we had a moveable umbrella or an awning, but when it's saving hundreds and hundreds of dollars...which option do you think I'm going to choose?

Who knew something as simple as an umbrella could make me lose sleep at night? Especially since it's snowing here today. Oh, sweet home Chicago.

What gadgets do you use to stay cool outside in the summer? 

(If you haven't entered my Kindle Case Giveaway, be sure to get to that post by clicking right here!)

Read More

Must-Know Monday: Meal Planning

Ironically this week I won't be cooking at all. Not even one meal do I need to cook; that's how many leftovers from birthday celebrations we have. HOORAY!!

While I did already have my Google Calendar full of recipes for the week, I am so grateful the only thing we needed to run to the store for yesterday was my current craving: Bananas. Mmmmmm bananas. (I could eat oatmeal with applesauce and bananas all day. Everyday. Mmmmm)

But back to the point of this post: Meal planning! 

I have now synced my Google Calendar with my iPhone (why did it take me a month to connect those dots?!) and IT. IS. AWESOME to just flip open iCal and see what's for dinner.

That said, I still love to know where everyone finds their favorite recipes.

My best friends and I all love cooking, so we have started this recipe finding/sharing very organically; almost all recipes are found on Pinterest. One person pins and cooks it, then if the meal is successful, she shares and we all repin and try it. I've found some fantastic keeper recipes from this swap!!

Slow Cooker Tortellini Soup

Our favorite fried rice recipe.

I have learned to take Paula Dean's advice: Make a dish by following the recipe exactly the first time, then experiment and make it other ways. This fried rice recipe calls for chicken (which was fantastic), but last week I made it with leftover smoked ribs and it was even BETTER! I love finding ways to utilize leftovers that just won't die.

I've also started finding wonderful sounding recipes on The Chew, but I haven't made any yet. They are all saved on my Pinterest board, I just have been tending to resort back to some keepers I know how to make and know how they taste lately.

Bobby Dean's Cheeseburger Casserole

Where do you turn for new recipe ideas? What are some "keeper recipes" you keep on rotation in your meal plan? 

Read More

Must-Know Monday: Beeswax and Soy Candles

I have a candle problem. As in, every time a certain candle company has a BOGO sale I go a little crazy...

A few weeks ago, someone mentioned to me that they heard a doctor say second to smoking, burning candles in your home is the worst thing you can do for your lungs.

WHAT?!!? BLASPHEMY!!!! 

I HAVE AN ENTIRE BASKET FULL OF UNBURNED CANDLES WHAT DO I DO WITH THEM!?! I love when the smells of my home coincide with the seasons, plus there is something very comforting about that tiny flicker on my table as I cook, clean or bake.

Naturally, my response was to begin research on this questionable subject.

I thought surely more people would know about this phenomenon of candles killing your lungs. There would be Surgeon General's Warnings on candles if they were dangerous for your health....right?

As it turns out, by what I have learned through research, burning candles is only harmful if done in excess. Meaning, one in every room burning every moment you are home, all the time is possibly not the best idea (not to mention burning candles in rooms you aren't occupying is extremely dangerous).

However, I am still a little bothered by the chance these lovely smelling jars can harm myself and my family so I wanted to search for a healthier alternative. This lead me to learn about beeswax candles and soy candles.

You see, the standard jar candles you buy at those smelly stores in the mall (that always draw me in) are almost all paraffin wax candles. If you frequently burn these types of candles in one room, look up. No, seriously, look at your ceiling, specifically in the corners of the room.

You will notice a light black or grey soot forming around the corners of the room, which is a result of the candles. Well, if there is enough soot in the air to collect on my walls, I can guess it's collecting other places.

As you can see, I use a specialty cover over my jar candles to "catch" the soot, which keeps the jars (and my walls) much cleaner so I have to imagine it's keeping the air cleaner as well.

The beeswax and soy candles burn "cleaner", so they don't leave that soot around the top of the candles or around the room. They also burn slower, so while they may cost a little more upfront, they last longer because of their efficient burn and are available in lovely scents just like those jar candles we all know and love.

The moral? I will continue to burn my jar candles, but I'll be sure to only burn them a few times a week for a few hours at a time. When my (outrageous) supply of jar candles has been used (possibly when Billy goes to college), I will be sure to replenish my candle inventory with 100% beeswax and soy options so I am burning the most efficient and greenest candles I can.

How often do you burn candles in your home, or do you use a different air freshening method?

Read More

Coming Soon: Must-Know Mondays

Because I am an "obsessive researcher" Hubs and I thought a fun new segment on the blog would be "Must-Know Mondays".

Once a week I will share some random information I've been researching along with fun photos and articles I've discovered in my search.

Hubs jokes that most people probably research things just by looking on Pinterest, maybe clicking the photo to visit the blog, and sometimes read the articles.

I am the person who clicks the photo, reads the blog post, searches the same subject in Google, and spends the next four hours reading exclusively about that particular subject.

I'll share information on all kinds of fun things like why beeswax candles are better than paraffin, how you really only need baking soda and vinegar to clean your whole house, and tasty, alternative natural sweeteners.

I am very excited to share this new segment with you – not to mention share this knowledge I acquire along the way!!

Read More