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The winner is Heather, who loves Kickin’ Creations sugar scrubs and detergent! Heather, I’m emailing you, thanks to everyone who entered!
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I am leaving the giveaway survey open since I’ve only received 72 responses, but the results are overwhelmingly in favor of the form.
7 of 72 said they don’t like the form, and the comments indicated that the reason was because they could not see the # of entries. I wanted to remind you that I update giveaway posts 1-2 times per day with the # of entries received. If you are ever wondering how many entries there are between my updates, feel free to email me and ask! I did make the font larger and bold in case it was being missed.
Here’s why I like the form:
- It’s super easy to enter
- Email address stays completely private, only I see it.
- I can see a summary of responses received, which allows me to see the most popular bonus entries as well.
- I can also remove email addresses from the form, save a copy, and email it to the sponsor if they would like to see what people liked. I will never share email addresses with anyone, including sponsors.
- Comments that are not entries can be left on the post, and I do not have to close comments after the giveaway is closed.
Someone did ask how exactly it works for me to choose winners. All information entered goes in a spreadsheet, timestamped, in the order entered.
Each entrant is on a line, and each entry is in a column. As entries are received, I put a # beside their entry. For example: If the first entrant has the mandatory entry and 3 optional entries, I write “1-4” beside their name. If the second entrant has the mandatory entry only, I write “5” beside their name. At the end of the contest, I close the form to new responses, choose a winner with random.org, and look for that # on the spreadsheet.
I always email the winner as well as posting the winner on the blog. I’ve been listing the winner’s name as it was listed on the spreadsheet and I know that has some flaws. I’ve been there when the winner was annouced as “Maria” only to find out it was Maria Q. not Maria M. (me). Email addresses don’t always have a hint as to the last name, sometimes they appear to be a last name but are not, or are maiden names, and sometimes there are two Marias with the same last initial, so that’s tough! Feel free to list your name as “Maria the Marvelous,” “Maria at change-diapers.com” or whatever will help you recognize it’s you, just in case you miss the email!
If you are interested in using the forms for giveaways on your own blog, I recommend playing around with the form to see how it will look to you on the spreadsheet depending on how you lay out the form.
Please remember, you can email me anytime, whether you want to check to see if you already entered, ask me to add a bonus entry you forgot, or see what the current entries are if it’s been a few hours since I updated.
I would love for you to leave comments on the post about what you like, what you think about the product or my review etc.
Since I allowed multiple choices, the % will add up to more than 100%. I wanted people to be able to tell me they liked just a few methods, and still tell me which methods they preferred.
The favorite bonus entry options were Following via GFC, Liking me on Facebook and liking the sponsor on Facebook.
I of course want to please everyone, but that’s not always possible. For those who don’t like the comment form because they can’t see the # of entries, is my updating the post daily or more sufficient? Or do you want to see real-time updates? The majority of my entries seem to be within a few hours of posting the giveaway, then they trickle in after that, so counts should be pretty reliable.
Here’s my plan: Keep the form and keep the entry methods simple. There are around 10 giveaways coming in October, so count on a mandatory entry and 2-3 bonus entry methods. One will always be there to benefit the sponsor (if it’s not self-sponsored) and the others I will try to change up a bit. Though GFC follow seemed to be the most popular, I would prefer to allow people to choose the way they follow.
I would love to hear anything else you’d like to say about my giveaways. I realized that I should have put an email address option in case you wanted me to answer a question for you, but I wanted the survey to be anonymous.
In other news: You may have noticed a new blog design. It’s still a work in progress, I hope everyone thinks it is OK. Let me know if you have any trouble with it!!
Also: I added a winner’s page. Clicking this will take you to all winner announcement posts, just in case you missed one!
Be sure to check out the “A Year of Fluff” Post to see what’s in store! I’ve added tentative dates and additional review/giveaway items!
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Every Monday I will answer user submitted questions. They don’t have to be about cloth diapering! I’ll always answer questions via email, but if you would like your question to be answered in a Mailbox Mondays post, send an email with the subject “Mailbox Mondays” to Maria at change-diapers dot com.
Please note: My intent is to get a queue of questions for the next several months, so it may be some time before your submission is posted. If you would like me to email my response so you don’t have to wait until your question is posted, let me know!
Kristina says:
Hi, I am interested in trying out Wool Covers. What can you tell me about them in terms of care and usage. Thanks!
Kristina
Wool is fantastic! I was initially a little afraid of wool, but it was so much easier to take care of than I imagined. I have Kissaluvs, a Mobums and a Little Beetle cover. The Mobums review has step by step photos demonstrating how I wash the covers.
I rarely have to wash them, you know you need to when they start hanging on to a urine smell (or if they are soiled.) Otherwise, just air them out between uses.
I use liquid lanolin that I found at my local organic store to lanolize when they don’t seem to be as absorbent, but there are any number of lanolizing products out there. Using a lanolin containing wash (like Eucalan) will greatly reduce the frequency with which you need to lanolize.
Wool was my lifesaver (over a super-absorbent fitted) for night time, when my son was a super soaker!
Does this answer your questions? What else do you want to know? How about my readers? Do you use wool?
Crystal says:
Maria,
I have been having stink issues with my hemp gDiaper inserts. I have tried just about everything, including stripping multiple times, a little bit of bleach in the wash, I switched to Rockin Green detergent, and I wash at least every 2 days. And I have tried sunning (all day in Florida heat) when I have the time, which I try to find the time at least once a week. The smell isn’t ammonia, it’s just a funkiness, and it comes out of the washer and dryer smelling this way. We have no rash problems cropping up, just the smell. Any ideas on something else to try?
Thanks,
Crystal
What have you been using to strip? It seems that sometimes adding things make stinkies worse. I would try running the inserts through several cycles on hot, with water only; no detergent or additives. See if you are getting any suds or residue in the water.
I know you said you already tried bleach, but after you’ve made certain they are rinsed clean, try 1/4 cup of bleach in the bleach dispenser with only the inserts in the wash.
Do you have hard water? It may be mineral deposits causing the funk. Try the Rockin’ Green hard rock if you haven’t already, or try adding calgon water softener.
Sorry I wasn’t more help, you have tried most of what I would have done already!
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When I think “Staples,” I think of office supplies (love office supply stores by the way, I’m weird, I know.) I really don’t think of cleaning products, let alone earth-friendly products. Staples does sell things like coffee, snacks and bottled water, as well as cleaning products, to make it a one-stop shop for an office or small business.
They have just introduced a new line called Sustainable Earth. The products are ammonia and phosphate free, and meet the Green Seal Environmental Standard for household cleaners. The line consists of Mult-Purpose Cleaner and Glass Cleaner. 32 oz bottles sell for $2.99 and one gallon refills sell for $9.99.
I had the opportunity to try the Sustainable Earth Multi-Purpose Cleaner.
I used it to clean my counters, vanities and sinks. All of my surfaces were clean with no streaks. I used it with a microfiber towel that I received with a diaper (I prefer to use sewn inserts in my diapers.)
I ended up going on a bit of a cleaning frenzy and dusted everything, including our wood blinds. They are so hard to get dust-free but it worked!
It didn’t work as well on glass, so I’d recommend using the glass cleaner instead!
I tried cleaning it again with a clean rag, but it was still streaky.
I ended up using windex (shame on me, I know!) to get it clean. I’d be interested to see how the glass cleaner performs, since the multi-purpose cleaner worked so well on other surfaces. I never have good luck with multi purpose cleaners on glass!
The Sustainable Earth Multi-Purpose Cleaner contains Bio-based ingredients, and the ingredients read: Water, cleaning agents, corn-based ethanol, fragrance and colorant. It has a mild scent, but I think it would be fine without the fragrance or colorant. I’m also very curious as to what the cleaning agents actually are.
I am always happy to see affordable, “greener” options in mainstream stores, I think it’s a step in the right drection!
FTC compliance: I received a 4 oz. sample container of Multi-Purpose Cleaner for review purposes. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this post.
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Each Friday, I will post cloth diaper, babywearing and “green” giveaways that I’ve found, or that readers have submitted. The post will be accompanied by a linky where you may enter any family friendly (no “adult” products please!) giveaways, they do not need to be diaper related.
If you have a cloth diaper/accessory/babywearing/green giveaway you would like to be listed in the next giveaway roundup post, please email a link, blog name, giveaway title, end date and photo (if applicable) to maria at change-diapers dot com.
This week’s giveaway finds:
Treehugger Mama Cloth from Crunchy Beach Mama (ends 9/27)
FuzziBunz One Size Diaper from Wee Little Changes (ends 9/23)
Apple Cheeks Little Bundles, wipes, wet bags from AppleCheeks (several winners) (ends 9/24)
AppleCheeks Little Bundle from Monkey Tales (ends 10/10)
$1000 Super Stash Giveaway (several winners) from The Cloth Diaper Blog/Diaper Junction (ends 10/13)
GroVia Diaper from Wishing Penny (ends 9/25)
Moo Moo Kow Diaper from Mama to 3 Blessings (ends 9/27)
Peculiar Notions Diaper from Coping with Frugality (ends 9/20)
Babee Greens Diaper from Organic Girl (ends 10/14)
Pbutterjelly75 Cloth Wipes from Love Lives Here (ends 9/22)
Katydid Diaper from The Small Town Mom (ends 9/27)
Little Comfort One Size Bamboo Diaper from Dirty Diaper Laundry and Otter Babies (ends 9/27)
Ittybittybums A12 from Biehl Adventures (ends 9/20)
Tot Wraps Trainer from Arizona Mama (ends 10/2)
Ergo Baby Carrier from Simply Stacie (ends 9/27) Open to the U.S. and Canada
BabyKicks Organic Fitted from Biehl Adventures (ends 9/21)
Planet Wise Hanging Wet/Dry bag from Natural Baby Giveaways (ends 10/13)
Thirsties Duo Diaper from Hot Tips 4 U (ends 10/6)
Babee Greens Diaper from The Cheap and Choosy (ends 10/15)
Mother-Ease Sandy’s Fitted Diaper from your World Healthy & Natural (ends 9/30)
Knickernappies Superdo Insert from The Cloth Diaper Report (ends 9/24)
Thirsties Duo Wrap, Dup Hemp Prefold and Stay Dry Duo Insert from The Shopping Mama (ends 9/30)
Sage Diaper from The Review Stew (ends 9/30)
Mother-Ease Diaper from Biehl Adventures (ends 9/23)
Giveaways still running from last week:
Mother-Ease diaper from The Momccupation (ends today, 9/17)
Ergo Baby Carrier from Mama B (ends tomorrow, 9/18)
Doopsy Diaper from Cloth Diaper Addiction (ends today, 9/17)
Monkey Snuggles Pocket Diaper from Mama B. (ends 9/22)
Mother-Ease Sandy’s Fitted Diaper & Air Flow Cover from Big City Baby (ends 9/28) Open to the U.S. and Canada
Whamies Wet Bag from The Cheap and Choosy (ends 10/5)
SoftBums Diaper from Stuff Parents Need (ends today, 9/17)
Knickernappies Diaper from Wee Little Changes (ends 9/26)
Nifty Nappy Fitted Diaper from Mom to Bed by 8 (ends tomorrow, 9/18)
DyPeas Pocket Diaper from Mommy is Green (ends 9/20)
WHAMies Pail Liner from The Cheap and Choosy (ends 9/30)
Thirsties Duo Wrap & Hemp Prefold from Chubby Cheeks Thinks (ends 9/21) Open to the U.S. and Canada
Snap EZ diaper from Organic Girl and Dapa Diapers (ends 10/4) Open to the U.S. and Canada
FuzziBunz Perfect Size Diaper 3-Pack from Well Born Baby (ends 9/30) Mandatory Facebook Like
Moo Moo Kow Diaper from It’s Me Melbie (ends 9/25)
You may enter any family friendly giveaway in the linky below. The form Blog name – Giveaway Item – Ending date works well. At a minimum, please include the item and end date, and link directly to the giveaway.
Please view my post on where I list my giveaways to find more great places to link up!
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Maria wants to live in a world where cloth diapers are the norm and moms can make parenting choices without judgement. When she’s not chasing her 18, 14 and 11-year old kids around, you might find her checking out the latest gadgets, organizing something (again) or exercising in the fresh air. 
