Planet Wise Wipes

Feb 22,2010 / By Maria / 8 Comments

The color is a little weird on the photos in the next few posts. When you have munchkins you gotta do what you can when you can. Thusly, I had to take photos when it was getting dark, plus the mountains of snow we still have outside make things look awfully weird.

Anyway, I’ve been looking for an on the go wipe solution for a while. I don’t change tons of diapers while out and about, so the plastic cases tend to allow the wipes to dry out before I use them all. I also think they’re really quite bulky for the amount of wipes in them.

I like the little 10 packs of wipes that just come in a pouch with a resealable sticker closure, but I can’t find 10 packs anymore!

In my wish list post, I was wishing for the Planet Wise wipe pouch but it was out of stock forEVER.

I FINALLY got it! Yippee!!

I’m wondering if it was OOS so long because it was changed slightly. The photos I saw before had it zippering on the long end, but what I got zippers on the short end.

They are stacked and then folded, making the pouch full of wipes really quite trim.

They are really quite thin, and single ply. However, folded in half, they are about the same as the double thickness wipes I made out of burp cloths. When you think about it, you don’t want them to be too thick, or you will have a big brick of wipes in your diaper bag.

They seemed to shrink in size a good bit after washing, and fluffed up a little bit. I folded each one singly knowing that if I didn’t, I’d end up yanking them all out at once trying to get one.

With all ten wipes in the pouch, it was quite fluffy, probably as thick as a plastic travel wipe case. Of course, you can smoosh it if you need to!

The very first photo in the post shows it with just 5 wipes in it.

When I’m out and about, I take my wet/dry bag with diapers and wipes. I usually leave this in the car, unless I’m going to be in a single place for a while (like when we go visit my parents). This will work just fine to tuck it in the dry section.

The thing I love about Planet Wise bags is that they won’t wick, not even from the zipper (as long as you have it locked closed). So, you can mix up some wipe solution, dunk and wring the wipes, and put them in the wet bag. Stick the wet bag in with your clean diapers without worrying about getting them all wet!

This brings me to my dilemma (I’m so good at making a long-winded post even more long-winded!) When we’re at home, I just use a squirt bottle. I’ve been looking for a small travel size squirt bottle, but I have several issues. First, even the smallest travel size squirt bottles are pretty large, as well as expensive (in my opinion anyway, $3 for a squirt bottle??) Then I’d have to worry about it getting squished/crushed, dropped or leaking. It takes me so long to go through wipe solution in the squirt bottle, that it would probably get kind of icky after a while.

So, I could pre-moisten the wipes instead. I have some issues with that too. I might go a whole week without changing a diaper away from home, then next week I may use 6 travel wipes in a single day. If I pre-moisten them, I’ll be using a lot more solution. Would I pre-moisten all 10, or just 5 at a time? Would I then wash them all when I got home, or would I just wash the ones I used and then freshen up with new solution?

Would I wash the whole shebang once a week or so to keep it fresh? I don’t want to over wash and cause more wear than necessary. I don’t want them to sit and get icky, but then I don’t need to add one more step to getting everyone ready and out of the house either (storing them dry and moistening before we leave)!

I’ll have to just play around and see how it goes. This is the hardest part for me. I need a plan darn it! It’s so hard to just figure things out as I go.

In any case, I still really want to find the little 10 wipe pouches of Lansinoh (my favorite, they smell so good and are so compact!) Pampers, or Huggies wipes to keep in my purse for emergencies. If you see any of the smaller count pouches anywhere, please let me know!

Detergents WAHM made

Another Addiction

Jan 10,2010 / By Maria / No Comment

>Well, cloth diapering is addictive enough. Throw in Lil Outlaws‘ great products and delicious scents, and the case is closed. I’m addicted.

I had been spending an unhealthy amount of time looking at all the fragrance descriptions already, and when I found out that there was a Buy 4, Get 4 Free Sale on the detergent, I really wanted to buy. The sale ran only through December 31st, and she warned that her prices would go up in 2010. So, I bit.

I have a really hard time choosing scents, but I’m loving everything that I’ve chosen. I prefer powdery florals or light, clean scents.

Here’s what I chose:

2 Baby Bee A fragrance cocktail of luscious fruits such as peaches, mandarin oranges, coconut pulp, bergamot, grapefruit, tropical guava, and tangy lemons. I like baby clothes to smell baby-ish and this was the only baby scent she had available at the time. Butt Naked is my favorite.

Biolage Matrix top notes of forest fresh green leaves and lemon zests, and well rounded with fruity notes of peaches, apples, and pineapples. A very fresh fragrance that will entice and energize your day. (similar to the shampoo)

Quince A duplicate of the Henri Bendel* fragrance, this fragrance is a light amber woody accord with a splash of fruit and nuance of green.

Yacht Club Want to go yacht sailing on the ocean on a mid summer morning? A fragrance reminiscent of upscale living with salty marine notes and fresh rain, with just a hint of fresh strawberry and kiwi to provide this scent with a well-rounded presentation.

Lotus Blossom The lotus flower is a symbol of beauty, purity, and fertility. Lotus flowers are water-fresh, clean, and slightly powdery in nature. Not too sweet, absolutely perfect! Even people who do not like florals will love this aroma!

Lemon EO

Rice Flower & Shea A very light scent. This duplicate of the BBW* fragrance is a rich bouquet of fruits and flowers on an intense, alluring base of musk and creamy vanilla notes.

I actually didn’t get the Rice Flower & Shea but I contacted Jacklen and she is sending a replacement out to make up for the mix-up.

The scents I’ve tried previously are Baby Bee, Baby Powder, Butt Naked, Giggles, Midsummer’s Night and Laundromat.

All the scents are fabulous, but I found myself sniffing the Quince, Lotus Blossom and Yacht club over and over. Lotus Blossom and Yacht Club are definitely my new favorites. My typical M.O. is to “save the best for last” but I went ahead and cracked open the Yacht Club so I wouldn’t be tempted to use too much to zip through it and get to my favorites. LOL!

I had an empty 4 quart oxo pop container, and I stuck 4 bags in it to contain the smell and keep the bags neat. The detergent is typically sent in a heat sealed bag with a printed label, but this time it came in ziploc bags with the scent written in sharpie. She was really busy with the big sale of course!

I would like to get some .9 Qt containers to keep the detergent in, like the ones I use for my baking stuff, but they’re a little pricey.

For now, I have the opened bags in ziploc containers.

Uh, yeah. I may also have a little label maker addiction.
I also learned something about Lil Outlaws. I am of course a numbers gal, so I had figured out the cost per load and how long each bag would last, based on the assertion that each package contained 70 loads of 1 Tablespoon each. I was figuring there should be 4 3/8 cups, or just over 1 Qt in each bag. I was confused when I realized there was only about 3 1/2 cups in a bag.

So, I asked and found out that Jacklen does it by weight. She figured that each load weighs .45 oz, or 31.5 oz for a batch. She always puts at least 2 pounds in a bag, but sometimes puts more, therefore each bag may have a slightly different amount.

It immediately all became clear. “Product sold by weight, not volume. Contents may have settled during shipping.” Sound familiar? I think we’ve all gotten a half empty box of cereal before! I have no idea why it didn’t occur to me before. In fact, I’ll bet if I measured the same 1 Tablespoon, it would be considerably heavier for me, after being packed and shipped, than it was for Jacklen when she weighed it right after mixing. So that accounts for the difference in volume and assures me that I could use less and still get the same cleaning power. Shew.

Here is a video that’s more food related, but shows why you should weigh, not measure, your food if you’re watching your calorie intake.

Anyhoo, now that the mystery is solved, I can drool over the other Lil Outlaws scents. I really want to try the “Rump Solution” for my wipes, but I still have about half of the Booty Cubes I bought. One cube makes 1 cup of solution, and that 1 cup in a spray bottle lasts me 1-2 weeks. Argh. Cost effective, yes, but I’ll never get through it!

Here are the other scents I think sounds scrumptious (though I’m not typically into fruity stuff!)

Amazing Grace – A feminine fragrance that will make you feel pretty…oh so pretty! Italian bergamot and sparkling lemon are sweetened with freshly picked citron and neroli. A white floral jasmine, orange blossom and rose are blended with sheer musk and cedarwood.

Blackened Amethyst – A seductive fragrance created for chic, confident women who like to “live a little”. This fragrance combines aquatic top notes with Italian bergamot, rare camellias, and lime; followed by notes of exotic sandalwood and vetiver.

Pink Lime – Top notes of lime, dewfruit, peach, orange, apple, and mandarin blend with middle notes of lily, berries, jasmine, and lavender into a sandalwood, raspberry vanilla, musk, coconut base.

Pink Sugar – Lively floral with top notes of bergamot, orange, strawberry and licorice. The heart blends red fruit, lily of the valley, fig leaves and soft powder notes. The base is a cotton candy, vanilla, caramel, musk and woody blend.

When I eventually get the rump solution, I’ll probably stick to butt naked, oatmeal milk & honey and baby powder.

Other scents that aren’t in stock now, but caught my eye before are moonlight path, winter candy apple, pink watermelon, white tea & ginger, white nectarine & pink coral, and nectarine mint.

You can’t waffle around on this because if a scent is in stock now, it might be sold out when you check again in an hour. It makes it fun to try new things, but also frustrating sometimes. She is offering fragrance sniffies now, but by the time you decide, it will probably be out of stock!

The good thing is that since shipping is included, you can order one bag here and there as scents you like come in stock. I’m sure my husband would kill me if I bought any more though. Hee hee.

Cloth Diapers Detergents

A new year and a little recap

Jan 8,2010 / By Maria / 2 Comments

I’ve been cloth diapering now for around 12 weeks.

I’ve done a lot of boring estimations and calculations. The conclusion is that the diapers I’ve purchased have paid for themselves. That includes all money I’ve spent as well as gifts and gift certificates.

Money isn’t why I switched to cloth, but it sure doesn’t hurt. Also consider that with disposables, that money would be in the landfill. With cloth, I could stop cloth diapering tomorrow and be able to make a decent amount of my money back by selling the diapers, or at the very least, pass them on to someone else.

I know that the devil’s advocates will have something to say about the cost of washing the diapers. The lil outlaws detergent I’ve been using doesn’t cost any more than a decent “baby” detergent, and in fact costs considerably less when taking advantage of Jacklen’s sales. We have well water, therefore there is no cost for the water. I have an HE washer, so there isn’t much hot water used. I hang diapers to dry and the inserts take no time to dry in the dryer. I’ve noticed no change in my electric bill. Often, I’ll go ahead and throw my son’s clothes in with the diapers also, making it even more efficient.

The real reason I switched was for my son’s health. Since cloth diapering, his bottom is totally clear. He gets a tiny bit of redness when he dirties his diaper, even when changed immediately. A thin layer of Grandma El’s and he’s good as new by the next diaper change.

My son wore a disposable diaper for a few hours one day and literally had raised, red welts on his bottom. I actually love cloth diapering, but even if it were tons of work and very expensive, I’d still do it!

Saving a good $3 per day doesn’t hurt either!

Made in the USA Wet Bags & Pail Liners

Planet Wise wet bags

Dec 30,2009 / By Maria / 2 Comments

>I love my Planet Wise small wet bag, but I wanted a few more. You can read more about why I love them in my wish list post.

The colors and prints are adorable.

I got a medium, to give me a little more wiggle room than the small I have now (that holds 2 diapers but it’s a tight fit).

I also got a wet/dry bag, which is almost exactly the same size as the medium bag. However, it has a separate “dry” pocket on the outside to hold clean diapers, and also has a snap loop handle. I thought this would be great to keep several diapers in the car when we were going to be out and about for a bit longer and would need more than the two or so I could easily fit in my bag.

I fit four clean diapers with no trouble & tons more room.

I also got a large wet bag to keep in the laundry room to use as a diaper pail basically.

I looped it on the drawer handle for now. It’s awesome! It fits a day’s worth of diapers (10) easily, with no wicking & no smell. Boy does it stink when I unzip it at the end of the day, ha ha! I’ve put dripping wet diapers in it after rinsing, and it doesn’t leak when closed, even if I hold it upside down.

At the end of the day, I just unzip and shake the diapers into the washer. I pull the inserts out and fold laundry tabs in before I put them in the wet bag to make things simpler. Then I toss the bag in too!

You can dry these in the dryer, but I want to baby them, so I hung them to dry. The insides of the bags are PUL.

By morning, it’s dry & ready to use again, but I’d love to have a second one, so I can have one in use constantly.

I wish all of the wet bags had the loop handle. A medium would be great to hang on the dishwasher handle to hold wet towels, dish cloths, and cloth napkins (when I finally get some!) It would also be handy to be able to loop a wet bag around my diaper bag handle. I love the wet/dry bag, but I usually just keep 1 or 2 diapers and a folded up wet bag in my bag for short trips. It workd wonderfully, but would be convenient to hang it on my bag handle instead of trying to shove it back in the bag.

I also got a large “basic” pail liner.

The outside is super soft and it has an elastic drawstring and PUL inside.

I haven’t tried it in my diaper dekor yet. As I said in my post about pails, I’m not sure if it would be worth the trouble, it might be easier to stick with what I’m doing now!

Cloth Diapers Washing Wet Bags & Pail Liners

Pail or no pail

Dec 27,2009 / By Maria / No Comment

>Part of my going with the flow has actually been not using a diaper pail. I went from 3 to 6 to 12 to 15 diapers, so I was/am constantly washing. I was essentially using my washing machine as a diaper pail, which only became a problem when I was doing laundry (pretty much every other day).

When that happened, I just put the diaper sin the utility sink. That’s fine, but it can get a little smelly.

If my husband changes a diaper, he just puts the dirty one there, and I have to fold the laundry tabs and pull the insert.

I’ve been interested in trying a pail liner, probably one with a drawstring, to see if it would fit in my diaper dekor pail. However, since I wash daily, it seems like an extra step. It would work wonderfully if all diapers had their laundry tabs folded in and their inserts removed before being put in the pail, so I could just dump it into the washer and go. Otherwise I’ll be left wading through a dozen stinky diapers to find inserts & tabs. I’d probably still miss one and up with a diaper chain and an insert wadded up inside a diaper.

So the other thought was keeping a wet bag in the laundry room . I wanted to do that anyway so I had a good place to keep dirties after spraying. If I put them all in there, my husband could still just put the rare diaper he changes, into the sink. It’s a short trip to the laundry room, which is outside my kitchen, so it’s really no big deal.

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Category : Diaper Accessories

Planet Wise Wipes

Another Addiction

A new year and a little recap

Planet Wise wet bags

Pail or no pail

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