Earth Day

Earth Day is one of my favorite new holidays!!  I know that sounds very "tree-hugger-ish."  I love that there is a day that pushes change and eco-friendly options...and sales.  One of my favorite cloth diaper (and MUCH MORE) retailers, Cotton Babies, is giving $10 off $50 for four days with everyday free shipping...and no, Lee, I didn't order anything.  I just love that eating organic, buying healthy products, and living better is more affordable at least one day out of the year. 

The hospital where I work has decided that now they are a "green" employer because "it's the right thing to do."  While I do have issues with their reasons, I am very exited that there may be some opportunities to be more involved in living "greener" at my place of employment...to make an impact on patients...little babies...and the community we serve.  We had an Earth Day fair and it was quite successful.  I hope to be more involved next year, but I was so very excited to see my local growers group there!!!

I copied this idea from Mommy is Green, but here are some of the changes you can make today to celebreate Earth Day:
1.  Using essential oils to freshen the air instead of candles or products that contain synthetic fragrances (phthalates).  I don't use essential oils but only use clean burning candles and absolutely no synthetic fragrances.
2. Swapping traditional soaps that contain synthetic ingredients like triclosan for castile soap. I re-use foam soap pumps from organic hand soaps that I've bought (Jason Kids Foaming Soap and Clean Well orange foaming soap) and then refill with 1/4 castile soap and 3/4 water.
3. Giving up store-bought bottled water for filtered water in a reusable bottle.  We've done this for almost 10 years, but have avoided all bottled water for about 2 years....although I still swear Dasani puts something irresistable in their water.
4. Bringing reusable (washable too) bags shopping. I love, love, love my Environsax bags.  Some stores like Target have started giving 5 cents for each bag you bring, but I really try to always use mostly reusable bags and reuse any plastic bags in bathroom trash cans or to collect recycling to take out to the recycling bins.  Some stores like EarthFare have completely abandoned using plastic bags.
5. Cloth diapering for the majority.  We use cloth diapers 100% of the time at home, 75% of the time running errands, and 50% of the time travelling.
6. Using soap nuts to wash my laundry.  Ok, so I would love to be on board with a more natural laundry detergent but I tried one and was NOT impressed.  Nothing like Tide to get out stains...seriously, it is the only thing that worked with our cloth diapers.
7. Replacing paper towels with washable rags most of the time.  I need to be better at this.  With kids it is so irresistable to grab a paper towel.
8. Switching my toxic cleaners for more natural ones (e.i., using oxygen bleach in place of chlorine bleach).  I use chlorine bleach for only two purposes:  sanitizing cloth diapers once every 1-3 months only if I have ammonia issues and to clean the jet system in our bathtub.  Other than that I only use baking soda and vinegar to clean...except for Clorox wipes (gasp) and Scrubbing Bubbles flushable toilet bowl pads.  Toilet bowl brushes with the bristles just sitting by the toilet simply disgust me.
9. Consuming and buying less. If I don't really need it I don't take it home.  Amen.  Lee would disagree with this, but I really, really have done well with only buying things that I really, really like.  He doesn't know how much I do pass up :)
10. Buying stainless steel, glass, or wood instead of plastic whenever possible when a new item is needed. This isn't always feasible but I love using these materials over plastic.  Honestly, I can't remember the last time I opted for plastic except for popsicle trays for the freezer.

Here are some of my own changes:
--slowly increasing stash of reusable sandwich/snack bags for lunches
--using wool dryer balls
--recycling usually 2 bins of items every 1-1.5 weeks
--trying to limit garbage to 1-2 bags a week
--donating toys
--buying 25-50% of our groceries from a local growers group
--using cloth trainers in addition to cloth diapers
--using leftover drinking water for plants
--avoiding artificial dyes and preservatives
--growing vegetables
--couponing

Cloth diapers: $$$$

After researching several diaper cost calculators and estimates, the average cost of disposable diapers is around $75 as best as I can tell.  At some point I might go back through my son's diapering costs and come up with a more accurate amount.  This cost should also include disposable wipes and diaper pail refill costs.  That means that we would have spent $900 the past year on just diapers.  By my best estimate, that means we have already saved $400-500 dollars in one year alone, and I am predicting that we probably have at least another 12 months of diapers.  The savings is not including the money we will also recoup by selling her cloth diapers (yes, there is actually a popular market with 50-70% resell value). 

Product Review: Ladder Hill Update

Ladder Hill Tinkle Time Trainer Update: So the designer remade two of the trainers with a bamboo velour on the inside. It is definitely much more absorbent than the cuddle fleece that was previously used. It is much softer, and it seems to absorb all over inside of spots.


I still prefer to stuff the trainers that have snaps vs. pullup style, and we have not had leaks yet with either style. We have not used these heavily since we have a decent rotation going. The only other recommendation I would make is to sew a stitch all the way down the insert to keep it from bunching at the end. The doublers tend to bunch/curl on the outside as well, but I’m really not sure how to prevent that.

Our leaks seem to have decreased, but we are also using 3 inserts in almost every trainer. Kai is starting to wake up dry more and more often so that is a good thing!

Overall: 8—I would say that I am pretty happy with these. They don’t seem to be leaking quite as much as when we first started using them, but two have different fabric now. We are also adding an extra doubler. I really appreciate the help from the designer. I feel better about recommending trainers with the new bamboo velour.

Product Review: SuperUndies cloth trainers

After all of our leaks with Ladder Hill Tinkle Time Trainers, I decided to try one other brand that seemed to be made specifically for overnight use. Super Undies makes daytime trainers but they also make a Super Undies Nighttime Underwear. Their website says “Most children have 100% success of non-leaking with these.” What??? Most everything else says not intended for naps or nighttime. Even better, these come with a 14 day guarantee. The only thing that kept me from ordering several was the cost. In the end I decided to try one and if they were as good as I was reading, I would save up for more or sell some other trainers.
These are pullup style, which are harder to stuff but leak less if they are pockets, but these only have a short pocket to stuff. The soaker is like an insert and doubler in one that is sewn in so you never have to search for it after doing the laundry. That amazing thing is that it agitates out of the short pocket in the wash so you don’t have to worry about unstuffing it before washing it!! Yes, I know only another cloth diapering mom really cares what I’m saying!



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More about the design…the inside pocket is soft and stretchy lycra. The only disadvantage is that sometimes that area of the trainer takes a little longer to dry but not much. There is a 3-layer soaker built in under the lycra, then the additional 6-layer soaker is sewn into the back and tucked into the short pocket. The front pocket also allows more absorbancy to be added if needed.

More about the use…these have been bullet-proof. We haven’t used them every night because I only have one for him, and we also have a large rotation of other trainers. We have not had a single leak after about 6 uses, though. Super Undies come with all sorts of recommendations about how to improve absorbance if you experience leaks and other reasons for leaks. They are very upfront about helping solve any issues. I feel like a I can’t go wrong if we run into issues.



Efficiency: 10—We have not had any leaks!! These are soooo easy to prepare after they are washed and dried, and they take about 3 seconds to put on. They are not puffy whatsoever, no gaps around the legs, and extremely soft feeling. I love, love, love that the soaker pad is sewn in (I am a big all in one fan) and takes 2 seconds to stuff. It’s really not like anything else I have seen. I hope to add more of these to our trainer stash!!!

Green: 9.5—No more pullups. These are so well made that as long as C doesn’t mind rocket ships they will absolutely last for 2 kids. The only downside is they take a little longer to dry since they are like a combination of an AIO and a pocket. I’m thinking a few more wool dryer balls and will help. I also noticed that I missed that you are supposed to turn it inside out to wash. This almost always helps with drying so I might have to go back and change this to a 10!

Cost: 7—I think $30 is high for a trainer. It is built for overnight, but if they were priced lower I would definitely have bought more of them. It takes a lot of pullups to equal the cost of one trainer so that might deter someone who is interested in saving money more so than being eco-friendly. I think we will get our money’s worth, but these are one of the most expensive trainers that I have come across.

Overall: 9—These are my favorite trainers so far. I like ones that snap because Kai loves unsnapping them but these are easy for him to pull off, too. They have not leaked, and they are so soft and comfortable looking. The fleece has elastic built in so there are no gaps, and these fit perfectly. Again, I can’t say enough how much I love the built in/sewn in soakers. The lycra makes it super simple to stuff (no pulling, tugging, twisting), and there is plenty of room to add another insert if needed. I would definitely recommend saving up for one or a bunch of these!

Wordless Wednesday

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Product Review: Ladder Hill Tinkle Time Trainers

The first trainer that I decided to try is from Ladder Hill Designs. Hope has a licensed pattern called the Tinkle Time Trainer. One of the best things about working with Hope is that she does customs!!!! This means that you get to pick out the fabric and customize the trainer (I can see my husband rolling his eyes and trying not to sigh). This means you can get your toddler much more excited about his new "underwear" and make potty training even more successful. Now Kai may have gotten just as excited about blue or green pull-ups but he truly loves and brags about keeping his firetruck, turtle, etc. trainers dry. The other amazing thing about working with Hope is that she asked me for Kai's measurements and then told me exactly which size would work best.


I LOVE these trainers. They look so "handsome" and they are extremely well-made. The stitching looked very professional and I was very impressed by the style. You can customize them to be "pull-up" style like regular underwear or get them with snaps on the front. I still can't decide which style I like better. I got 3 of each. The pull-ups do a much better job at preventing leaks. The snap trainers are MUCH easier to stuff.

Both styles come with a pocket opening in the back to stuff either a prefold (think Gerber cloth diaper tri-folded but better quality) or you can order the inserts that Hope sells to go with them. The insert is wider, and if you order a doubler (smaller, to increase absorbancy) it comes with snaps to snap on top of the insert. The pull-up style then has a small opening at the front to help pull the insert into the trainer (the snap version does not have nor does it need this extra opening—super easy to stuff).

I really cannot say enough about how much I love the design. The only problems we have had are with leaks. Again, Hope has been a blessing to work with. I cannot say our problem is entirely solved, but her communication and offer to help has been amazing. She has even agreed to replace two of the trainers with a different fabric to see if it helps with the absorbancy issues.

Some things I have tried to prevent leaks by stripping them in hot water to be certain that there was no buildup of detergent or fabric softener (which we do not use anymore on even regular laundry), add another doubler outside of the pocket, and making sure that little boy parts are pointing down.

Some days we have leaks and some days we do not. Some days the trainers are completely dry so it's hard to tell if they would have leaked. Some days the trainer is just super saturated. Other days it seems like they could be more absorbent.

I still think these are well made. I know Hope is now using a different fabric on all of her trainers so I will give an update when I get two of them back. It’s hard to troubleshoot because Kai is starting to wake up dry more often, and we also have 6 different trainers in 2 different designs.

Efficiency: 6—I would rank this much higher if I was certain it we had not had so many problems with leaks. There were days when we had to wash sheets twice a day, and I wasn’t expecting to have issues with leaks from the get go. The issue does seem to be absorbancy related at times when it’s not very saturated, but adding a doubler outside of the pocket seems to help. Some of the leg openings have stretched and aren’t tight. One has elastic, but the others do not. Some are nice and tight but others leave a little gap. All are supposed to be the same size.

Green: 8—I would have said a 10 without all of the extra washes we did after leaks, but all of the troubleshooting and extra work involved factored in a bit.



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Cost: 8—These cost about $15-18, which is comparable to other trainers, but then the inserts and doublers are in addition. With an insert and a doubler inside the pocket and another doubler outside of the pocket, the cost does add up. For offering to replace two of them with a different inner fabric that were leaking the worst, I give a lot of respect to the designer!!  Still less than disposable pullups!!!

Overall: 7—I love the look of these trainers, but I wish we had not had so much trouble with leaks. I like that they are thick but not puffy under pajamas. I don’t like having to use two doublers but I am glad that it seems to be working. I wish the fleece on the inside didn’t seem to only absorb in spots. The fleece around the legs seems to be loosening, but it does not seem to make leaks worse at this point. They are extremely well made, and I think the new material will increase efficiency.

Product Review: Trainers

We made the transition to cloth diapers for Caitlin without much trouble. In fact, I loved them. They make disposable diapers feel so scratchy and paper like. I felt really good about our decision, but I was not sure what to do about Kai. He was starting to potty train so I knew our cost would go down substantially once he was day trained. However, I expected him to need some sort of diaper or pull-up for naps and nighttimes for quite awhile. That has been an accurate assessment. Some days he wakes up dry and sometimes he goes days in between.

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I finally felt convicted enough that once he ran out of the diapers I had stocked up with coupons and sales we would switch to cloth trainers. I had already decided not to do disposable pullups for the expense but mostly due to the fact that he could tell a huge difference between underwear and diapers. I just think pullups are too much like diapers. So I went on a search for cloth trainers.

My biggest frustration was that most trainers were for "one accident" or just daytime use. They are not intended for nighttime or even naps due to the strong tendency that toddlers are "heavy wetters." I must have looked at 20 brands…pocket trainers (like a pull-up but need to be "stuffed"), all in ones (AIO, but likely not absorbent enough), snaps in the front, pull up style without snaps, snaps in the back, snaps on the side, pockets of all shapes and sizes. The other frustration is that while you do not need nearly as many trainers compared to diapers the trainers usually run $15-30 each.

The next two reviews I will look at two of the different trainers that are our favorites. Some of the other brands you may want to look at…Happy Heiney's (heard from many moms that these are puffy and don't always fit great), Snap EZ, and Tot Wraps (found on Hyenacart).

Product Review: Northern Essence

I am a big fan of coconut for diaper rash. It has wonderful healing properties and usually clears up rashes right away. It can also be safely used with cloth diapers. However, it just was not cutting it with Caitlin’s last diaper rash. It got to the point that I knew something was going to have to be done or else she was going to get skin breakdown. I starting researching other cloth diaper friendly creams. Several of the recommended brands had lanolin or zinc. Both of those are ointment bases and usually are not water soluable. I could not determine if they really rinse out of diapers so I did not want to take the chance. I started seeing several rave reviews for Northern Essence. After looking at their ingredients and testimonials, I ordered some immediately.


I ordered the “All Natural Diaper Salve.”

Our Diaper Rash Salves have always been one of our top sellers around the World and by far a customer favorite for years now! Our Diaper Salves contains only ALL NATURAL ingredients such as Healing Calendula Infused Oil, Therapeutic Meadowfoam oil, Natural Shea & Cocoa Butters, with a blend of beneficial Essential Oils. They contain NO lanolin, petroleum or zinc. We carry our original Diaper Rash Salve and our Sensitive Skin Diaper Rash Salve. For those little bums that are a bit sensitive, we have removed the tea tree & lavender essential oils and added other beneficial essential oils, a clean fresh citrus scent.

I also ordered the “Better Butt(er) Cream.” This stuff is amazing.

Finally a diaper cream that you can use when your baby has a yeast infection, that will NOT irritate it! Safe to use on cloth diapers. Contains no Essential Oils, only conditioning oils and butters including: Hemp Butter, Shea Butter, Meadowfoam Oil and many more. We have added Grapefuit Seed Extract in it, then we triple whip it to give it a fluffy appearance and super smooth texture. Fragrance free.

The diaper salve comes in a push stick to apply directly to baby’s skin. It does have a pretty strong smell, but it works! Her rash was gone in a day. I use this often at night just to prevent rashes. I use the butt(er) cream on top of the salve particularly after a dirty diaper. It seems to allow the salve to work while protecting the skin until the next diaper change. The butt(er) cream is sooooo smooth and creamy. It’s thick without feeling like an ointment. I like that it has no smell and thoroughly protects the skin.

It is recommended to use the products within 6-9 months which should be no problem. Whenever Caitlin has a rash I can use either of these two products and the rash is always gone before the next diaper change. We still use and love coconut oil but both of these products are great for more serious rashes.

Efficiency: 10—Rashes are gone within 1-2 diaper changes. The diaper salve healed areas that were starting to break down.

Green: 10—I felt much more comfortable with these ingredients on my daughter’s skin and they are totally safe on cloth diapers. I love that the butt(er) cream is scentless.

Cost: 10—1 oz push tube $3.95, 2 oz $6.95 for the diaper salve; 2 oz tub $6.95 for the butt(er) cream. Cheaper than triple paste (my old favorite) and same price as boudreax’s butt paste (Lee’s favorite).

Overall: 10—LOVE it. I will get the unscented diaper salve next time, but it works so well.

The power of sun

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Did you know that the sun is one of the most powerful and popular items mentioned on cloth diapering forums? It often comes up on a daily basis (yes, I know I am a dork for reading cloth diapering boards). Every couple of days or so someone complains again about getting all the stains out, or a particularly stubborn stain. Time and time again, others chirp in about the sun.

Not only does the sun have powerful bleaching properties, it also has powerful antibacterial properties. On the off chance your baby gets a diaper rash (esp bacterial or yeast), the sun is often all you need to rid your diapers of any culprits. It really takes first hand experience to be quite amazed. I had diapers that I knew the sun would not turn white, but it did!! I had diapers that just had little smudges that I didn’t even care about, but they were absolutely pristine after leaving them in the sun (yes, I described a diaper as possibly being pristine).

Cloth diapers have a pretty high resale value (50-80%) and often times moms will carefully describe if the diapers have been sunned or not before selling. It’s widely accepted that the sun is one of the most powerful cleaning tools. It is best to lay the diapers out wet and let them fully dry in the sun. If you have a particularly stubborn stain you can also use a little lemon juice (wash the diapers again afterwards). However, the sun has always taken care of every stain by itself for me. It also works in as little as 1-2 hours if you’re in a hurry, and it works on cloudy days, too

In summary, some of the benefits are:

--NO energy (but your own)

--gets rid of odor

--gets rid of stains

--gets rid of bacteria

--conversation starter

Our cloth diaper picks

, CottI had every intention of being a much better blogger!  I really am going to get back in the swing of things!!  I've even thought about taking a day off work to go sit at Starbucks and just recipe plan and blog.  Funny, Lee isn't going for it!

I had a friend ask about cloth diapers and that was really all the inspiration I needed to get back on my bandwagon (soapbox).  Cloth diapers have become extremely confusing.  Gerber is now the lowest of the lowest and people pay upwards of $30 for a boutique diaper.  It can actually be quite addicting.  Now spraying diapers still isn't my favorite thing, but I will take them over disposable diapers any day (NEVER thought I'd say that).

What I thought I would do is write a little bit about what we decided to use and how we do things.  My favorite hands down is Bum Genius all in ones.  It basically looks just like a disposable and takes the same amount of time or less to use.  The absorbant soaker is sewn into the waterproof layer.  It has velcro tabs which make it a cinch to use.  It is the diaper I usually grab first for overnight.  The only dowside is they really need to be turned inside out before putting them in the dryer so that they dry in a reasonable amount of time.  They are considered one of the most daddy-friendly and easiest to use.  They're pretty thin, too.

My second favorite (and I think Lee's favorite) is the Bum Genius Flip system.  It's either called a hybrid (because it has a disposable insert option) or and all in two (because there are two parts).  It is basically a cover with a glorified insert.  The best part is that it is super thin and you can reuse the cover over and over (until it gets pooped on).  It also has snaps which are much more durable in the long run.  You only need a few covers and a few more inserts.  It is one of the best options that I've found.

Some of the others that I have tried are Ella Bella Bum (pockets, very trim, much lower rise for less bulk), Dypes by Dixon (pocket, MINKY, minky, minky, so soft, fairly trim but bulkier than some of my others), Doodle Dypes (all in 2 but not resusable insert, the insert lays in the diaper but the water proof layer is hidden so can't be reused as a cover, CUTE, cute, cute, but the soaker/insert has to be folded under which just always folded awkward and made it bulkier in the diaper area), BeBe Britches (very similar to Doodle Dypes, super cute, but the soaker was just too big to be folded under).

Some of the favorites that I have read or heard about from others: Fishnoodles, Bottom Bumpers, Rumparooz, Bum Genius 4.0 pockets.

As always, please leave a comment if interested or if you have questions.  I love to talk about cloth diapers and don't always get a chance in "real life."  Most people think I'm crazy (for good reason!).  Off to put some diapers in the dryer...

Product Review: Diaper sprayer

I'm pretty sure that this doesn't even apply to anyone that follows my blog, except on the occasions my husband shows me how much he truly loves me by spraying diapers, but the next product I want to discuss is my diaper sprayer.

I'm not sure how people cloth diaper without it.  My parents have told me horror stories of dunking and swishing plastic pants and diapers when I was a baby.  I've heard everything from dumping what you can in the toilet and that's it to scraping with a knife.  The purpose of this post was not to gross anyone out!!  I promise!!  However, if there is every anyone that read my posts on cloth diapers and is even remotely interested in using cloth diapers, I didn't want to leave this very important item unmentioned.  It makes cloth diaper messes a breeze!!!

Most of the brand diaper sprayers/bidets sell from $50 but there is a Sigma brand sprayer on eBay for $25, which is where I got mine.  There are also several tutorials on how to make your own.  It's very simple to make but when I actually priced all of the parts at Lowes it was over $30.  I definitely wanted a shut off valve since it was going to be in the bathroom where Kai takes his baths.  That was really my only requirement.  I really like that this brand has variable pressure with the shut off valve.

If you think spraying diaper off is gross, you might not have potty trained a toddler.  Kai started potty training at the exact same time we switched Caitlin to cloth diapers.  Let's just say I got over the ick factor very quickly.  I would highly recommend this to anyone who might cloth diaper.  Again, not to gross anyone out, but I don't think I could deal with the mess without one.  Stains and odors are highly minimized, and I don't worry about my washing machine having to wash all of it out.

Ease of use: 10--I had it installed out of the package in about 10 minutes or less including the time it took to get all of the tools together.  The pressure is high enough to rinse but not so high that I've ever sprayed myself in the face!
Affordability: 10--Cheaper than making it myself.  I've used it for 4 months with no leaks and I plan to get at least 2 years out of it.
Efficacy:  10--It does what it says.  Simple as that.  I love the shut-off, variable pressure valve.
Overall:  10--I have no dislikes or complaints.  It hangs on a nice little hook by our toilet.  I use it almost daily and I would recommend it to anyone who cloth diapers hands down.

Cloth diapers

I've been wanting to do this post for awhile but there is so much to write.  Being a pharmacist I like for things to be as scientific and OCD (CDO as I like to call it--rearranged alphabetically), and I just haven't had time to put in the research that I would like.  There are numerous claims about all the chemicals in disposable diapers, but the diaper companies do not have to list all the chemicals so it's hard to know what's what.  To be perfectly honest, the main reason we switched was for economical purposes (not surprising if you know anything about my husband and me!!).  I have to say it is by far one of my favorite switches.  I LOVE cloth diapers.  I love the way they look, the way they feel, the way I don't have to buy anymore (yeah, right!), the way the fit.  I really don't even mind the washing.  If anyone is ever reading this and is on the fence about cloth diapers, you can't go wrong!!  In the next few posts, I'll write about why/how we switched, the different types, and what we use ( including our wash routine, which is highly personalized).  I really can't say enough about how much easier it is than I thought and how good I feel about making this switch. 

Detergent Review

So you saw the pictures...I was surprised myself.  Is that not a little gross?  The first picture (clear) is Rockin Green detergent, and the other (murky) is Tide.  I have to admit, I have loved Tide for a long time and I love the smell of "clean."  I was pleasantly surprised when I got married that Lee preferred it as well (it's the small things in life).  We've never used anything different.  It wasn't until I starting researching detergents for cloth diapers that I ever even considered switching.  If it weren't for that I can guarantee you that it would not have been one of my babysteps anytime soon.  After our Tide runs out (yes, I'm still using it up), I guess Lee and I need to have a heart to heart ;)  I think I'm also going to have to run some stain tests before he'll be convinced that the "green" detergents actually clean as well.  Here is what I have learned thus far...

Most commercial laundry detergents, like Tide, contain enzymes, whiteners, and brighteners.  Sounds clean, right?  Where it starts to go bad is that they are not required to list specific ingredients.  Some of the unlisted ingredients are phthalates (harmful to wildlife in lakes and streams) and 1,4-dioxane (a petrochemical carcinogen).  1,4-dioxane is not easily removed from water.  See this excellent article which also provides of a list of products that contain the most and least 1,4-dioxane:  http://www.naturalnews.com/028846_laundry_detergents_dioxane.html. 

My favorite diaper detergent is Rockin Green (RnG).  Here is a list of their ingredients: sodium carbonate , sodium percarbonate, natural chelating agents, sodium sulfate, biodegradable surfactants, natural fragrance oils (if scented is chosen). 
Seventh Generation also does a fantastic job of listing the specific chemicals that they use and explaining what each does.  Charlie's Soap and Bio-Kleen are some of the other green favorites in reviews.

I have to admit I'm still researching this babystep.  It makes sense to me why you don't want whiteners, brightners, and enzymes coating your clothes like the murky water in my cup.  Basically they bind to your clothes and make them reflect light, add colors to cover up dirt, and cover odors.  However, I'm fully aware that just because a label says natural and eco-friendly doesn't not mean that it's entirely safe nor does it mean it will clean well. 

I do know that most of the enzymes, whiteners, and brighteners will bind to cloth diapers and repel moisture instead of repel it.  Most detergents can also build up and cause stink issues so it's extremely important to use a low-sudsing, clean rinsing detergent on diapers.  It makes me feel very good to see how RnG dissolves in water in my cup.  So for now, it was an easy babystep to use RnG on the diapers.
This are the two best detergent reviews for cloth diaper detergent comparisons:
http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentchoices.htm
http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html