Tropical Traditions Laundry Detergent Review and Giveaway

I have three kids.  Three small kids.  Three small kids who go through more laundry in a day than I go through in a week.  (Except the 6 year old.  She hoards dirty laundry in her room until she finally runs out of something, for instance pajamas, and I explain to her that if they'd been in the laundry I could have washed them.)  You can imagine, though, that with 5 people wearing clothes, 3 of those being 6 and under, and one of them being in (mostly) cloth diapers, we wash a lot of laundry!  I typically wash about 8 loads a week, not including The Hubby's work clothes or the diapers.  All told, it's around 12 loads a week!  With all that laundry, my washer gets quite a workout, and so does my laundry detergent budget!

We've talked about Tropical Traditions around here a couple times. 

You'll remember our debut Tropical Traditions review of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil, a delicious and nutritious cooking oil alternative.  You may remember the more recent Powdered Dishwasher Detergent review and giveaway, a detergent that kicks the tail of any "name brand" powdered detergent out there.  Today I'd like to tell you a little bit about Tropical Traditions Powdered Laundry Detergent, which, in my opinion, rivals any other detergent on the market.

I'll start by telling you that I don't buy powdered laundry detergent.  In fact, I'm a bit of a detergent snob.  I've tried a lot of kinds.  I've tried department store detergents, name brand detergents, generic detergents.  I've tried cloth diaper detergents and hypoallergenic detergents.  I've tried liquid and powder.  I've put my family through a lot!  But I've always gone back to my stand-by, a name brand department store liquid.  I was, therefor, a little hesitant to try the Tropical Traditions Powdered Laundry Detergent, but I figured if they could make a believer out of me, they could make a believer out of anyone!

The main reason I don't typically use powdered detergent is because I found a few years ago that it tended not to mix well with the water, leaving some clothes clean, some still stinky, and some with discolorations due to the chemicals in the detergent!  Yes, powdered versions of my "regular" detergent are available, but we only gave them a brief try because of the aforementioned discoloration.  I have been using Tropical Traditions Powdered Laundry Detergent for a few weeks now, and I love the cleanliness of my laundry!  There has only been one time that the laundry didn't come out smelling fresh, and that was simply because I over-filled the washer on that particular load.

Tropical Traditions Powdered Laundry Detergent has a very light, definitely not overpowering, fresh citrusy scent.  It's very light.  Like, have to hold the powder near your nose to smell it light.  Like, I might not smell it when they come out of the dryer, but I can tell that it'll pull any stink out of my clothes light.  Perfectly light.  I love that part!

A little goes a long way!  According to the instructions, a 5 lb jar of Tropical Traditions detergent will wash about 40 loads.  I've found, though, that even for my top loader I only need to use about half of the recommended amount, so I am confident that this bottle will last me for at least 80 loads!  It washes every bit as clean with half the recommended detergent as my "regular" detergent does with its prescribed full amount.

Tropical Traditions Powdered Laundry Detergent is safe to use on cloth diapers!  It doesn't say that, at least not that I've found, in any of the instructions.  I emailed the company, though, and was assured that it's safe!  In fact, the employees use it on their own cloth diapers!

The biggest issue I have with the Tropical Traditions Powdered Laundry Detergent is the price.  I understand, from looking at other brands and types of detergent, that it is very moderately priced in the "natural" household goods community, at $30 for a 5 lb bottle.  (Right now it's on sale for just $16.99!)  I'm used to the "cheap" department store detergents, though, so the price tag is a bit of a shock to me.

I told you earlier that I believed that if Tropical Traditions could make a believer out of me, they could make a believer out of anyone.  Well, my friends, believe.  Tropical Traditions has shown me very decisively that they can stand up to the "name brand" competition, and that their powdered laundry detergent works every bit as well as the competitions liquid!

Would you like to try Tropical Traditions Powdered Laundry Detergent for yourself?  You can!  It's available for purchase, as I mentioned, from the Tropical Traditions site!  For a limited time it's just $16.99, so get it now!

Want to try it before you buy it?  Enter here for a chance to win your very own 5 lb bottle!  (Contest will end Monday, November 21, 2011 at 11:59pm EST and a winner will be drawn the next day!)

I was provided this product at no cost to me in order to facilitate a review.  I was not compensated in any other way.  All opinions are my own.

 

Go Green Giveaway Event

It's here!  It's here!  It's here!  IT'S HERE!!!!

Hooray!  It's finally here!  The moment we've all been waiting for!  The Go Green Giveaway Event hosted by Untrained Hair Mom!  The very first blog event in which My This N That Life has ever participated!  Are you as excited as I am?  Because...well...I'm pretty excited! 

So, here's the deal.  I have three awesome prizes.  AMAZING prizes.  I love all of them and would like to win every single one!  Since I can't, though, I'll let three of you win them!  Sound good?  I sure think so!  All you have to do is enter my simple Rafflecopter form.  That's it!  (I'd appreciate it if you'd follow the links for each of the prizes, though...read a little about them...and earn your extra entries!)  When you're done entering here on my blog, simply follow the link at the bottom...hit up the next blog (#37, Crum's This N That)...repeat.  There are about 50 of us, so your chances of winning SOMETHING are fabulous!  Ready for the fun??  Here we go!

Prize 1: Baby

Tender Tushies

Review:

1 Bamboo Diaper

Prize:

2 Print Diapers and a Wetbag

ARV:

$30

Prize 2: Toddler

Gween Toys

Review:

Gwomies

Prize:

1 set of Gwomies

ARV:

$25.00

Prize 3: Mommy

Tropical Traditions

 

Review:

Powdered Dishwasher Detergent

Prize:

Powdered Dishwasher Detergent

ARV:

$32.00

So what are you waiting for?!? Go ahead!  Enter those giveaways!  Enjoy the game!  I hope you win!  

 

Go Green Giveaway Event Sponsor Spotlight: Tropical Traditions

If you've been a part of My This N That Life for more than, say, 5 minutes, you'll remember that a few weeks ago I reviewed Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions not long ago.

Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is delicious!  It cooks very nicely.  It's natural.  I love it!  It's great for cooking just about anything, which is something I've been doing a lot of lately!  

The trouble is, when I do a lot of cooking, there's also a lot of...well, clean-up.

(Yep, that's a sink full of dishes, and I'm not done cooking yet!  If you look closely, you can see the Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil in a pan of hot water in my sink!)

About a year and a half ago, shortly after I stopped working full time and became a full time stay at home mom, we decided that some certain health symptoms would be reduced by purchasing a portable dishwasher so I wouldn't have to stand at the sink for hours every day washing dishes (thank you, Hubby).  We've been through a variety of different detergents...name brand powder, generic powder, generic liquid...and finally settled on a name brand liquid, which we've been purchasing for the last several months.  It has seemed to be our best option, even though I hate the price and I hate the strong chemical smell when I am adding it to the dishwasher!

Tropical Traditions offered to partner with me for a review of their Powdered Dishwasher Detergent. 

I'm not going to lie--I was concerned about using another powdered detergent because the last one we used left a white residue on ALL our dishes, some of which has not come off after months of re-washing!  I hated the idea that we'd have to go through that again, but I also have this weird love of trying new versions of products I haven't been in love with in the past.

Here's the thing about Tropical Traditions Powdered Dish Detergent, though: I love it!  We've been using it for several days now, and since I feed 3 meals a day to 4-5 people, depending on the meal, I run the dishwasher nightly (or sometimes more).  So, we've run quite a few loads.  There has not been a haze of white on anything!  ALL of my dishes, even some that normally would have needed a second run-through, have come out sparkling clean!  It's working better than my normal name brand liquid!

I don't know how you'll feel about this, but I find that manufacturers tend to over-estimate the amount of detergent you'll need when washing...anything.  So, whether it's my laundry or my dishes, I tend to cut the amount about in half.  With my previous brand name liquid detergent, I was having to use the full amount, but with Tropical Traditions Powdered Dish Detergent I am able to use about half of the suggested amount!

You'll love that Tropical Traditions Powdered Dishwasher Detergent contains absolutely no phosphates or other toxic materials like chlorine!  You'll also love that it can be used in both hard and soft water.  I love that it gets my dishes sparkling clean, and I feel like I'm doing something good for my family because this is a much, MUCH more natural cleaner than I'd been using previously!

Try Tropical Traditions Powdered Dishwasher Detergent for yourself!  You'll be so glad you made the change!  For a limited time, the 5 lb bottle of detergent, like the one I reviewed, is on sale for just $19.99!  That's a LOT of washing!

Be on the lookout, because starting tomorrow, Tropical Traditions Powdered Dishwasher Detergent will be a featured giveaway on my blog as a part of the 50+ blog event, the much anticipated Go Green Giveaway Event!

Haven't gotten your fill of extra entries yet?  Alright, I give!  Visit Tropical Traditions and subscribe to their email newsletter OR follow @troptraditions on twitter!

Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Healthy eating with Tropical Traditions! Review and Giveaway

I didn't expect it, but I suddenly find myself addicted to living a healthy lifestyle.  I find myself seeking out healthier options in everything I do.  Healthier eating is a very high priority for me right now.  I'm doing research and trying to discern what ingredients will create the healthiest diet for myself and my family.

The Scoop 

 As I began searching for healthy foods, I suddenly found myself in the middle of a world filled with oils.  There are so many options out there!  Olive oil, vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, safflower oil, coconut oil...the choices are seemingly endless!  My quest lead me to several websites that spoke about the amazing virtues of coconut oil, and I was determined to give it a try!

Tropical Traditions, to the rescue!  

Tropical Traditions is a company founded by a husband and wife team, Brian and Marianita.  She grew up in the Philippines, and as a couple with 3 children they returned to the Philippines.  After reading about the benefits of pure coconut oil, they made it a mission to create the purest coconut oil they could and began selling it.  Tropical Traditions employs farmers who work the land and extract the oils by hand.  

Brian and Marianita eventually had to leave the Philippines, but were disappointed in the quality of the foods they could buy in the grocery store versus what they were used to buying from farmers in markets.  They found that they were able to make products that would support their healthy lifestyle!  Thus, an entire line of Tropical Traditions products was born!

Tropical Traditions generously sent me a 32 ounce jar of their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil to review.

 The Good

The smell.  Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil smells like...well...coconut!  It's true.  It smells SO good, every time I open the jar I want to dip my finger in and have a big slurp of it.  I'm not so sure that would be a good idea, though!

The taste.  It tastes like...you guessed it...coconut!  I know this sounds silly.  Of course it smells and tastes like coconut, right?  But I didn't expect it to be so coconut-y!  I didn't expect it to taste like I was taking a bite of coconut.  It's great!


Cooking.  I've been cooking nearly everything I make with coconut oil rather than my traditional olive oil.  My food cooks great in coconut oil!  Everything comes out looking and smelling beautiful!  You can cook nearly anything with coconut oil!  In fact, Tropical Traditions will even give you recipes!

The Bad

Solidification.  Tropical Traditions coconut oil solidifies below 76 degrees.  This isn't a huge deal, but it is kind of annoying to have to soften the oil every time I want to use it.  I simply put the jar of oil in a pan of hot water, but it is still an extra step in my cooking.

Flavor change.  I find that coconut oil does slightly change the flavors of my foods.  In most recipes this isn't a problem at all, but in some recipes, the change is pretty obvious.  It's a learning curve, figuring out what recipes to change and which to leave the same.

The Outcome

Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is delicious!  I love the purity of it, and I really like that it's a "healthy" oil choice for my family!  I have read that there are many health benefits to using coconut oil, either orally or topically, and although I am unable to speak of any of these benefits with any sort of real knowledge, I can say that I am planning to stick with Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil for a long time!  It's a great product and you'll love the benefits for your family!

(Anything that can make my food look this good is worth it!)

The Giveaway

Tropical Traditions has agreed to send one of my readers a 32 ounce jar of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!  Entry into this contest is simple with Rafflecopter!  (Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is currently on sale buy one get one free from Tropical Traditions!)

 Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.