Spray Pal Review & Giveaway!

One of the best things about modern cloth diapering, to me, is the diaper sprayer. Those things are HANDY! There can be a big learning curve on those, however, and you likely will end up splattered (with at least water) at some point in your cloth diapering adventures.

Enter the Spray Pal.

Spray Pal was created for just that: keeping your bathroom (and you!) splatter-free.

I have to admit, I was very skeptical of the Spray Pal. All I could think of was it was another (dirty) item I would have to keep away from my toddler, and it wouldn't be worth the hassle of trying to store it. My husband, however, pretty much demanded one as soon as he heard of it. He was sick of the water spraying him a bit.

Spray Pal was generous enough to send us both a Spray Pal and a Jaq Jaq Bird wet bag for storage. STORAGE. Yes, I was excited. That was my area of concern!

My husband happily tried out the Spray Pal first, but ended up not using it because the poopy diaper was just "too massive" and he needed to get better angles or something like that. I have tried out the Spray Pal on a variety of diapers with different materials and features. I tried it on various pockets (some with inner gussets, some without), various covers, and various flats and prefolds. I also used it on wipes.

What I've found is that, while it does eliminate the splatter, I can't get certain pockets (ones with double gussets) clean enough to my liking. This isn't to say that they aren't good enough to go in the wash, but I've always been a little OCD with spraying out my diapers and like to get as much as possible off. Instead of a quick spray down and in the bag, I have been known to stand over a diaper for 5 minutes to get as much as possible off. Soooo, take that with a grain of salt.

Still, I like being able to put my hand behind the diaper itself, spread out my fingers (think of if you had a webbed hand how it would be spread out) and then spraying the gussets (which are now completely stretched thanks to my hand) to get all poo specks off. I just can't do that with a Spray Pal.

I ended up finding that I absolutely love it for the flats, prefolds, and wipes because those are flat anyway and I never have to "spread out material" to clean as I like. I don't like using it for pockets, covers, fitteds, or AIOs.

There is an exception, of course, as there are with many things. I still will sometimes USE the spray pal with the items I said I don't like using it on if it is a huge poop or a more stuck on poop. While I can't get the "clean" I want, I can spray and let the poo loosen up a bit without getting splattered.

THE SPRAY PAL TOTALLY DOES THE JOB WITH SPLATTER.

Seriously, the toilet doesn't have sprayage, nor do my legs or feet. That's awesome. Had I not been cloth diapering for 3 years prior to trying out the Spray Pal, this might be a different review. If I were a new mom, this thing would probably be my favourite accessory (aside from the sprayer itself). 3 years into this and I've already got my groove/routine with spraying diapers without anything more.

The Spraypal fits PERFECTLY in the Jaq Jaq Bird bag, too. It eliminates splatter and it really does store easier than I thought. I just put it in the bag and slipped it between the toilet and sink.

Overall, I think the Spray Pal is a great accessory, I just don't think it's for us. I definitely think it would be a great item for a family newer to cloth that isn't "set in their ways" like us!

If you're sick of getting misted, sprayed, or splattered, try out the Spray Pal! You can buy a Spray Pal and Jaq Jaq Bird bundle for $39.50 here, or enter to win one below!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Thoughts Of Fluff received these items in exchange for a review. This did not influence my opinion of the product in any way. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Thoughts Of Fluff is not responsible for prize fulfillment.  

6 Reasons You'll Love A Diaper Sprayer

Everyone that cloth diapers has probably heard of diaper sprayers. Some people swear they couldn't live without them for cleaning poop. Others think they are a waste of money and they'd rather just dunk and swish a diaper.

This post isn't about diapers. This post is about all the other reasons to love a diaper sprayer.

1.) Cleaning the toilet

What better way to clean under and in the toilet bowl than having a sprayer handy that you can adjust the pressure on?

2.) Cleaning the floor (if you have a tile or linoleum floor)

Sure is easy to mop when you can just spray the floor in targeted areas instead of trekking a bucket around!

3.) Cleaning the tub/shower 

Assuming you don't have a detachable shower head, diaper sprayers can come in handy here, too!

4.) Messy hands (children and significant others!)

There have been times that my hubby has been working in the garden and was so sweaty that I swear the dirt was absorbed into his skin. Instead of clogging up the sink and scrubbing for eons, he would just hold his arms over the toilet and I'd spray them while he scrubbed a bit... just enough to where the sink wasn't as bad of an option anymore.

I assume this will hold true for any crafting time, too... glitter, finger paint, glue...

5.) Cleaning after sick people

When you suddenly are faced with chunks all over sheets, a blanket, shirts, etc.... diaper sprayer to the rescue! I've definitely sprayed off clothing and bedding after my toddler brought his lunch/dinner back up a few times.

6.) Potty Training is a so much easier

Not only do you have an easy way to spray out the bowl of the little one's potty chair, but you have an easy way to spray out the mess from undies if the didn't quite succeed...

There you have it! 6 more reasons to love a diaper sprayer. If you were thinking about getting one and were having trouble justifying the cost for the "luxury", maybe this will help make up your mind! If you can think of any more, let me know! I'd love to add to the list!

If you're looking for a diaper sprayer for your house, check out the diaper sprayers at Kelly's Closet!  
Links straight to: BumGenius Diaper Sprayer, Blueberry FLO Diaper Sprayer, Aquas Diaper Sprayer, Knickernappies Sprayer, Spray Pal.
(aff. links)

Can't Stay Healthy

*** Fair warning, this entry mentions bodily functions! ***

This must be one rotten year for bugs, because we can't stay healthy for anything! It's been one thing after another for MONTHS now.... with the occasional healthy week or two thrown in. Right now sees Bobble with the runs (although it's not every hour anymore, it's a couple of times a day... but still massive and looking like EBF poo!), and me with what I suspect to be rotovirus.

I thought it was just pregnancy-related, yesterday. I felt blah at work, but felt GREAT after a visit to the bathroom to expel any and all food I had eaten. Seriously, I felt 100%. That meant morning sickness, right? Well, lunch came and went, and I ate and saw that 30 minutes later, if that.

My boss suggested I go home, and I insisted I was fine. He said I wasn't being too productive if I couldn't stay at my desk long enough to work, and so I finally gave in and went home.

I've never been so thankful for something in my life.

I got home and it just went progressively down hill. I started vomiting up water. Then, when I gave up on drinks at all, bile. Uh, gross? So I started thinking this was a bug.... but that was made obvious when I ended up with it coming out both ends.

I was up every 30 minutes to an hour last night to make bathroom trips. Today has been much better, though I still ache all over. I have had two or three nibbles of toast, a couple bites of organic, plain applesauce, and held down a bottle and a 1/3 of water. That's massive improvement. My midwife suggested the "BRAT" diet... bananas, rice, apples, and toast. She said those were the easiest to digest. I figured the organic applesauce would work just fine, especially since it was already mushy! Glad I still had some Earth's Best applesauce on hand from my last review!

I am just more concerned about Squiggle than anything.... how would this illness treat my baby inside of me? Perhaps I was mostly concerned after I started having painful cramps in my stomach (actual stomach, not abdomen)... I just started worrying that something would happen to Squiggle.

Squiggle's been through a lot... a lot more than Bobble ever had. Bobble saw one cold while I carried him, and that was it. Squiggle, however, was conceived while I had a cold, has seen the flu, hand-foot-mouth, a cold, and now this. Apparently, HFM is somewhat of a concern if contracted during pregnancy.... like chickenpox would be, only nowhere near as severe. That makes me a little bit paranoid. I hope everything is okay. I hope I get well enough to drink plenty of fluids and be able to move without pain (all my joints hurt)..... and I definitely hope that Bobble avoids this. Perhaps he had a more mild version of this and that's why he didn't vomit a bunch. I'll take it.... at least mom knows how to make it to a toilet or a bucket, right?

What did you do when you were sick while pregnant, while caring for a toddler, or both? Any tips?

All sprayers are NOT created equal!

Since day one of my cloth diapering adventure, I've been a huge fan of my diaper sprayer. We got the Knickernappies diaper sprayer with a purchase of a FuzziBunz diapering package (not this one since Elite's weren't in existence yet, but you get the idea) from Kelly's Closet.

Sure, there was a learning curve at first. I would spray the diaper and just squeeze the sprayer all the way and -=whoosh=- .... poop water on my face. Yep, it took a little bit for me to figure out the right amount of pressure to apply to get the perfect amount of water pressure.... and to figure out how to hold the diaper based on the different types of poop. Still, I became a pro after a while.

This past autumn, my mother offered let me hook up a diaper sprayer at her house for when we come down. She knew it would be a lot easier on me since I was currently dunking the diaper and rubbing them together under the water. Sorta gross, but hey... so are disposables sitting in a trash can smelling up the room.

I thought about it and decided to take her up on her offer. It was very kind of her, and I kept reminding her how easy it would make cleaning out her toilet, her sink (very tiny bathroom!), etc. I had won a diaper sprayer from a giveaway either last spring or last summer, so I discussed it with my husband and we opted to take down my Knickernappies sprayer and install our new one (that I won). We have hard water, and our Knickernappies showed signs of that.... some calcification around the openings where the water sprays out. We figured it would be best to hook up the new one, especially with another little one on the way.

We took the Knickernappies sprayer and hooked it up at my mother's, happily using it for the messes Bobble left in his diaper. She's also called me to tell me how much easier cleaning the toilet is now. Unfortunately, it's not all been sunshine and roses for us with our new sprayer. Our new sprayer leaked from the bottom of the sprayer head (where the hose enters the handle) from the start. My husband tried fixing that, and he made it better. I also contacted their customer service via the e-mail address left on the installation instructions. Now, I slowly applied the pressure to the sprayer, remembering the poo water splashing in my face many months ago. Eventually I found myself squeezing it as much as I could and still disappointed that I had NO WATER PRESSURE behind the sprayer. Really? It took me longer to get the poop off the diaper with that sprayer than it did to just use my hands.

That's when I realized that not all sprayers are created equal. I understood why some people ranted about sprayers while other people raved about them.... it really does make a difference as to what brand you have!

It's not *all* bad with this sprayer. For example, a completely ploppable poo doesn't really need much, and the wipes from a ploppable poo get cleaned well enough with this sprayer. Also, if Bobble were to attempt to have fun with the sprayer, at least the mess wouldn't be as big as it would have with the other sprayer (with more pressure). Really, though, we're switching with my mother. When we go back down, we're taking this one and leaving it at her house, as we only go there a couple of times a year. I still don't know I'll want to use it, though.... I might just dunk the diapers.

I haven't heard back from the customer service for the sprayer yet. I checked to see if they still manufactured the product (thinking maybe they just went under, and that's why it's been over a week and I still have no email response from customer service!), but I found them for sale on a site I've purchased from before. Ironically, it had only 2 reviews, and both were 5-star reviews. Makes me wonder.

In the end, though, I want my Knickernappies back. I'd also love to try the Blueberry Flo, as I've heard great things about that sprayer, but I'll settle for just having a sprayer that does the job, at this point!

Disclosure: The product(s) mentioned above were either purchased by me or won. None of the above companies (nor the website) mentioned endorsed nor had anything to do with this review/post. My opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own.