There's something special about toddlers…the way they play so energetically, the way they chat to themselves in their own little world, the way they love their friends and family with such innocence and awe and also the way they can make a mess while doing all of the above!
I have twin toddlers and that means a whole lot of washing! Throw in toilet training and I can see you shaking your head knowingly as you imagine the number of loads I am doing each week!
I was recently sent a bottle of the new Dynamo Maximum laundry liquid to review and to be completely honest with you I was a little hesitant. I usually use my own homemade laundry liquid to cut down on costs and because Ruby (my sensory sensitive twin) cannot handle most of the strong smelling powders on the market.
It's been a long time since I used a commercial laundry liquid but I wanted to try this one as my DIY version just isn't getting the red dirt stains out of our clothes and towels at the moment. I have had to face facts that sometimes you need something a little more powerful!
We are landscaping and regular readers will be familiar with pictures of our mounds of red dirt dotted around the backyard…because we love to play outside it is inevitable that clothes will get stained…socks are the worst as they are always in gumboots and somehow filled with dirt and rocks by the end of the morning!
Another reason I needed a better performing washing liquid is because Tara has a special friend called Dolly (I know…very original right?) and she goes everywhere…she has the best time outside but my goodness she can get smelly and grubby!
She loves to play outside as much as Tara and Ruby do and yet she doesn't get a bath every night! I do wash her quite regularly (although this is a emotional little endeavour!) but she just hasn't been looking any cleaner lately and I have been a bit embarrassed to take her out in public!
The final straw came when she was ‘painting' and her foot became an awful shade of red…Tara was beside herself and wanted Dolly clean NOW! Gulp…
See that mat in the picture below? That's the colour that covers everything lately and it is so hard to get out for some reason…..so i was more than ready to try the new Dynamo Maximum and see whether it could perform on these sort of tough stains.
What a challenge…just look at those socks!
So for the past few weeks I have been using the new Dynamo Maximum on all of the washing…..including poor Dolly. I have been pleasantly surprised to realise I haven't had to wash anything a second time or presoak first.
I purposely didn't presoak Dolly as I wanted to see the results after one wash with Dynamo Maximum's new advanced formula. She definitely came out cleaner and brighter and most of the paint was gone apart from a small outline.
I've also noticed that some of the older red dirt stains have been removed from our clothes and also the hand towels (which see some tough action believe me!) It's not a miracle worker…socks still have the remnants of a red dirt stain but nothing like they have been looking after a wash with my homemade detergent!
Dolly and the rest of the washing came out smelling lovely and fresh with none of the overpowering smell I find many washing powders and liquids have. It doesn't seem to have affected Ruby's sensory sensitivities…in either touch or smell which is important to me and Tara accepted Dolly back after a quick sniff and cuddle!
You can see in the before and after photo below that Dolly is looking a lot cleaner after her wash with Dynamo Maximum. She was definitely brighter and smelt so clean without being overpowering!
Even the Elmo twosome came out cleaner and brighter after their turn through the wash!
I began by using the recommended 2 capfuls for a large soiled load in a top loader machine but I did actually cut this down to 1 capful by the end of a week of washing…The results were just as clean and bright so i was happy to use less liquid!
I like that it is a liquid and begins dissolving and mixing with the wash straight away…avoiding that clumpy residue I can often get with powders when doing a large load! The liquid was easy to use and measure and I noticed I didn't get a lot of liquid runs down the side of the bottle after using this cap…something that really annoyed me when I had used liquid laundry detergent bottles previously!
If you are interested in giving it a try on some of those tough family stains yourself Dynamo Maximum is available in 1L (RRP $9.99) & 2L ($16.49) bottles, in front and top loader variants in all leading supermarkets across Australia.
I don't plan on stopping my toddlers having fun outside even if there is red dirt everywhere…..I think it is much less stressful just to have a decent stain removal product and the new maximised Dynamo certainly meets that expectation from my personal experience.
A few things I have learnt when trying to wash that favourite toddler toy are….
1. Don't wait to long before washing as the smellier the security item gets the more likely it is they will reject the ‘clean' one!
2. Get them involved in the process…we talked about giving Dolly a wash in the machine and Tara helped measure out the Dynamo liquid and pour it into the washing machine. She then handed me the pegs to hang Dolly on the line.
3. If your child is home when you wash the toy offer ‘status updates'….whenever Tara began to get concerned that Dolly was still on the line we wandered out to see her and reassure Tara that she was ok but not quite dry yet.
4. Don't use a strong smelling detergent or you may risk rejection of the security item and a very long night ahead!!
5. Treat them with care…I like to pop Dolly into one of those lingerie bags before throwing in the machine to avoid any washing accidents. I don't have the time to handwash but I find the bag usually works well!
6. Give your child lots of hugs and reassurance while their special friend is drying….having a back up/duplicate toy is of course a fantastic idea!
If you are like me and enjoy seeing your toddlers indulge in some messy fun with their friends (real or not!) without the worry of getting their clothes clean then I have the perfect giveaway for you!
Dynamo Maximum Giveaway
I have 2 x Top Loader Dynamo Maximum bottles and 2 x Front Loader Dynamo Maximum bottles to give away. To enter just leave a comment below answering this question….What is the worst stain you have tried to remove from your washing? Include whether you have a top or front loader and don't forget your email address!
I'll select my 2 favourite entries . Giveaway is only open to Australian residents sorry! Entries close 5pm (AEST) the 19th of May 2013 . Winners will be notified by email and this blog post will be updated to included the winners names.
* THIS GIVEAWAY HAS NOW CLOSED AND THE TOP LOADER WINNER CHOSEN WAS BEKKA JOY….CONGRATULATIONS.* Unfortunately i couldn't see anyone with a front loader entry!
As I sit here writing, the sun is shining and the outdoors is beckoning…must be time to go and get messy!
This is a sponsored post for Dynamo and Digital Parents Collective but you can rest assured that all opinions expressed of review items are 100% my own!
Warm Wishes
I love your tips for washing favourite toddler toys. It reminds me of the Big Bird that my son used to take EVERYWHERE with him. It was the grubbiest looking thing, even after we soaked and washed him. Alas I waited too long to sub the original with a cleaner, fluffier version – they’re pretty savvy those two year olds! The ‘status updates’ made me laugh – we used to visit Big Bird while he was soaking… Should have doused him in Dynamo 🙂
Great tip about not leaving the wash too long, we don’t want toy rejection! I really must wash our toys. I like the sound of avoiding tgat icky powdery residue too.
Your tips are awesome….. I always leave it too long between washes, it is never an easy thing to do for a child. The worst stain I have ever had to remove was bright green putty…. I never did get it out though, there is stilla neon green patch on the quilt. Sigh. (we have a top loader)
Yes, having a back up toy is a really good tip! (one I often forget). Looks like the Dynamo did a good job lifting the stains. Will have to give it a whirl.
Washing a toddlers toy is always a huge risk and I like that this product worked for you. I’ll be sure to keep it in mind because it’s not something I like to get wrong.
It took some doing, but we found a clothing company that she loves because the fabrics are never scratchy or itchy and the seams are hidden. Here’s the link if anyone is interested. http://www.twirlygirlshop.com/girls-maxi-dress
Thanks for the tip about the security toy my almost 3yr old doesn’t have a security toy as such it is a favourite dress and washing it can be really hard. The worst stain we have had is a big Nikko mark on the yellow dress (it is still there, I am terrible at getting stains out). We have a top loader and my husband does the washing so I am not sure what he uses, but some of the clothes are looking a little worse for wear, maybe it is time for us to change detergents.
Some great tips! Love the pictures throughout the post! They really tell a story of a family who love being outside!
I’d love to win some of the dynamo for my top loader! We too make our own laundry liquid but sometimes I like to have something stronger on hand!
My worst stain!! Embarrassing story!! Only been spoken out loud a few times!!… On our wedding night my hubby borrowed some sheets from his mum’s place as we’d just moved all our stuff to the unit we were moving in to together and we were counting on wedding presents for queen bed sheets! Anyway, that night he knocked a scab off his elbow and got blood on the sheets!! Oh my!! So here I was the next morning… ready to get on a plane for our honeymoon and trying to get stains off the MIL’s sheets! We kept the sheets and bought her a new set! haha! Where was dynamo then!? 😉
I can’t believe how much cleaner Dolly came out 🙂 I’m suitably impressed, and can think of some things in my house I’d like to test Dynamo on!
The worst stain I’ve had to deal with was after my partner’s tooth extraction, it started bleeding again in his sleep and it got ALLLL over his pillow and pillow case. Gross, I know, but you did ask 😛 It came out pretty well, but it took a lot of time and effort – which I’m sure Dynamo could’ve saved me. Not that I expect that to happen again, fingers crossed!
Cleaning toddler’s clothes and toys are a battle, it is really hard to remove stain. But after reading this I understood you have chosen a perfect liquid for that, I too want to try that.