ammonia smell...already?!?!

[DizzyMissLizzy]

Okay so I bought a bunch of new dipes a couple weeks ago and several of them already smell of ammonia.

to be specific about dipes
little beetle hemp
kissaluv contours
organic OS AIO BG

the little beetle and BG smell most because those are usually nite time dipes.

Here is my wash routine:
cold wash - no detergent, hot wash with planet detergent, then the regular cold rinse that comes with a wash, then an extra cold rinse.
also I have well water.

A. WHY ammonia already?
B. How to get rid of it?

OH and the smell only comes after it's wet....after it's washed it smells clean

[messy mama]

Do you use the detergent manufacturers recommended amount? With CDs people are always saying you need to use less detergent. I need to use the regular amount or they don't get clean.

Also do you use vinegar? I've heard a good soak in vinegar really helps.

I've only had ammonia issues a couple of times and it was w/ individual night time diapers, so w/ that diaper I just splashed full strength vinegar on it in a bucket, let it sit for a while, then washed it w/ the rest of the dipes. Fresh and clean.

I also don't use microfiber and use very little hemp (doublers).

[brietta]

We had bad ammonia problems from not using enough detergent. If bacteria gets a chance to build-up, it's awful.

Also, every once in a while (every couple months) I do go ahead and use a little bleach on all our dipes. It just helps make sure bacteria isn't thriving in the diapers and really helps with keeping them ammonia- and stink-free.

[Michigan Mama]

Another thing you might try is to change you extra cold rinse to a hot rinse. My washer doesn't have a hot rinse cycle, so I just have to set it to wash, then try to catch it and spin it out, skipping the rinse cycle. I've found that hot rinses are much more effective in getting out detergent/smells than cold rinses.

When I need to strip, all I do is turn up the hotwater heater and run a couple extra hot rinses. I really never need to use bleach or vinegar or boil or anything...

[jenak]

I'd guess detergent build-up. Add a cup of vinegar to your pre-rinse and see if that helps. In their chemistry, vinegar is the opposite of ammonia so they neutralize each other.