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Is Charlies Worth It??

post #1 of 17
3/13/09 at 9:32pm
Thread Starter 
We are having horrid night time stinky issues... which I am sure all of you are aware of by this point!! Right now we are using Tide Free which is working the best of anything we have tried so far?? I don't really know at this point... is Charlies worth it? Especially those with hard water... I wouldn't be able to start using it till May as we have a house guest currently but I was just curious as to what others who use it think..
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post #2 of 17
3/15/09 at 7:02pm
I don't think we have hard water where we live now. But, we use Charlies and we love it. We rarely have stink issues and when we do a couple extra washes it all it takes to solve the problem. I also really like using it on all our other laundry. And I think it's really affordable since you get 80 loads out of a package.
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post #3 of 17
3/15/09 at 7:07pm
what kind of diapers are they?

Are you using MF inserts?
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post #4 of 17
3/15/09 at 7:32pm
Thread Starter 
All pockets... with MF or MF/hemp combo inserts.
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post #5 of 17
3/15/09 at 7:33pm
There are some good and not so good things for us. We don't have too many issues with our diapers, but I do feel we have more stains in general and that our clothes have faded a little more. Once we use our current bag, I'm thinking to switch to arm & hammer essentials sensitive...

Not worth it for me. But I don't have hard water either!
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post #6 of 17
3/15/09 at 7:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by chely7425 View Post
All pockets... with MF or MF/hemp combo inserts.
toss the inserts! start over with loopy doos, or other insert that is open in the middle (no matter how much you wash you will not be able to get the insides of the inserts clean, winch is what causes the stink), and wash your diapers with a tiny bit of bleach, and then do like 5 hot washes after.
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post #7 of 17
3/15/09 at 8:19pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tinyblackdot View Post
toss the inserts! start over with loopy doos, or other insert that is open in the middle (no matter how much you wash you will not be able to get the insides of the inserts clean, winch is what causes the stink), and wash your diapers with a tiny bit of bleach, and then do like 5 hot washes after.
I have some hemp inserts I really like... I might try and get more of those. The loopy doos are pretty expensive!! I do have a few super doos for night time that I really like...
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post #8 of 17
3/15/09 at 8:22pm
I use Charlie's for everything except diapers. I use Allen's for those. I never felt like Charlie's got the stink out, but Allen's always did.
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post #9 of 17
3/15/09 at 8:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by chely7425 View Post
I have some hemp inserts I really like... I might try and get more of those. The loopy doos are pretty expensive!! I do have a few super doos for night time that I really like...
they are kinda $$$ but really worth every penny. You could find them used in DS too i bet.

Even just an infant prefold with a hemp insert might be a good choices aswell. I always used my pfs as inserts.
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post #10 of 17
3/15/09 at 8:27pm
Thread Starter 
I will defnitely look into trying some different detergents... I found Country Save at the store locally (never realized they carried it) so we are currently trying that! I would love to love it because it is available here for a really good price!! So far it is great on the diapers!
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post #11 of 17
3/15/09 at 9:22pm
I've been using Allen's and we definitely have some stinky diapers. I was thinking of switching to Charlie's, or something else, when we finish up our batch of Allen's. Not sure if the detergent is the problem, though...
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post #12 of 17
3/16/09 at 1:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by indigosky View Post
I've been using Allen's and we definitely have some stinky diapers. I was thinking of switching to Charlie's, or something else, when we finish up our batch of Allen's. Not sure if the detergent is the problem, though...
its synthetics and thick layers. I have never had any issues with my prefolds and covers. EVER!

But every time i buy a pocket with fleece or sued cloth, or an AIO that doesnt have the layer flaps, they will always end up stinking within 6 months.....always.
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post #13 of 17
3/16/09 at 2:27pm
My prefolds are stinky, as well as my pocket diapers and inserts. I think the combination of a short period of particularly putrid poops (I don't know what was going on in DD's digestive tract, but it wasn't pretty) and a long Northeast winter without any air-drying and sunshine, has made things worse.

Now that it's finally warming up, I've got diapers back out in the fresh air, hoping this will de-stink-ify them.
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post #14 of 17
3/18/09 at 11:45pm
Your success w/ Charlie's is going to also matter on what type of "hard" water you have.

We had NO success w/ Charlie's. Our water has EXTREMELY high calcium levels, and for whatever reason, even using 2 scoops of the Charlie's just didn't do it for our clothes or our dipes. Our whites were dingy, I couldn't get stains out of clothes and the diapers had such a stink:

Now we're using Sun and Earth w/ 1/2c borax in the wash and vinegar in the rinse and we're having much better luck.
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post #15 of 17
3/19/09 at 12:03pm
What's the easiest/fastest way to find out the hardness of one's water?

Our dipes are doing much better now that they've been out in the sun a few times.
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post #16 of 17
3/19/09 at 1:18pm
I'm intrigued, b/c I have a similar problem. We use a softener which remove a lot of the crap in our well water but we still have enough iron coming out that makes everything dingy overtime. We also have a sulfur issue which makes the water stink. I have a bad smell but it's not ammonia; vinegar was no the solution for me. I tried it once. I wanted to ask if you rinse the vinegar out w/ another rinse hot or cold? Thanks

Quote:
Originally Posted by FillingMyQuiver View Post
Your success w/ Charlie's is going to also matter on what type of "hard" water you have.

We had NO success w/ Charlie's. Our water has EXTREMELY high calcium levels, and for whatever reason, even using 2 scoops of the Charlie's just didn't do it for our clothes or our dipes. Our whites were dingy, I couldn't get stains out of clothes and the diapers had such a stink:

Now we're using Sun and Earth w/ 1/2c borax in the wash and vinegar in the rinse and we're having much better luck.
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post #17 of 17
3/19/09 at 3:22pm
Based on this chart http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html it might not be a better deal. It has a brightener in it which is essentially smokes and mirrors for cleanliness and those leave residues for sure.

Some folks swear by Biokleen Bac-Out Stain & Odor Eliminator with Sprayer to take care of those stains. I was wondering about that myself; it sounds like a better options.

Here is a link about choosing detergent I found useful http://www.sunshinediapers.com/cloth...g-a-detergent/

Quote:
Originally Posted by footprintsbaby View Post
I'm thinking to switch to arm & hammer essentials sensitive...
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