stinky diapers

[aiyasmama]

We use Fuzzi Bunz and they have developed a stinky pee/ammonia smell that doesn't wash out. I wash them every other day. Our original wash routine (following the fuzzi bunz instructions) was soak on cold (usually most of the morning), then wash on hot with Allen's naturally, then dry. Our current wash routine is a quick cycle on cold (no soap), then two hot cycles with trader joe's detergent. I have tried adding vinegar to the soak or first rinse and that doesn't seem to help. I also washed every single diaper several times one day on hot with no soap to "strip" them. No luck. Oh, and I use a diaper sprayer and to rinse the poopy ones immediately. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[Rowansmama]

When you do the two hot cycles, I'd try doing only the first one with detergent. For the second one, no detergent. Also how much detergent do you use? YOu may need to increase/decrease the amount. Here's my routine:

cold rinse with 1 cup of vinegar
hot long cycle with 1 tsp Nellie's laundry soda
short hot cycle with no deterg
Hang in the sun

I got the occasional stinky until I figured out this routine.

Good luck!

[Llyra]

Honestly, I would try washing with a conventional detergent like All or Cheer. When I hear about stink problems, they are almost always in diapers being washed with the more "natural" detergents. We have been washing diapers for years with the conventional detergents with no trouble at all, but had terrible luck with all the more "natural" options we tried.

Some time in the sun can really help, too. So can very, very hot water-- try adding a few kettles-full of boiling water to the rinse cycle, once the machine is partly full. And if all else fails, a small cupful of bleach in the rinse cycle is not the end of the world; I've used it on my pocket diapers with no problem. Just run a second rinse afterwards to make sure it's all rinsed out.

[celestialdreamer]

Are you using microfiber or hemp inserts? I've heard of both retaining smells, especially microfiber. The only way I've successfully used microfiber, is to run it through with a little tiny bit of bleach once a month. I use a natural detergent (Biokleen) and have no other issues besides with microfiber.

[weliveintheforest]

Do you have a front loader? I had a hard time with the front loader in our last place.

have you tried putting the vinegar in the final rinse rather than the pre-rinse?

I'd try stripping again, but differently. I'd use a bit of detergent, and a 1/2 cup of baking soda, and wash it all on cold. Then I would do a hot wash with some vinegar but no detergent, and then hang them in the sun.

We've been washing diapers on cold and hanging them to dry lately, and have no stink.

[aiyasmama]

Yup, the inserts are microfiber! And the inserts are definitely the main stink culprits. I haven't had bleach in the house in years but maybe it's worth a try! I'll try the vinegar and "regular" detergent suggestions too. Thanks!

[Altair]

I had stink until I started washing the microfiber inserts once a month with bleach (not the pockets themselves) and washing everything with tide. No more stink. I was using Charlies before that.

[ssj77]

It definitely sounds like buildup on the inserts. I would suggest: a: stripping the diapers, and b: changing detergents. It sounds like you already tried just doing a bunch of hot rinses. . . so you could try the Dawn stripping method. I wouldn't recommend putting Dawn directly in your machine, but if you put some hot water and diapers in the tub with a squirt of dawn, rub them together to get the dawn in there and then do a bunch of rinses on hot, that should strip them. I've always had a lot of luck with that when the extra rinses on hot don't work.

For detergent, try something like Country Save (this is the one I personally use and LOVE), Allens Naturally, Maggies Soap Nuts, Tide, Mountain Green, Ecomax, or Planet. Those all work really well with cloth diapers. You may also want to add an extra rinse rather than the second wash with detergent. That second rinse with no detergent is really key for preventing detergent buildup.

HTH,
Sultana