Bleaching BG every time

[~Shanna~]

I have tried everything. EVERYTHING.

I rinse poopy dipes out with a sprayer. I spray Bio-Kleen Bac Out on every poopy diaper. I wash every two days. I prewash on cold twice in my front loading washer, and then wash heavy on hot TWICE with Charlies Soap, plus oxygen bleach, plus an extra rinse. I've switched form the microfiber inserts to prefolds, and I always dry in the sun. And my DS still has dipe rash from these darn diapers. And we can't wear them at night or he gets ammonia irritation and wakes up needing to be changed. I'm stripping them every month at least, because once he's pooped in a diaper, it's horrible until it's stripped again.

I'm going to start adding a titch of old-fashioned, cancer-causing bleach to every load unless you can talk me off the ledge. I know it will wear them out faster, but I'm on the brink of going to disposies and letting 30 BG diapers go to waste.

We have a water softener, but I have wondered if I should try Tide on these things, as not everyone is convinced Charlies does the best job. Really, I think it's probably the washer. Serious buyers regret on a front loader......

[Gabes Mommy]

I use Purex F&C with my BGs, and we haven't had too many problems. I only use detergent with one wash, and rinse until there are no more suds. Could it be an allergy to the suedecloth? I would try a liner if you haven't already. It sounds like you've tried everything else!

[HeatherB]

I'd think it may be a couple of things. One, could be a reaction to the suedecloth. Not all babies can do polyester. Also, it could be the Charlies. You may, in fact, need bleach with Charlies. Or, the Charlies could be causing the rash. My middle son had a TERRIBLE reaction to Charlies, and I didn't realize it was the detergent until we were just about out of dipes. It was then that I came across a thread with descriptions of other babies who also had this horrible rash, and all were using Charlies. I'm not sure if it's that Charlies isn't strong enough to kill all the bacteria (the manufacturer says that may be true), or if these kids are just sensitive to the ingredients in the detergent. But, the stools are what contain bacteria, and if they're not being killed by Charlies, you could definitely be looking at problems. (We had problems even with urine and anything washed in Charlies.)

So, I'd first try switching detergents, and see if it helps. Tide is pretty good for getting them clean, so it may be a good option to jump to. If that doesn't fix it, then maybe try some sort of liners over the suedecloth. Bleach certainly isn't the worst option! I've come to the conclusion after these many years that killing the bacteria is the most important thing, even if it means a tiny bleach now and again. (My dipes fall apart even without it!)

[bandgeek]

I tried everything too and the only thing that works for us is a bit of bleach in every load. Ours is just a stink problem, not a rash problem. Still, it's not as evil as people think. I use a minimal amount and wash twice a week. Better than tossing a bunch of disposables in the landfill, I think.

I never had this problem with my son. All I can guess is it's either my DD's meds or the formula she's on that's doing it. They STINK. I have noticed some more wear and tear on the diapers since I started using bleach, but it's not horrible. We'll be upgrading every year or two anyway since she'll never use the potty and I like to make sure she's comfy. Her diapers are already about 18 months old. Even if we only get 6 more months out of them, it was money well spent.

[leavemealone]

DS can wear any other brand of diapers except for BG. BG has always caused a rash from day one. He's worn FB, HH, and Gro Baby without rash. I use the same detergent on all of them - Charlies - and he doesn't have a problem except with the BG. I've decided it's the liner that he's sensitive to. I'm not crazy about the BG diaper as a whole so I've found someone who wants to buy them and I'm getting rid of them. Thankfully, I only bought three so I'm not stuck with a bunch of them.