Stinky Mama Pads

[dealic]

Help!

My cloth pads are starting to have a very strong odor! I don't want to give up on them yet, and I can't remember what everyone says to fix it. They are also losing their absorbency.

So far, as far as cleaning goes, I have done everything wrong. I don't soak them, I wash with my regular laundry. Nothing special. I don't have many and they are 3 years old. Each is used about twice a month and I wash mid cycle.

What can I do to save them? Or are they just worn out and old?

Thank you!

[maggiemae]

Boil them if they don't have snaps or add a few pots of boiling water to your wash if you have a top loader.

[MaxMommy]

Have you tried washing them in hot water with some teatree added with the soap?

I find that soaking them in cold water gets all the blood out. I give them a quick spin before washing, then wash in hot with family cloths and towels. They're never stinky that way.

Are they cotton? they should not lose thier absorbancy...I've never heard of that.

[MyLilPwny]

Put them in a little basin of water and leave them out in the sun for a few days.

[dealic]

Thank you all. I will try your suggestions. They are Lunapads, so fleece. Its like they are thinning and wearing out, can't absorb anything so it sits on the surface and smells.

[MaxMommy]

Not sure about fleece pads, but my cotton flannel ones get better with age, softer and seem more absorbant.

[thixle]

Are they getting stiff in the middle? Sometimes, they can get like a "scab" forming in the middle layers from the blood not being rinsed out completely. I'd say get a BIG bottle of hydrogen peroxide and soak them. It "eats" anything protein based. Then soak again in boiling/hot water and wash as usual.

If you rinse them out before tossing them in the laundry hamper, it won't happen.

[mk12]

I noticed my Lunapads were getting a bit funky after several years. For a while I was just rinsing them, hanging them dry and then throwing them in the wash. Then I went back to soaking them, and I noticed the soak water became unbearably nasty very quickly. The last two cycles I added a bit of Borax to the soak water and it seemed to help a lot. I also usually add Borax or Oxygen cleaner to my wash load.

[UberMama]

Originally Posted by MaxMommy

Not sure about fleece pads, but my cotton flannel ones get better with age, softer and seem more absorbant.

Ditto this.

When possible, I dry my pads in the sun. I don't notice any odor at all. I wash them every 2-3 days in warm/cold water on a mini cycle with just a small drop of detergent. I hope I never notice any odor (and I have a sensitive nose). LOL.

[~Nancy~]

I would try the hydrogen peroxide -

I don't soak my pads, but I do rinse them in cold water, right after taking it off. I then put them in a dishpan under the sink. At the end of my cycle, I wash them in hot water. I use Charlie's Soap, with vinegar in the rinse water. I hang them to air dry.

I wash my pads separately; my machine will do a tiny load size. I feel like they get cleaner that way.

[~Demeter~]

I sew my own and have used them for quite awhile now. I would try either soaking in hydrogen peroxide OR running a load with very hot water and borax. That usually clears up any stink issues I have had.

[Magelet]

definitely try the hydrogen peroxide. Whenever my pads get funky (like if I let them soak but don't change the water daily for a day, or if I forget to wash them every 2-3 days), I do a hydrogen peroxide soak, and it works mircales. It's also a highly amusing chemistry expirament. (It is an exothermic reaction, which produces some sort of gas. I'd love to do a burn test to determine what, but thats the chemistry geek in me. then I'd research what it is in blood/protein it reacts with and... yeah, I miss college chem, if nothing else)