Apparently I am laundry incapable!

[ariatrance]

Please, please give me your opinions or just sympathy - I'll take either!! I'm ready to drown myself in that stupid washing machine.

I have been washing urine-filled materials for almost 3 years. I have always had trouble. I have read every post about washing routines, laundry detergents, stripping, stink, everything! Yet I still cannot get it 'right!'

I only use diapers at night now (cotton and hemp diapers with fleece covers) and have the kids in cotton underwear during the day. I wash every night. EVERYTHING still smells like pee - the underwear, diapers, pants, socks, clean up rags - EVERYTHING! There has always been a faint smell to the diapers, even when I was using them exclusively.

I have soft water - very soft water.
I use about 1/2 ounce of detergent per load.
Load is on super plus water level.
I do a cold wash with detergent followed by a hot wash without (currently).
Load is everything together if there isn't a lot (still full washer) or split into just diapers/underwear and just pants/socks.
I currently use Vaska detergent.

I have used:
Tide - powdered, liquid, with baking soda
Purex F&C
Arm & Hammer Essentials mountain rain
All F&C
Seventh Generation F&C
Biokleen liquid

I have added:
vinegar
baking soda
bleach
oxygen bleach
bac-out
tea tree oil

I have washed:
15 items
30 items
24 items
all cotton items
all hemp items
all synthetic items
more wash cycles
less wash cycles
more detergent
less detergent

I am very upset and feeling quite stupid. I don't know why I can't get this right. Even our clothes aren't all that clean smelling and frequently have stains. Do they make disposable clothes????

I will probably post this over on diaperswappers.com too. I appreciate anything you can think to advise or even just your sympathy with my struggles. Thank you!

[Juliacat]

Try doing the cold wash without detergent and then the hot wash with.

[ExuberantDaffodil]

My first thought was that your washer might need a good cleaning. I've seen two methods: One Hot full wash (with longest agitation) and 2 cups of bleach, or one hot full wash with 2-3 cups of vinegar and 1 cup baking soda.

But you definitely have my sympathies! It must be so frustrating!

[alegna]

Originally Posted by Juliacat

Try doing the cold wash without detergent and then the hot wash with.

:

And then an extra hot wash without detergent- I bet you get suds.

-Angela

[Addie]

Originally Posted by Juliacat

Try doing the cold wash without detergent and then the hot wash with.

That's what I was going to say, too. As I understand it, the cold pre-wash is to rinse out the urine, so the detergent can better do its job in the hot wash. You can add vinegar or bac-out in the cold wash, then detergent in the hot.

HTH!

[DevaMajka]

The only thing that works for me so far is:
cold rinse on small or med water setting
Hot wash cycle on large load setting with detergent 3/4 to the lower line.
Hot wash cycle on low or med setting (warm seems to work too)

I have super soft water too. Any less detergent leaves me with stinky diapers. I still have lots of suds in the 2nd wash (without detergent), but it seems to get it all out. I'm using hypoallergenic soap without enzymes, so I'm not stressed about a tiny bit being left.

I hate using so much water, though.

[ariatrance]

Originally Posted by DevaMajka

The only thing that works for me so far is:
cold rinse on small or med water setting
Hot wash cycle on large load setting with detergent 3/4 to the lower line.
Hot wash cycle on low or med setting (warm seems to work too)

I have super soft water too. Any less detergent leaves me with stinky diapers. I still have lots of suds in the 2nd wash (without detergent), but it seems to get it all out. I'm using hypoallergenic soap without enzymes, so I'm not stressed about a tiny bit being left.

I hate using so much water, though.

This is what I'm worried about - that I'm never going to get away from 2 or 3 cycles. What am I saving the earth for by using cloth if I'm just going to waste all the water, right?!

What detergent do you use? I would like to stay away from enzyme detergents as my son seems to react. Seventh Generation and Biokleen though, acted more like soap-soap and left residues.

I assume you mean the lower line is the smallest load amount of detergent on the cap that comes with your detergent. Is that right? So you use 3/4 that amount (whatever that amount happens to be)?

I am cleaning the machine now per PP suggestion. I've run a long, full hot cycle with bleach and am now running the same cycle with baking soda and vinegar - just to really clean.

I hate laundry......

[DevaMajka]

I use NatureClean. It might be a Canadian brand though. I'm really hoping to get some Rockin' Green soon- I have high hopes for it!

I'm not sure how to get away from doing 2 washes I've tried a few things. But I do use a lower water setting for the rinse and 2nd wash, so that helps.

Originally Posted by ariatrance

I assume you mean the lower line is the smallest load amount of detergent on the cap that comes with your detergent. Is that right? So you use 3/4 that amount (whatever that amount happens to be)?

Yep, that's correct
That's also how much I use on my regular laundry, though I'm less precise with that. I have soft water, and the full amount leaves major suds!

[Katie T]

I do a total of 3 or 4 cycles depending on the day for my diapers. Between the cold prerinse, the hot wash and a rinse or 2 (till there are no more suds). The thing is we are still using less water than it takes to make disposable diapers. Yet depending on the detergent you are using we aren't putting all those chemicals into the earth.

I agree that a pre rinse to get the bulk of the pee out should help and that if you have lots of stains with your fl (is that what you have? It sounded like it) maybe it's just not agitating like it should be.

I was never happy with my diapers in my fl though and so I went and got a cheap tl.

[ariatrance]

Originally Posted by Katie T

The thing is we are still using less water than it takes to make disposable diapers. Yet depending on the detergent you are using we aren't putting all those chemicals into the earth.

True. On good days, I can remember that!

Actually, I have a cheap top-loader. We bought it two years ago, new. You wouldn't think I'd have so much trouble!

[Pinoikoi]

Originally Posted by ExuberantDaffodil

My first thought was that your washer might need a good cleaning. I've seen two methods: One Hot full wash (with longest agitation) and 2 cups of bleach, or one hot full wash with 2-3 cups of vinegar and 1 cup baking soda.

[luckygreen713]

After that good washing machine cleaning, try what others have suggested and do the first cold wash or rinse without detergent. Then do a hot wash with detergent, and then another rinse. See how your stuff smells then. You have my sympathy as well, must be so frustrating! Good Luck!!

[ariatrance]

And the science experiment continues.....

I have given my machine a good cleaning - scrub all the little nooks and crannies, ran a full hot cycle with bleach and a full hot cycle with baking soda and vinegar.

I have washed 4 loads since (over 2 days). I did a cold rinse on medium water setting, hot wash cycle on super plus setting with 3/4 cap of Vaska, hot wash cycle on medium setting. The first two loads smelled like nothing, although the night diaper for my son reeked this morning as it always does.

The second two loads smell the same as before - faintly of urine, faintly musty, whatever the smell is that they've had.

So for the time being: I am taking out all the synthetic stuff - the fleece covers and PUL pail liners. Those seem to hold the smell the worst, so maybe they are transmitting it???

I do know that even the brand new stuff - cotton training pants and hemp liners - is smelling now and I've only had those about three weeks.

[Adsullata]

You know, if I were in your shoes, I think I would try contacting one of the diaper websites, like Abby's Lane or Nicki's Diapers or if there's another one you've bought from that you like. They'll usually help you work thru your specific problems, based on your specific information (thru email). Sometimes I think getting washing advice on the forums may not always be best, because altho I could tell you what works for me, I don't have your washer, your water or your dipes or your soap and without a more in depth conversation, I think it's hard to offer a really effective solution.

Either way, I hope you are able to find something that finally works well for you.

[alegna]

I'd try stripping- small loads on the lowest setting, HOT wash, no deterg and see if you get suds. I'm betting you do.

-Angela

[DevaMajka]

Yeah, I'd do a good strip. Maybe if you start out with totally clean diapers, that routine (or another one) will keep working.

Personally, I would (and have when I got the stinkies) do a wash with a full amount of Tide (to the lower line). Then rinse like crazy until there are no suds. Then they'll for sure be clean enough, and hopefully you can get into a groove with a wash routine that works.
I think my stink problems have to do with not getting clean enough from not using enough detergent. If I use less detergent (so I only have to do one extra rinse, not a whole extra cycle), the stink comes back really fast. Even before I "prefected" my wash routine, whenever I got stink I'd do a wash with Tide, and they'd be better for a couple/few weeks.

Oh, and I thought I'd also mention that when I tried using detergent in the first cold rinse cycle, I got stinkies fast. I'm not sure why. I made sure there were enough suds in the wash cycle still. I've read it works for some, but for some reason it did not work for me at all.

[ariatrance]

I do hear what you are saying but I've tried all of these 'methods' before. I've stripped and bleached and soaked and vinegar-ed, done the detergent in a cold wash, hot wash, full amount of Tide, etc. ad nauseam.

I guess there's only so many ways of washing diapers. I don't know why I was expecting something different - and please don't take that rudely. I am just really tired of experimenting without success.

I appreciate all of the responses and thoughts on my situation. I may try emailing a diaper company to see if they have more ideas. Thank you all!

[alegna]

Did you get suds when you stripped with just HOT HOT water in small loads? When I have stink, that's why...

-Angela

[ariatrance]

Nope - no suds. I only have suds during the initial wash cycle with the natural detergents (Vaska, Biokleen, Seventh Generation) and suds galore throughout with standard detergents (Tide, Purex, All, Arm & Hammer). I have washed and washed many times with just hot water and everything banging around without getting any suds out of that work.

This is mostly underwear and pants now. I only have about three to four prefolds and four hemp doublers in a load. I don't know why thin underwear is causing me as much trouble as a load full of prefolds did!

[DevaMajka]

Originally Posted by ariatrance

I guess there's only so many ways of washing diapers. I don't know why I was expecting something different - and please don't take that rudely. I am just really tired of experimenting without success.

Not rude at all It's frustrating when nothing works, and like the pp said, what works for one person won't work for another at all.

I was really hoping that my method might give you an idea of what would work for you, since we both have soft water! I hope you find some answers with a cd company.

It really sucks when you spend all that time and energy...and still have stinky dipes. I spent all day once (more than once, actually) (before I started using more detergent) washing, and rinsing until I had no suds, when they were totally suds free I went to put them in the dryer and noticed that one of the diapers smelled like straight poop. This was like, 3 full cycles of washing. I was not pleased. I even tried washing with a small amount of Tide- still smelled like poop, plus I had to do a ton more rinses to get it out. I finally used almost a full amount of my natural detergent, and it did it.