Can I bleach organic diapers or does that defeat the point?

[phoenix78]

Howdy,

My babe is sick with tonsilitis and also has the worst diaper rash ever in 15 months of CD. We have a mix of BG Organic AIO and cotton and hemp fitteds and prefolds, with some g diapers and PUL and wool covers thrown in for good measure. Her diapers (related or not) are smelling strongly of ammonia right now and are just starting to stain for the first time. I'm worried that bacteria isn't getting cleaned out enough. Here is my current routine:

Use diaper sprayer to clean. I wash every other day in Ecos Free and Clear. Start with cold pre-soak with little bit of soap. Then wash on cold, regular with soap. Then rinse. Then 2x in dryer.

Also, once a month I use RL which has been doing a good job until now in making them come out fresh and clean. Tried it last week and they still smell funky when they come out of dryer and awful once peed on.

So my question is how to get rid of the funk naturally or do I need to consider using a oxyclean or another bleaching agent at this point? I hate the idea of using bleach, given I bought all organic diapers but is there any other way to make sure the bacteria is out and the diapers are fresh and clean again?

My BG have snaps so I'm assuming I can't hot water boil them correct? (stupid question I guess?)

Thanks wise mamas!

[Ammaarah]

Oxyclean is basically just strong peroxide - it's pretty safe and doesn't even leave a chemical smell like chlorine bleach. It really destinkifies, too.

[phoenix78]

Thanks, how much oxyclean per load?

[lunita1]

Originally Posted by phoenix78

Howdy,

My babe is sick with tonsilitis and also has the worst diaper rash ever in 15 months of CD. We have a mix of BG Organic AIO and cotton and hemp fitteds and prefolds, with some g diapers and PUL and wool covers thrown in for good measure. Her diapers (related or not) are smelling strongly of ammonia right now and are just starting to stain for the first time. I'm worried that bacteria isn't getting cleaned out enough. Here is my current routine:

Use diaper sprayer to clean. I wash every other day in Ecos Free and Clear. Start with cold pre-soak with little bit of soap. Then wash on cold, regular with soap. Then rinse. Then 2x in dryer.

Also, once a month I use RL which has been doing a good job until now in making them come out fresh and clean. Tried it last week and they still smell funky when they come out of dryer and awful once peed on.

So my question is how to get rid of the funk naturally or do I need to consider using a oxyclean or another bleaching agent at this point? I hate the idea of using bleach, given I bought all organic diapers but is there any other way to make sure the bacteria is out and the diapers are fresh and clean again?

My BG have snaps so I'm assuming I can't hot water boil them correct? (stupid question I guess?)

Thanks wise mamas!

You don't use any hot water at all? I'd start by following the bg washing instructions first, before jumping to bleach -- cold wash followed by a hot wash with an extra rinse. Bury your nose in one after washing and before drying, and see how they smell. If they still smell, I'd do another wash with oxyclean (can you use that with the BG?). Sun the ones with stains, before putting them in the dryer.

[dogretro]

Ammonia smell is caused by detergent build up. After 15 months of use, it is v v likely that your diapers could use a good stripping. To strip out extra detergent, you need to wash them in boiling hot water. Set your machine to hot & then boil extra water on the stove & add that in as the machine is filling. Do not add any detergent. You will be amazed at how many bubbles you see in the water! Check the water draining during the final spin. When it comes out clear, your diapers are stripped & you will have no more ammonia smell. When I stripped mine (prefolds) I needed to do 2 boiling washes & 2 regular warm washes. I also recommend doing your regular wash in hot, but if you normally do not have any problems washing in cold, go for it.