Stripping Sucks - Nothing is Working - HELP!

[phoenix78]

Hi Mamas,

Super frustrated. Can NOT get the stink out of dd's dipes. We have a mix of hemp fitteds, and BG AIO Organics. All have snaps. The ammonia smell was so bad (particularly in the hemp) that you could smell the kid coming a mile away once she peed. So I gave up on my regular washing routine and started various methods of stripping. Here is what I did.

Regular washing method:

Diaper spray to get off poop
Pre soak in cold with a little detergent
Wash cold, Xtra rinse
Line dry or dryer 2x

Once a month, I was using RLR - all was good until dd was about 14 months (now 17 months, so this has been ongoing for a while).

So I've tried stripping with Oxyclean baby, then I tried a hot water strip using boiling water added to the laundry from stove, then I tried hand stripping all 30 some diapers with Dawn, then I tried adding Dawn and doing another hot water strip (per Zany Zebra). None of this has worked. While stink has lessend a bit, the Dawn gave dd an awful rash.

What else can I try? I have been hesitant to bleach because of the organic diapers but I'm wondering if is needed at this point.

I wanted these diapers to last through baby #3 that is on the way.

Any suggestions most welcome. We've had to switch to disposables for the time being because my morning sickness cannot handle the smell when changing the cloth right now. But I hate sposies. Thanks mamas!

[SubliminalDarkness]

What detergent are you using? Do you have hard water?

[MoonStarFalling]

If hard water I would do a liquid calgon wash to strip minerals. Then I would try using a lot more detergent, a full scoop. I had this issue with Purex, had to use the full cup or we got stubborn ammonia. Bleach works but I'm used to prefolds and I know it isn't good for other diapers.

[lunita1]

In addition to using a bit more detergent, I would very seriously consider routine use of hot water. Cold water, especially if it is hard, isn't going to get diapers clean.

[cristeen]

I agree w the pp - a cold water wash isn't going to cut it. Cold water, particularly hard cold water doesn't activate most detergents, melt oils, etc.

Also, do you have a top or front loader? Have you rinsed all the dawn out? You have to rinse until you don't see any bubbles in the rinse water.

White vinegar in the rinse cycle of every load also helps w thr hard water buildup.

[phoenix78]

I use Ecos Free and Clear for Detergent - about 1/4 of the full cap for the rinse and another 1/4 when I wash. Have a top loader. I did lots of rinses till I thought all the Dawn was out (no bubbles) but DD has super sensitive skin (hence the Ecos Free and Clear).

I have no idea if I have hard water, how do you tell?

Wondering if I should try switching detergents? I prefer the "green" detergents because they are usually plant-based detergents. Any suggestions?

Will switch to hot water washes for sure.

[SubliminalDarkness]

Personally, I doubt you have a build up problem, even using cold water. I don't think you're using enough detergent, or a strong enough detergent.

I switched to original Tide years ago and have never had a problem since.

[labellaluna]

You can sometimes tell if you have hard water if you have lime scale or rust stains in your tub. There are certain regions that are more know n for hard water.

I agree that you should be using hot water with every wash- and that you should try a different detergent. Free and clear or pure detergents are notoriously bad for dipes.

Good luck!

[Penny4Them]

I don't want to hijack the thread, but this is stripping related: Is it ok to use 7th gen dish soap or Dr. Bronner's to strip instead of Dawn?

Thanks!

[clovergirl]

Switching detergents is worth a shot. IT could be that now that your DD is older, eating/drinking different things, and probably holding her pee for longer periods her urine is more concentrated.
I'd also recommend switching to a hot wash *and* not adding the detergent until the hot wash. The cold pre-soak/rinse should be to get most of the pee and poop off the diapers. If you add the detergent then, you're basically washing them in the pee. Putting it in the hot wash may make a difference.
Hope that helps!

[clovergirl]

Originally Posted by Penny4Them

I don't want to hijack the thread, but this is stripping related: Is it ok to use 7th gen dish soap or Dr. Bronner's to strip instead of Dawn?

Thanks!

No, especially not the Dr. Bronner's. It's a pure castille soap which will further coat the diapers. The 7th Gen might be OK, but I can't vouch for that. Dawn, while not very natural, is usualy recommended for it's grease/oil cutting abilities and because it shouldn't leave a residue.

[MoonStarFalling]

OP, ECOS F&C isn't recommended for hard water (assuming you have it). Mountain Green is a more natural detergent and is supposed to be the best for hard water. Check out one of the "approved" CD detergent lists.

[phoenix78]

Tried the Calgon and switched to Tide (Free and Clear)....slightly better but again still smelly once she pees. However, the diapers look much cleaner once I stopped the Ecos, so I don't think I'll go back to it. I suppose some smell is inevitable. Going to try regular Tide and also the suggestion to do skip the detergent in the cold prewash and just do it with a hot wash. Thanks Mamas.

[npl]

Here's what I'd try:
Cold quick was cycle- nothing added - to rinse out as much pee as you can
Hot wash with detergent (I use about 1/2 recommended amount of Tide F&C) with an extra rinse. Try running the hot water in the sink nearest your washing machine until it gets really hot before you start the hot wash cycle.
Rinse-spin cycle with nothing added (preferably warm).

Hth!

[phoenix78]

Stink Gone But Now BGs are Wicking

So some combination of trying Calgon and switching to regular Tide (although I couldn't find any "original" that didn't have bleach in it) got the stink out. Thanks Mamas! However, since I've done a few weeks with the Tide with Bleach now, my BG AIOs are wicking something fierce. DD can wear them for only about an hour-90 minutes max, without leaking all over. Unless she had crazy pee, she used to go about 2 hours before changing. Assuming either the Calgon or Tide is causing this. The Tide F&C didn't seem to get the stink fully out as well. Was formerly using Ecos F&C, but that seemed to be contributing to the stink.

Other suggestions for detergent? I really like how white and clean smelling the dipes are now with the Tide but I am afraid I am ruining them and I don't like using any detergent with bleach because DD is so sensitive. What should I try next?

[clovergirl]

The wicking leaking issues are probably from the Tide. It's not generally recommended for cloth diapers and in fact will actually void some manufacturer's warranties, because it can ruin waterproofing, among other things.
At any rate, if you think the Calgon is helping, it may be that you have hard water. You may want to try Country Save (which you may be able to find locally) or another cloth diaper friendly detergent compatible with cloth diapers.

[SubliminalDarkness]

Originally Posted by clovergirl

The wicking leaking issues are probably from the Tide. It's not generally recommended for cloth diapers and in fact will actually void some manufacturer's warranties, because it can ruin waterproofing, among other things.
At any rate, if you think the Calgon is helping, it may be that you have hard water. You may want to try Country Save (which you may be able to find locally) or another cloth diaper friendly detergent compatible with cloth diapers.

I disagree on this. Tide is becoming very popular with cloth diaperers and the manufacturers. BumGenius recommends it.

Yes, if Tide is causing a problem for you, definitely try something else. I will say, though, that wicking is a problem with AIOs in general. It's one reason a lot of people don't like them.

[Carma]

For me boiling the inserts on the stove for about 5 minutes helped get out the ammonia stink. After that I switched to liquid Tide, and recently to regular powder Tide which works even better. Now my diapers smell like almost nothing after peeing, even after being in the pail for a day (after that they start to smell). I also added a prerinse with some vinegar. Poop stains are out in one wash. Think for me the diapers just did not get clean before (using 7th Gen). I have wicking with the pockets that have a cotton outside (PUL in between) if I wait too long between changes, not the ones with laminated polyester outside. But that was also already the case when I used 7th Gen.

Maybe your child has more concentrated urine now that he gets older resulting in more ammonia.

Carma

[Carma]

Originally Posted by clovergirl

The wicking leaking issues are probably from the Tide. It's not generally recommended for cloth diapers and in fact will actually void some manufacturer's warranties, because it can ruin waterproofing, among other things.
At any rate, if you think the Calgon is helping, it may be that you have hard water. You may want to try Country Save (which you may be able to find locally) or another cloth diaper friendly detergent compatible with cloth diapers.

I was thinking it is maybe the bleach in the Tide. You can order regular powder Tide online with soap.com, not very expensive. Bleach is not very good for polyester for example.

Carma

[clovergirl]

Originally Posted by SubliminalDarkness

I disagree on this. Tide is becoming very popular with cloth diaperers and the manufacturers. BumGenius recommends it.

Do you have a link about that? Because everything I am finding now (and what I remember from when I worked in a store that sold Bumgenius) says that Bumgenius' warranty is void if "A detergent containing additives (enzymes, brighteners, whiteners, dyes, perfumes, essential oils) or natural soap" has been used. I get that Tide works well for some families and I understand why (mostly the enzymes), but it can cause issues too for other families (repelling from build-up, rashes from the enzymes, etc.). If it works for you, great, but it's probably not the best option for everyone and again, I have never seen a diaper manufacturer recommend Tide. Not saying none do, just that I haven't come across any.