[bgirl]

Sounds like a silly question, I know...

Just that when you say diaper stink do you mean the diapers still stinks straight after a wash? We don't usually have that problem, but what we have is stink when it's wet, but i didn't think that's a problem as I just thought that's what it's supposed to do?

My non cloth mama friends (which are many) dislike the idea of cloth because they can smell the wet diaper on Samuel - they don't have to deal with that in all those chemical-drained sposies...

 

[twindaze]

If you can smell the wet diaper and it hasn't been terribly long since it's been changed, then that's stink. At least I think it is. You normally can't smell my son's wet diapers, sometimes in the morning, but usually not even then.

I assume, though, that it could vary from child to child.

 

[Camellia]

I've started a couple "diaper stink" threads the last two days. What I was referring to was a diaper clean from the dryer that doesn't smell right. Mine were kind of earthy and musty smelling. Not an awful smell, but not a clean smell. When they had that smell they were also not so nice smelling when she peed in them.

When my diapers are getting clean and are build up free they don't ever smell - even when peed or pooped in. I think sposies smell disgusting when they are soiled. Those chemicals seem to let out a nasty odor.

 

[vanilla]

I had stink really bad when I started cd'ing. When she peed, all the sudden there was a skunky- really strong ammonia smell. That is what I consider stink. They smelled fine out of the dryer, but not after one pee. I had detergent build up, and after I got rid of it she (my 2 yr old) would pee a few times even and there was no smell. My 6 month old can have a totally wet diaper and there is a very weak scent of urine. I think if there's a stronger smell the baby is either a little dehydrated (which makes the urine more concentrated) or you have build up stink. That's my experience, anyways!

 

[PadmaMorgana]

with us, diaper stink is "sniff sniff....hmm no poop. Sure smells like it" Her poop reek and get "trapped", hence the smell.

That how I tell it is time to strip the hemp

Oh...and DS is in sposies (pullups) and *I* can smell it when he pees. I would rather have a bag full of DD's dirty cloth in my room than a bagfull of dirty sposies (just pee).

 

[bgirl]

ooh, so maybe I have build up then? I have tried to wash on hot/looked for suds in the rinse but nothing, so I didn't think I have build up problems. On the other hand I thought maybe I'm not using enough detergent thus may have a build up of wees instead - that's possible right? I usually use half of what the box says to use, and because I wash daily, with only one baby, there are only about 7 fitteds + wipes + PUL covers (sometimes as I like using wool too) in one load. My wash routine generally is one long wash cycle in cold, with the 6-7th wash being a hot wash. No problems until of late, so this week I have been adding an extra rinse cycle after the wash cycle. I use a few drops of TTO too but am scared of using vinegar as my fitteds are fleece lined, thus I didn't want them to hold in vinegar smell....

 

[Jachut]

I really think you need to wash diapers on hot. I know lots will disagree though.

Sometimes, very rarely, ours have smelled a little amonnia-like coming wet out of the washing machine but fine once dry and not when peed in. Less detergent, more rinsing solved that.

Very early on we had true stink, a poopy reek when she peed and it was just cotton prefolds, no hemp. Turned out she had a urinary tract infection.

Do you do a prerinse - to get rid of as much urine as possible before the actual wash?

 

[Aherne]

Diaper stink is when as soon as they pee in a diaper, it stinks like they pooped. *yuck*

The only way I got rid of diaper stink was to have my diaper pail and a "muck bucket" I do a small wash for those first (keep in mind I have two in diapers so it doesnt take much to fill the bucket) then I do a regular was with the rest of the diapers. Every month I will do an extra wash but stop the washer after it agitates for a few minutes and just let them soak overnight. (either in lightly soaped water, or with sportwash)

 

[Kari_mom]

I think mamas use diaper stink to refer to several different kinds of smelly diapers, all of which are mentioned on this thread.

There is the knock your socks off ammonia smell that occurs after the baby has peed in an apparently clean diaper.

There is the poopy smell that also occurs after the baby has peed in an apparently clean diaper.

And there is the musty, not quite clean smell of unused diapers just out of the dryer.

Thanks to hard water, hemp and buying used dipes from the TP, I have had all of these in the last month. For the ammonia type, turning up the water heater for diaper washes cured it. For the poopy kind in my Joey Bunz, I did resort to bleach. And for the musty smelling kind, I used Febreeze antibacterial formula to saturate the diapers, then let them soak. I personally think they are all related to bacteria in the diapers, different kinds with different causes.

Interestingly to me at least, I was discussing cloth with another mom (who uses disposables, but someday might use cloth) and was talking about diaper stink. She remembers the same ammonia stink issues with her brother's cotton prefold diapers in the early 70s. And her mother did use bleach.

 

[sbgrace]

Well, you've got good definitions of stink and it sounds like you might be dealing with it to some extent? I'm not sure that you are getting them clean or maybe rinsed well with just cold. I do a cold rinse, hot pre-wash with sportwash, hot wash, cold rinse. To check for build-up, I have to do it during agitation on hot cycle. If you check on a cold rinse you may not see suds but, if you would continue with a hot wash and check they'd be there. Maybe you could do cold rinse, hot wash, cold rinse and then one other hot cycle to see if you still have suds--if not, you'd know that the one hot wash did it. But, I have noticed that just cold doesn't get my suds out. If I'm using regular detergent (not sportwash) I have to add a pot of boiling water in the hot wash to get all the suds out--I know I wouldn't be able to with just cold. Oh, and I only use a tbs. of regular detergent--I still have to do the pot of water. I also wanted to add that I think wet sposies stink (makes me feel like being sick) but people who always use them don't notice it because they are used to that chemical smell--and that from a former sposie user who still uses them when my boys have physical therapy--they do stink!

 

[bgirl]

thanks for all your help mamas.

I think I may be using too much detergent then - I use about 1/4cup to 1/2 cup. Also, I will keep up with the double rinsing for a while to see if that reduces my stink (the kind in which the dipes come out smelling nice and fresh after a wash, but smell yuck after peed on). If not then I'd resort to the daily hot wash (been avoiding that as our power bill is high as it is! But you gotta do what you gotta do to get non smelly diapers....)

 

[rose angel]

Since you aren't washing many dipes at once, you might try agitating on hot and a MEDIUM water level. Sometimes the lower water level agitates more and releases the trapped soap better. Adding some drops of tea tree oil to a hot wash also cured my hemp stink.

 

[bgirl]

thanks for the tip rose angel. Will try that.
meant to say the reason why I have been trying to avoid a more complicated routine (eg rinse, wash, hot wash, rinse, etc) is because I wash daily thus really don't want to live in the laundry! But if that's the best way to get rid of stink and more importantly remain stink free, then maybe I could wash every 2 or even 3 days then?

 

[sbgrace]

Michelle--I posted earlier...I understand the power bill concerns but I'm wondering how washing less frequently (but with hot water) might even it out a little? I wash every couple of days (with twins...so I have more dipes) with my routine and I don't have stink problems. So I wonder if you could do even 3 days--24 dipes is the maximum I've heard. Also, I just do a rinse, then set the washer to prewash--it does the prewash, wash, rinse for me so it really doesn't take much extra time for me (just that first rinse).

 

[Jecca]

I was just gonna post..... I've had soem diaper stink lately I think, for me it's been when i open the dryer and my dipes are done, I get a pee smell, it's not strong.
I don't have build up, i checked the rinse cycle, I use calgon and run 2 rinse cycles after washing no suds today but i supect I might not be usign enough detergent. i though i was uysing too much but then realised my suds issue was probably from being out of calgon for 2 weeks.
I use a super concentrated soap so getting the right amount iis tricky cause you aren't supsed to use much to begin with.