Question About Stinky Cloth Diapers

I cloth diapered both kids, I used tea tree oil to remove odors.

M.

** I forgot to add - just a drop is all it takes, I usually add it right in to the wash cycle.

Try SA8 detergent, it is better than Dreft, leaves VERY LITTLE residue and has no additives. we-us.mychoices.biz is the site you can get it from. A 75 dollar order gets you free shipping.

We soaked the diapers in borax (a natural cleanser). Dump the whole bucket into the washer when you're ready to clean.

Are you using the bumGenius diapers by chance? I've had that problem too with the inserts. It has to do with the buildup of detergent (even the natural - recommended ones). I've used Planet with mine and still have issues sometimes. The ammonia from the urine reacts to the build up I guess. Fresh out of the washer/dryer his diapers are always fine - but as soon as he pees in them - eww...stinky (every three to four weeks it seems like).
BumGenius recommends stripping them with Dawn dish soap once in awhile and also using bleach once a month.

I would try adding baking soda to the washer with your detergent and plain white vinegar to the rinse cycle, both are good at getting out smells. I think the reason the pee doesn't smell in disposable diapers is bacause they all have chlorine added to them and that gets rid of the smell.

If you have BumGenius diapers it says NOT to use vinegar or baking soda. Instead, get the BumGenius Odor Remover. It has vegetative microbes that get rid o the smell and works great!
http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?cPath=98&amp...

You could also try washing/rinsing them out in vinegar.
Or a combo of baking soda and vinegar.

Good luck,
Susan

Try using Charlie's Soap on your cloth diapers (you can find it online). It's not really "soap" so it leaves no residue on the cloth. My son's fuzzy bunz and bum genius diapers only smell when they have sat for awhile without being washed (they smell like ammonia) but once washed properly the small is gone. While waiting for the wash I store them in a diaper bag (purchased from bum genius) that keeps the smell contained.

To wash them properly: Run diapers through a cold wash/cold rinse with no detergent, then run them through a hot wash/cold rinse/extra rinse cycle with one tablespoon of Charlie's soap (Allan's naturals works good too).

Have you tried adding baking soda to your laundry cycle? I would suggest 1/2 to 1 cup.

I had the same problem with my cloth diapers. Try adding vinegar to the wash. I also use baby oxyclean every few loads and this helps to keep them smelling nice and fresh. Good luck!

Use baking soda and vinager. Also you can add in lemon juice. I get this stuff at Costco because you get a lot of it and its cheap. Make sure to use the vinager when using baking soda because it restores the diaper to the natural state.

I use cloth diapers with inserts and had the same problem. I read somewhere that baking the inserts and diapers in the sun breaks down the ammonia build up. I tried it a few times and it worked great.

Are you using Bum Genius? I find they really hold on to the smell. Moreso than the Fuzzi Bunz, which we use during the day. Every few washings I put baking soda in the cold wash. I do a cold wash/no deterg, then a hot wash with detergent. Also I put Tea Tree Oil in every few loads as well. Another great thing is to dry the inserts/dipes out in the sun every now and then. It will bleach out the stains as well as clear up the smell.

Try a quarter cup of vinegar in the final rinse. It sounds wierd, but it work and no your clothes will not smell like vinegar. : )

Hi L.,
My daughter's cloth diapers stink too. I use regular soap, but since it's not an option for you, have your tried rinsing them immediately after you change her? I try to do that as often as possible and just let them air dry and will then put them in the washer once I'm ready to do a load.

Hmm, I had two thoughts when I read your post. First, if her pee really stinks, she may have a urinary tract infection, so get that checked out. If it's not her pee, it could be soap buildup in her diapers, inserts, and covers. I had a stinky diaper problem for a while, and I got rid of it by rinsing everything about 10 times with vinegar in the rinse cycle, then reduced my soap usage to almost nothing. Now I rinse first with vinegar in the rinse cycle, then wash in hot water with very little soap, and my smell problem is gone. Hope this helps!

I know that hard water is supposed to be kind of weird with cloth diapers, helps hold in the smell. I have bumGenius and use Planet detergent (and have hard water), and do the cold and then hot wash with very little detergent. I thought that I was doing really well with not having smell, and then the other day I was carrying a bunch of clean diapers and they were right in my face, and they did smell a little. They don't smell a lot when my son pees in them, but I should probably try some of the suggestions you got. You said you were using a detergent with lavender essential oils, I read that any kind of fragrance or oil (even natural) is bad for diapers, so that could be causing the smell to stick as well.

Also, someone mentioned Planet was really expensive, and it is, about $10, but I have had the same bottle for 4 months, use it every 2 days or so, and still have at least a 1/4 bottle left, so it's worth it. You can also get it at a lot of stores, some natural like Sprouts, but also Kroger or Smiths, and probably Frys (the same store, just different parts of the country).

I know you only use natural products, but have you tried using oxyclean? It's basically just hydrogen peroxide, which turns into water after its been activated in the wash. It helps me to keep the stink away with my cloth.

Another thing you should to is turn the hot water up as high as possible one day (don't forget to turn it back down) and wash all the dipes a bunch of times with the hottest water you can.

Also, don't use too much detergent.

Look up methods of stripping diapers, because it sounds like that's what you need to do. The hot water trick is one of them, and the not-too-much-detergent trick is a way to prevent needing to do it at all.

Have you tried Allen's or Charlie's or Planet for your detergent? I think they're all natural detergents. All of them are supposed to be GREAT for diaper laundry, but they're a little expensive. And you should be using them for all your laundry if you use them for the diapers. I personally can't afford them, so I have no experience with them.

If you have more cloth questions, there's a great community called diaperswappers.com where lots of moms buy/sell and trade new and used diapers, and there are lots of other discussions going on there. Anything from diapers to babywearing to being thrifty to pregnancy and parenting.

Good luck!

I pre rinse with baking soda.

L.,

Try laying them out in the sun for a couple of hours on a sunny day. I don't know why it works but it does. Sunshine will get the stink out of many, many things. If you can turn them over a few times so the sun gets to hit all the surfaces, that helps too (keep an eye on them though, the sun will bleach fabrics).

You could also try soaking the inserts in nature's miracle and letting them dry. Nature's miracle is an enzyme cleaner sold in pet stores for pet urine stains. It works really well on baby/toddler stains too. As the liquid evaporates, the smell leaves (but you have to let them dry naturally). My son spilled milk all over my couch and Nature's Miracle got the smell out. It is good stuff and will work on most "organic" stinks.

You could also try using a bit of bleach on them. You could always double rinse them and/or rewash them.

I didn't cloth diaper but I've got two kids (a 5 y.o. and a 2 y.o.) so I've dealt with a lot of stink. LOL

:-)T.

I wash the inserts separately from the covers - every now and again they get to smelling of ammonia and I do an extra wash using a good scoop of baking soda and vinegar. Washing more often prevents the ammonia odor as well.