# Diaper stink. I can't seem to shake it.



## misspriss

Okay, so I used to always use natural fiber flats after a microfiber debacle, and they worked great. But after DD was born we got tired of folding flats, so I sold a lot stuff and bought used AI2 diapers, and they have been great. My washing system seemed to work fine and all has been well for months. They I noticed stink, they kind when they come out of the wash smelling great but stink when they get wet? So I switched from the soap I was using to Tide powder (gets such great reviews, right?). I broke down everything and spent a day strip washing. I washed the bleachable items with bleach, the bamboo inserts without, and then the covers separately. I washed hot, with a soak, full amount of tide, rinsed cold, warm, cold then dried.

They smelled like absolutely nothing, not tide (it has a pretty powerful scent), not pee, not barnyard, nothing. Even after being peed on! I fixed them!

After this, I stuck with the tide, and washed the SAME WAY, just didn't split up into three separate loads. I think I got one wash out of them and then they started to smell again, so I started using about half the detergent, thinking it was building up. Nope, still smell.

What gives? What am I not doing? Hot water, check. Good detergent, check. Tried both full amount of detergent and half amount, check. Adequate rinse, check. Warm rinse, check. 

What freaking gives? can I get some help?


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## misspriss

I think I will try a new method?

Old Method:
1. Cold Rinse no spin
2. Heavy Duty wash, Hot water, Soak, full detergent (tried with half detergent as well), cold rinse, no spin
3. Speed wash warm, cold rinse, high spin

1. Cold rinse no spin 
2. *ADD* Warm speed wash, full detergent, cold rinse, no spin
3. Heavy Duty wash, light detergent, cold rinse, no spin (*Remove* Soak)
4. Speed wash warm, cold rinse, high spin

It will add a step and about 20 minutes, but I used to do this when DD was first born and I think switching to the one hot wash with soak instead of the warm wash then hot wash. I JUST folded all the diapers though, I am seriously considering saying screw it all and putting them BACK in the washer. I am so frustrated.


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## sugargully

Hi I'm stalking here and waiting for someone with an idea. I'll be CD my first borne and I really want it to work out. I'll be using Tide too, but some say use only a heaping teaspoon. Idk


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## misspriss

Anyone?


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## ellina

Is it an ammonia smell? I've read that citric acid or vinegar can neutralize ammonia, and that bleach won't work on ammonia since it's also basic. Can't vouch for it because I haven't had that problem (yet), but it seems like an easy thing to try!


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## ellina

And as a plus, acid will dissolve limescale buildup if you happen to have hard water. I use citric acid as a natural fabric softener and it works great.


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## misspriss

No, barnyard smell. Icky. No ammonia smell.

I will try vinegar on the inserts if the new wash routine doesn't work. We don't have hard water so that is not a concern.


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## minties

I rinse every nappy individually in a bucket as soon as I get a fresh one on Sophie. Warm rinse, squeeze water out, warm rinse, then hot soak about an hour, rinse ans put in a dry bucket. I use cotton prefolds and bamboo inserts. I always get a smell if I don't rinse each nappy out by itself.

The main wash is a cold one and I hang all nappies outside on the line.


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## Smile181c

When I was CD my first I used to put all the nappies in the washer together and do 1 cold rinse to stop any smells/stains being sealed in, then I'd do a normal wash with only about a tablespoon of washing powder, with no built in conditioner and then finally another cold rinse to get rid of any excess detergent and that seemed to work for me!

This time around I'll be using an Eco egg, which *should* eliminate the need for my rinse cycles as no detergents will be used. Fingers crossed you find a solution!


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## adrie

I can help you! I have been successfully cloth diapering for 2 years; never had ammonia, never had barnyard, but I KNOW what will work to rid you of these issues. I even use an HE washer; actually 2 different kinds and no problems. I should say, though, that I only use pocket diapers, and only ever flour sack towels and microfiber inserts. As you may know, MF is "notorious" for having issues with retaining smells and not cleaning as effectively, but I've done more than fine. 

Before I start, can I just say that I'm glad I don't have to side step the whole detergent preference malarkey?! hahaha, seriously. Thank god. 

Detergent build up is a myth. The science behind detergent is that it is made to break down. What is likely building up on your diapers are hard water minerals which then trap all of the urine and fecal matter from improper washing techniques, creating the "barnyard smell."

So, I have read the basics, but there are a few very important questions. 

1. What kind of washer? Standard or High Efficiency?

2. Do you have hard water? Most of the world has hard water. I have hard bordering on very hard water here in Western Canada. 

3. How many diapers are you washing, and exactly how much detergent are you using? 

My system is this. I wash about 20-25 diapers with 2-3 inserts each, in 2 heavy loads. 

First load: 1/2 of "line 1" of scooper of tide original HE powder. I use warm/cold water, on heavy wash, with a prewash, extra rinse, and extra spin. This measure of detergent is basically used as a booster because it is so little an amount. You can skip it. It's a preference for me personally. 

Second load: use to 'line 3' of tide original HE and 30ml (2 tbsp) Calgon water softener. Hot, heavy wash. Extra rinse and extra spin. Sometimes I add the prewash in here; sometimes not; no real difference...


It's important to know that barnyard essentially means that your diapers are not getting cleaned properly. It seems like this issue built up over time (which is common) and when you used the bleach and tried to switch around your washing techniques, it helped a bit; I'm sure some of the build-up was removed as a result of this. But not all. 

The thing about bleach, is that you need to do a soak in cold, following a wash in hot. The hot breaks down the bleach. Simply washing in bleach does not strip your diapers nor disinfect them. I have stripped and soaked my diapers 1 time! in 2 years. Most people use a bathtub to soak. It's actually very easy. 

If you have hard water, I would suggest an RLR strip first; followed by a bleach soak second. I can help you with the proper process to do both (as it is important to add the right amount; not too much and not too little bleach). 

Then I can help you tweak your wash routine (asking for a pic of all options on your washer) to help as best as I can.


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## adrie

sugargully said:


> Hi I'm stalking here and waiting for someone with an idea. I'll be CD my first borne and I really want it to work out. I'll be using Tide too, but some say use only a heaping teaspoon. Idk

The logic I use is this. Would you use a teaspoon to wash a decent sized amount of regular clothes, towels, bedding, etc? You are literally trying to wash out heavily soiled urine and fecal matter. Basic info on the box informs you to use more detergent, never less, for heavily soiled loads. Diapers are _always_ heavily soiled.

The only situation I would suggest less detergent is if a person* truly* has soft water. You can find out the exact number of your water on a scale (from soft to extremely hard) locally to determine this. The reason most of us have to use more detergent is because with hard water, you are also using the detergent to inhibit hard water minerals from depositing onto the diapers, which people with soft water don't have to worry about. 

Something to keep in mind, Tide has built in water softeners in it, which, if you don't have hard water, may be a bit tricky.


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## misspriss

Let me preface this by saying I have packed up all my stinky diapers away a month or so ago and unpacked my old flats, so it's not a pressing issue. I am pretty happy using the flats again, and no stink. However, I do have to wash more often as I have less diapers. I plan to wash then again and I'll probably end up selling them off, as I prefer the flats now that I am back to using them.



adrie said:


> I can help you! I have been successfully cloth diapering for 2 years; never had ammonia, never had barnyard, but I KNOW what will work to rid you of these issues. I even use an HE washer; actually 2 different kinds and no problems. I should say, though, that I only use pocket diapers, and only ever flour sack towels and microfiber inserts. As you may know, MF is "notorious" for having issues with retaining smells and not cleaning as effectively, but I've done more than fine.
> 
> Before I start, can I just say that I'm glad I don't have to side step the whole detergent preference malarkey?! hahaha, seriously. Thank god.
> 
> Detergent build up is a myth. The science behind detergent is that it is made to break down. What is likely building up on your diapers are hard water minerals which then trap all of the urine and fecal matter from improper washing techniques, creating the "barnyard smell."
> 
> So, I have read the basics, but there are a few very important questions.
> 
> 1. What kind of washer? Standard or High Efficiency?
> 
> 2. Do you have hard water? Most of the world has hard water. I have hard bordering on very hard water here in Western Canada.
> 
> 3. How many diapers are you washing, and exactly how much detergent are you using?

1. Top loading HE washer, which I have come to find out is probably the most "gentle" washer there is...should have just gone with a front loader...lol.

2. Not to my knowledge, I've never had "hard water" problems before, if it is, it would just be barely hard. Later you say Tide has water softeners built in so I doubt it is that.

3. Washing 20-25 diapers, and by diapers I mean 20-25 covers, and probably 30 snap in inserts. When we didn't have stink I could reuse the covers with another insert, but then they got stinky so I couldn't. I had used Method liquid stuff, which was plant based, but got stink issues and started Tide HE original. The stink went away after the first time I washed in Tide. Then it came back a few washes later.

I have washed with both a generous line 2 (which I would consider to be the appropriate amount for a heavily soiled small load, as they diapers really are a small load in my washer) and a line 1, ended up with stink both ways.



adrie said:


> My system is this. I wash about 20-25 diapers with 2-3 inserts each, in 2 heavy loads.
> 
> First load: 1/2 of "line 1" of scooper of tide original HE powder. I use warm/cold water, on heavy wash, with a prewash, extra rinse, and extra spin. This measure of detergent is basically used as a booster because it is so little an amount. You can skip it. It's a preference for me personally.
> 
> Second load: use to 'line 3' of tide original HE and 30ml (2 tbsp) Calgon water softener. Hot, heavy wash. Extra rinse and extra spin. Sometimes I add the prewash in here; sometimes not; no real difference...
> 
> 
> It's important to know that barnyard essentially means that your diapers are not getting cleaned properly. It seems like this issue built up over time (which is common) and when you used the bleach and tried to switch around your washing techniques, it helped a bit; I'm sure some of the build-up was removed as a result of this. But not all.
> 
> The thing about bleach, is that you need to do a soak in cold, following a wash in hot. The hot breaks down the bleach. Simply washing in bleach does not strip your diapers nor disinfect them. I have stripped and soaked my diapers 1 time! in 2 years. Most people use a bathtub to soak. It's actually very easy.
> 
> If you have hard water, I would suggest an RLR strip first; followed by a bleach soak second. I can help you with the proper process to do both (as it is important to add the right amount; not too much and not too little bleach).
> 
> Then I can help you tweak your wash routine (asking for a pic of all options on your washer) to help as best as I can.

The two routines I tried are in the second post. I currently run one of those two routines on my all cotton diapers I use now (flats and AI2 with cotton only in the snap in). I still get the occasional hint of barnyard in a heavily wetted AI2 insert (never in the flats, prefolds, or DIY "daddy flats" I recently sewed). So even if I do ditch the bamboo, I could still appreciate some help with my routine. 

I'll get a picture of my washing machine options.


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## misspriss

adrie said:


> sugargully said:
> 
> 
> Hi I'm stalking here and waiting for someone with an idea. I'll be CD my first borne and I really want it to work out. I'll be using Tide too, but some say use only a heaping teaspoon. Idk
> 
> The logic I use is this. Would you use a teaspoon to wash a decent sized amount of regular clothes, towels, bedding, etc? You are literally trying to wash out heavily soiled urine and fecal matter. Basic info on the box informs you to use more detergent, never less, for heavily soiled loads. Diapers are _always_ heavily soiled.
> 
> The only situation I would suggest less detergent is if a person* truly* has soft water. You can find out the exact number of your water on a scale (from soft to extremely hard) locally to determine this. The reason most of us have to use more detergent is because with hard water, you are also using the detergent to inhibit hard water minerals from depositing onto the diapers, which people with soft water don't have to worry about.
> 
> Something to keep in mind, Tide has built in water softeners in it, which, if you don't have hard water, may be a bit tricky.Click to expand...

I am really confused on how much Tide to use on my regular laundry. It has 1-2-3-4-5 on the cup, right? It says 1 for small loads, 3 for medium, 5 for full.

Well, I'l be honest, a "small load" in my 5.1 cubic ft washer is probably a medium load in someone else's HE machine, what constitutes small? What are 2 and 4 on there for, to be confusing? I never use a 5 for even a full load, I use a 3 and it's plenty, but I don't really wash anything heavily soiled but diapers...

In my washer, the diapers represent a small load, maybe small - medium if they are all in there. So I use a generous 2 as "full detergent", even though it's a small (aka line 1) load, because of the soil level. I'm kind of basing it on what I use on the rest of my laundry too.

I'll be honest, I prefer a liquid detergent. Although I have grown to like the smell of the Tide powder. It's the perfect light clean scent, makes everything else smell perfumy and what not. If and when I switch my diapers all to flats/daddy flats/prefolds, I'm probaby going to quit using Tide. It's expensive, and I prefer liquid...we'll see I guess. P&G does put out a lot of coupons....

Oh yes, picture of my washing machine controls!



With my toes :wacko:


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## adrie

That may be small in terms of size, but not soil level. If you prefer liquid detergent, I would switch, and you'd likely have to use more detergent than you think in liquid form, as typically it is not as strong as Tide. All detergents are not created equal. Free and clear versions are not as effective as Tide because they are not as strong. 

An RLR strip followed by a bleach soak will get you back to square one. I would honestly use more than a full cap full of liquid detergent to wash your diapers. AI2 diapers are different than pocket diapers; are all pieces removable? I would honestly make sure you change him a lot (not saying you aren't) but I know I will change my daughter's nappy even if it's only lightly wet from time to time. Which helps to keep the soil level less than fully soaked all the time, ya know? Another thing you could try if this is not possible, would be to rinse all of his wet nappy's really well before they are tossed in the diaper pail. My soiled (poo) diapers are probably cleaner than my wee diapers because I pretty much rinse and scrub the shells prior to putting them in the pail. 

I don't ever use more than a 4 on Tide ever. I can tell you, I have even had my washer "over-suds" due to too much soap in my diaper washes on occasion (I think this washer sucks tbh), but have never had "detergent build up" on my diapers. I let them soak like that for a few minutes, then run a rinse and spin, and another heavy cycle with extra rinse and spin. Detergent build up is a lie, plain and simple. 

From what your washer says, this is what I would do-AFTER an RLR strip and bleach soak and wash. 
Two loads. 

First load:

Spin speed: High
Soil level: Heavy
Soak with 1/2 to 1/4 cup detergent of your choice
Wash temp: Eco warm
Extra Spin

Second wash: 

Spin speed: High 
Soil level: Heavy
wash temp: Hot with full cap and 1/4 to 1/2 of second cup
You could add the soak in here too if you want; won't hurt as you have soft water
Extra rinse


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## misspriss

adrie said:


> That may be small in terms of size, but not soil level. If you prefer liquid detergent, I would switch, and you'd likely have to use more detergent than you think in liquid form, as typically it is not as strong as Tide. All detergents are not created equal. Free and clear versions are not as effective as Tide because they are not as strong.

Well I would probably use Tide liquid, so I assume the cleaning power would be about the same! Just bought a new box of Tide powder today so I'll be using it for a while. It just gets little grains of detergent all over the laundry area over time....



adrie said:


> An RLR strip followed by a bleach soak will get you back to square one. I would honestly use more than a full cap full of liquid detergent to wash your diapers. AI2 diapers are different than pocket diapers; are all pieces removable? I would honestly make sure you change him a lot (not saying you aren't) but I know I will change my daughter's nappy even if it's only lightly wet from time to time. Which helps to keep the soil level less than fully soaked all the time, ya know? Another thing you could try if this is not possible, would be to rinse all of his wet nappy's really well before they are tossed in the diaper pail. My soiled (poo) diapers are probably cleaner than my wee diapers because I pretty much rinse and scrub the shells prior to putting them in the pail.
> 
> I don't ever use more than a 4 on Tide ever. I can tell you, I have even had my washer "over-suds" due to too much soap in my diaper washes on occasion (I think this washer sucks tbh), but have never had "detergent build up" on my diapers. I let them soak like that for a few minutes, then run a rinse and spin, and another heavy cycle with extra rinse and spin. Detergent build up is a lie, plain and simple.

AI2 are like AIO, but have snap in/out inserts so you can keep using the covers, it's like a hybrid between an AIO and a separate diaper/cover system. The ones with the problem are itti bitt tuttos, all of them. They are fuzzy (minky?) covers, with polyester insides to the covers (microfleece I think), with a nice gusset and "poo wall" built in. Then you snap the inserts in. The inserts are 30/70 bamboo/cotton, with a microfleece cover, all sewn together (although they are thin, the "regular" one is long and doubles over to get the regular absorbency). But they ARE all sandwiched together tightly with snaps all in them, which may mean it is hard to get them all cleaned out.

I honestly don't have any RLR, have never used it. I do have bleach, but try to avoid using it. I don't like to bleach the bamboo though, I have heard it will break it down a lot faster? When I bleached in the past, I only bleached the 100% cotton ones and the wipes. I washed the synthetic fiber ones separate (bamboo is natural, bamboo rayon is a synthetic fiber by the time it made into cloth for sure!)

It is fairly inplausable to be able to rinse them out after a change, our changing table is far from a sink or our pail. This has been suggested before. I think I'd rather just switch to a diaper type that doesn't require this extra step.

I guess we will have to start rinsing poo soon, as DD will be taking on solids soon. DS didn't eat enough solids to have solid poops until he was closer to a year though (we did BLW and he was pretty slow about it). One of the reasons we potty trained him at 18 months was to not have to wash out the diapers when we changed him!



adrie said:


> From what your washer says, this is what I would do-AFTER an RLR strip and bleach soak and wash.
> Two loads.
> 
> First load:
> 
> Spin speed: High
> Soil level: Heavy
> Soak with 1/2 to 1/4 cup detergent of your choice
> Wash temp: Eco warm
> Extra Spin
> 
> Second wash:
> 
> Spin speed: High
> Soil level: Heavy
> wash temp: Hot with full cap and 1/4 to 1/2 of second cup
> You could add the soak in here too if you want; won't hurt as you have soft water
> Extra rinse

Okay - I don't have RLR and I'm not keen on using bleach on the bamboo, is there something else I could do here instead? Hot wash with vinegar? lying out in the sun?

My questions:

First load:

Spin speed: High _why spin? I do the rinse first with no spin to get them wet, causes the washer to use more water for diapers, otherwise it doesn't even fill the drum 1/2, I thought agitating in the water was important Besides, spinning takes 13 minutes, if I'm just going to get it wet again why take the extra time?_
Soil level: Heavy
Soak with 1/2 to 1/4 cup detergent of your choice
Wash temp: Eco warm _Any particular reason eco warm not standard warm? Or just because there is no reason to do standard warm?_
Extra Spin

_Which actual cycle for this? Normal cotton? Speed Wash? Assuming this is a pre-wash, I would use speed wash, it's a vigorous cycle but shorter_

Second wash: 

Spin speed: High 
Soil level: Heavy
wash temp: Hot with full cap and 1/4 to 1/2 of second cup
You could add the soak in here too if you want; won't hurt as you have soft water
Extra rinse

_Also, which cycle? I'm assuming Heavy Duty Wash_

And I'm still using the Tide powder for now, not trying anything new right now. 

The way my washer works, you select a cycle from the first two columns on the right, then it will have a default wash them/soil level/spin speed, which you can adjust. Like Normal/cotton is default normal soil, warm, high speed. Where delicate is low soil, tap cold, low spin. I always adjust it to heavy soil and medium spin (there are limits, like a speed wash won't do hot water, delicate won't do high speed, etc)

So my revised schedule:

[First - Removes debris, wets diapers, does some cleaning] 13 minutes
(Special use, column 3) Rinse & Spin - No spin

[Second - prewash] With no spin, 24 minutes, with spin 38
Tide Powder: 0.5-1
Cycle: Speed Wash
Water temp: Warm (or eco warm, which I believe is just tap hot and tap cold mixed, instead of preset "standard" warm/cold temps)
Soil Level: Heavy
Spin Speed: None (again, why spin? I guess it removes more rinse water, advice me on this I guess, I've always taken off the spins until the end to save time and trick my HE machine into using more water)

[Third wash - main] 1 hr 41 minutes with one extra rinse, 2hr 01 with two
Tide Powder: 3
Cycle: Heavy Duty
Special Use: Soak
Extra Rinse: one extra rinse (you can do two if you want, but it seems a bit excessive)
Water temp: Hot (the Itti Bitti's recommend warm instead of hot for normal washing, as hot is rough on bamboo rayon, I can use hot on my cotton no problems though)
Soil Level: Heavy
Spin: High

Doing the prewash, can I eliminate the initial rinse maybe? If I eliminate the pre-rinse but do a spin on the prewash, it will be the same amount of time.

I think what I will try is the prewash without the prerinse, see what a spin does (maybe it will use a mid amount of water which will work okay), then the main wash with 1 extra spin and a soak. I could try it without the soak. The soak is only 10 minutes, might as well keep it, lol.


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## adrie

I honestly don't have any RLR, have never used it. I do have bleach, but try to avoid using it. I don't like to bleach the bamboo though, I have heard it will break it down a lot faster? *You can bleach any fabric except for wool or silk. If you bleach and then correct your wash routine, you will not have to use it again. It's really that simple. *

It is fairly inplausable to be able to rinse them out after a change, our changing table is far from a sink or our pail. This has been suggested before. I think I'd rather just switch to a diaper type that doesn't require this extra step.

*I personally have always rinsed/scrubbed poo diaper shells since I started cloth diapering. I would definitely recommend it. Getting the poop off the diaper leaves less for your washer to clean, and let's face it, little to none of the issues you're dealing with. *

Okay - I don't have RLR and I'm not keen on using bleach on the bamboo, is there something else I could do here instead? Hot wash with vinegar? lying out in the sun? 

*I would suggest none of these methods, but you can try whatever you like. The sun and vinegar will not cure your issues. RLR is easy to buy for cheap online. Super cheap. The bleach you would need to use is disinfectant bleach with at least 5.25% sodium hypochlorite, not the other bleach. 
*
My questions:

First load:

Spin speed: High why spin? I do the rinse first with no spin to get them wet, causes the washer to use more water for diapers, otherwise it doesn't even fill the drum 1/2, I thought agitating in the water was important Besides, spinning takes 13 minutes, if I'm just going to get it wet again why take the extra time? 

*The only differences between the 2 cycles I suggested are that you use hot water and much more detergent in the second cycle. This is how I would wash my diapers if I was using your washer. I do high spin and extra spin at the end of each of my cycles. It's worked great for me. That's why I would suggest it. Also, by saying that it only fills the drum 1/2 full, is that meaning that you are washing too many diapers and there is not enough water? Because that could be a big issue as well.* 

Wash temp: Eco warm Any particular reason eco warm not standard warm? *I have found standard warm to be a little too warm and eco warm sounds like it will be more so warm-cool. *

Which actual cycle for this? Normal cotton? Speed Wash? Assuming this is a pre-wash, I would use speed wash, it's a vigorous cycle but shorter. 
*I would do an identical cycle for both of my suggested loads. So, the heaviest cycle option for your machine. *

Second wash: 

Spin speed: High 
Soil level: Heavy
wash temp: Hot with full cap and 1/4 to 1/2 of second cup
You could add the soak in here too if you want; won't hurt as you have soft water
Extra rinse

Also, which cycle? I'm assuming Heavy Duty Wash. *Yep. On BOTH washes. *



The way my washer works, you select a cycle from the first two columns on the right, then it will have a default wash them/soil level/spin speed, which you can adjust. Like Normal/cotton is default normal soil, warm, high speed. Where delicate is low soil, tap cold, low spin. I always adjust it to heavy soil and medium spin (there are limits, like a speed wash won't do hot water, delicate won't do high speed, etc)

So my revised schedule:

[First - Removes debris, wets diapers, does some cleaning] 13 minutes
(Special use, column 3) Rinse & Spin - No spin

[Second - prewash] With no spin, 24 minutes, with spin 38
Tide Powder: 0.5-1
Cycle: Speed Wash
Water temp: Warm (or eco warm, which I believe is just tap hot and tap cold mixed, instead of preset "standard" warm/cold temps)
Soil Level: Heavy
Spin Speed: None (again, why spin? I guess it removes more rinse water, advice me on this I guess, I've always taken off the spins until the end to save time and trick my HE machine into using more water)

[Third wash - main] 1 hr 41 minutes with one extra rinse, 2hr 01 with two
Tide Powder: 3
Cycle: Heavy Duty
Special Use: Soak
Extra Rinse: one extra rinse (you can do two if you want, but it seems a bit excessive)
Water temp: Hot (the Itti Bitti's recommend warm instead of hot for normal washing, as hot is rough on bamboo rayon, I can use hot on my cotton no problems though)
Soil Level: Heavy
Spin: High


* I would honestly just do 2 heavy duty cycles with high spin and extra rinse. 1/2 or fill to line 1 for the first wash with eco warm water for initial wash; to line 3 and a heavy duty cycle with hot water and extra rinse and high spin for final wash. I just provided you with my suggestions; obviously you can tweak your routine however you see fit. Best of luck. Also, from what I have read, Gain is a good alternative for those with soft water. I'd look into it after you've used your detergent up. 

Here is a great article I'd suggest you read. It's not just to do with ammonia, but also barnyard like you're dealing with. There is a good amount of information for you to read throughout the site.* 

https://www.idreamofdiapers.com/2014/04/bleaching-and-ammonia-in-your-cloth.html


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## Berri

Dishwashing liquid! Manufacturer of the cloth nappies I use has suggested it to me in the past - hot hot hot wash with some diswashing liquid and then a good rinse and hang in the sun to dry. Should strip all the nasty stinkers! I've only ever had to do it once though and this is my usual wash routine:

AI2, 20 nappies every 3 days (on the rare occassion I get a #2 that I can't roll out I do soak those in cold water just so the mess doesn't go through my machine). I do cold rinse, heavy wash on cold with small amount of liquid detergent (Cold Power here) and 2-3tbs bicarb soda if there are some especially nasty nappies in there. Then if I have time I do a quick cold wash (20min) to make sure all the detergent is gone.

Best results if they dry in fresh air...

I'm on my second child with these nappies and no discernable smell.


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## misspriss

Berri said:


> Dishwashing liquid! Manufacturer of the cloth nappies I use has suggested it to me in the past - hot hot hot wash with some diswashing liquid and then a good rinse and hang in the sun to dry. Should strip all the nasty stinkers! I've only ever had to do it once though and this is my usual wash routine:
> 
> AI2, 20 nappies every 3 days (on the rare occassion I get a #2 that I can't roll out I do soak those in cold water just so the mess doesn't go through my machine). I do cold rinse, heavy wash on cold with small amount of liquid detergent (Cold Power here) and 2-3tbs bicarb soda if there are some especially nasty nappies in there. Then if I have time I do a quick cold wash (20min) to make sure all the detergent is gone.
> 
> Best results if they dry in fresh air...
> 
> I'm on my second child with these nappies and no discernable smell.

I've done this before, with my previous microfiber insert cloth diapers with my last child (before I switched to flats and wool exclusively!). This time I got bamboo, thinking it was natural (turns out bamboo rayon is pretty much a synthetic once it's processed) and I bought them used. Now I'm getting back to flats and wool, soooo much easier.

I am a bit nervous about putting dishwashing liquid in the washing machine, I have heard it is really bad for them and can void the warranty. This machine cost WAY too much to risk it!


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## misspriss

*You can bleach any fabric except for wool or silk. If you bleach and then correct your wash routine, you will not have to use it again. It's really that simple. *
*I personally have always rinsed/scrubbed poo diaper shells since I started cloth diapering. I would definitely recommend it. Getting the poop off the diaper leaves less for your washer to clean, and let's face it, little to none of the issues you're dealing with. *

_This is why I'm sewing diapers which this is not necessary, it will avoid the problems I'm having without an extra step. I'm struggling to CD as it is with both the kids at home and I'm going through some health issues. I would rather fix the problem permanently than add another step to keep dealing with it forever._

*I would suggest none of these methods, but you can try whatever you like. The sun and vinegar will not cure your issues. RLR is easy to buy for cheap online. Super cheap. The bleach you would need to use is disinfectant bleach with at least 5.25% sodium hypochlorite, not the other bleach. 
*

I found some stuff on the website that will help instead. We are currently borrowing money to cover the bills until payday, we have no money for thanksgiving foods, and I don't foresee being able to buy Christmas gifts for the children this year. "Super cheap" is relative. Why do you think I'm cutting up old blankets and kitchen towels to make easier to wash diapers instead of just buying them?

*The only differences between the 2 cycles I suggested are that you use hot water and much more detergent in the second cycle. This is how I would wash my diapers if I was using your washer. I do high spin and extra spin at the end of each of my cycles. It's worked great for me. That's why I would suggest it. Also, by saying that it only fills the drum 1/2 full, is that meaning that you are washing too many diapers and there is not enough water? Because that could be a big issue as well.* 

_No, if you don't do a rinse first (just looking at the water level it uses for the rinse only cycle) it barely covers the diapers with water. If you wet the diapers first and rinse, it fills the drum about 1/3 full. If you rinse and don't spin, it fills it up to the top. I actually found some useful information on the website you linked about this. The way I'm doing it I get diaper soup. I need diaper stew, which is what I get if I spin after the prewash/prerinse._

*I have found standard warm to be a little too warm and eco warm sounds like it will be more so warm-cool. *

_I see.
_

*I would do an identical cycle for both of my suggested loads. So, the heaviest cycle option for your machine. *

_I don't see the point in doing two heavy duty washes, isn't one a pre-wash? Isn't the nature of a prewash that it isn't the main wash? I don't want to spend more than 3 hours washing the diapers. I'm going to be so glad when I get back to all flats - they wash SO WELL._


* I would honestly just do 2 heavy duty cycles with high spin and extra rinse. 1/2 or fill to line 1 for the first wash with eco warm water for initial wash; to line 3 and a heavy duty cycle with hot water and extra rinse and high spin for final wash. I just provided you with my suggestions; obviously you can tweak your routine however you see fit. Best of luck. Also, from what I have read, Gain is a good alternative for those with soft water. I'd look into it after you've used your detergent up. *

_Oh I can't stand the smell of Gain, I think I may just stick with Tide!_

*Here is a great article I'd suggest you read. It's not just to do with ammonia, but also barnyard like you're dealing with. There is a good amount of information for you to read throughout the site.* 

https://www.idreamofdiapers.com/2014/04/bleaching-and-ammonia-in-your-cloth.html

_Very useful link! I did solve my spin/no spin solution there, I want diaper stew (spin after rinse/prewash) not diaper soup!_


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## misspriss

> You can order RLR Laundry Treatment packets on Amazon or DiaperJunction.com.
> *Or you can make your own with ingredients from the laundry aisle*: diy mix: 3 Tablespoons each of Borax, Calgon, and Washing Soda, for a total of 9 Tablespoons. *OR 1/4 cup of 2 of the three ingredients*; OR 1/2 cup of a single ingredient. Note: the more ingredients you can lay your hands on and use, the more broad spectrum the types minerals it will remove. One will work to some extent, all three are preferable.

I have washing soda and borax on hand, I plan to use the bolded method. I will have to buy bleach as all I have is splashless. Since I don't have particularly hard water I think this should do.


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## misspriss

Well, the diapers are in the tub with the DIY RLR. No weird smells or colors, leaving it overnight and doing the bleach in the AM. I picked up regular bleach, but they didn't have calgon at the store.

I did all my inserts, I mean all - the really stinky ones, the ones with little to no stink (because they have had stink at one time), the ones that didn't really stink but I used the same non-optimal detergent on them. I did the AIOs (because you can't seperate the cover) but for all the other covers I left them out, no real reason to. The covers that are not wipe clean seemed to have some stink, but I think it was from being next to stinky inserts. 

People act like stripping is really harsh, but it's just washing soda and borax, which I've put both in the wash before (a looooong time ago). I've made homemade laundry soap with those ingredients and used it on all my clothes! (Before CD, as it was made with bar soap) Especially in the bathtub with tap hot water (it's not like I boiled it or anything) and only manual agitation, it's not very harsh seeming? I mean maybe the bleach, but for a once in a blue moon thing I still don't see it being THAT harsh at the dilution recommended. I guess I was all picturing this really harsh process but it doesn't seem so. This means DD has been wearing my handmade diapers while these are in, they work great and washy up great.

I do plan to sell these AI2 once I am confident they aren't messed up/stinky (I'd never sell a diaper all stunk up!). I prefer the fit, wash, and absorbency of the ones I have made. The AI2 would have fit my son better, actually they do fit him as he still wears diapers to bed and has borrowed one of DD's on occasion and they wear the same size (she is 15lbs and chunky, he is 24lbs and slim). If I wasn't so skint, I'd save them and see if they fit her better when she is mobile and thins out a bit - although I think she will always be chunkier. But I'm skint, and I want to sell them off! Sell everything that doesn't fit! Sew some more easy ones and buy a dozen prefolds...:cloud9:


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## misspriss

Just an update!

I did the DIY RLR, then I rinsed once (in the washer, so actually a rinse cycle) and then did a cold bleach soak, then rinsed once in the tub with hot water best I could (I have back problems and it was difficult) and then washed hot in the washer. I then washed the diapers twice like "regular" (although I omitted the pre-wash as they didn't have any soil) and then dried, then washed WITH my other dirty diapers (used the flats/homemade flats while stripping).

I am happy to report absolutely no stink, no problems, absolutely perfect. Although I did not continue to use the "really stinky" ones, I just decided I was better without them. However my AIO and AI2 that I continued using had stink in the past (although not as bad as the bamboo ones) have had no issue and no stink.

I also modified my routine based on the information that was linked to earlier, I basically just used the "hard water" routine, although my water is not super hard it probably is a bit hard. I have to use rinse aid in the dishwasher and sometimes the glass still comes out cloudy. Here is my new routine I've been using for a couple weeks and it works great:

Pre-wash:
0.5 line Tide
Cycle: Speed Wash
Water Temp: Eco Warm
Soil Level: Heavy
Spin Speed: High

Main wash:
2.5 line Tide
Cycle: Heavy Duty
Water Temp: Hot
Soil Level: Heavy
Spin Speed: High

No extra rinses. I check to see if my diapers feel "slimy" when I go to move them to the dryer (never do) and I have not had any issues. They don't even smell like detergent but just barely when I take them now. I am now thinking how much water I've wasted on all these extra rinses! Sometimes adding two extra rinses or running a full, no detergent speed wash cycle to "rinse"...I was probably causing problems if my water is hard! And all the water!

Granted, my stash is mostly flats/daddy flats (2 layers birdseye/flannel at thickest) so they do wash really well, but OMG this is so much faster, easier, and uses less water. And I do have some AIO and AI2 in there and I have not had any problems with them not rinsing clean with just my washer's built in rinse.


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## pinkpassion

I'm so glad I came across this... after cloth diapering dd for the last 19 months I was at my wits end with the sudden issues I've been having with stink the last few months.. literally threw them in a pile and bought a box of disposable diapers and have used them the last 3-4 weeks... I am going to try these things (I have a whole house water softener so no hard water) but I'm going to get some rlr and strip , do a bleach soak and then do the tide wash . I hope it works because I want to get back to my cloth!!! :/


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## misspriss

Well I've been doing my magic routine since I posted this with no problems, until about 4 or 5 washes ago. Now I'm getting stink again. I don't know what has gone wrong.

I did switch to cold pre-wash as opposed to eco-warm as I was getting long term stains and I think it was the warm vs cold prewash. But I changed that months ago.

My current routine (been doing this since the beginning of the year for sure)

Pre-wash:
0.5-1 line Tide
Cycle: Normal Wash
Water Temp: Cold (standard cold, not tap)
Soil Level: Heavy
Spin Speed: High

Main wash:
4-5 line Tide
Cycle: Heavy Duty
Water Temp: Hot
Soil Level: Heavy
Spin Speed: High

I use flushable liners for poop, so not much soil ends up in the diaper (just the liquidy part that goes through the liner). There could be some poop getting in on the wipes I guess? I don't know. But about 4-5 washes ago, they smelled when she peed. Bad. So I added a soak to my main wash the next cycle and it was markedly better, but still there. They still stink. It has gotten so bad sometimes I think she must have pooped but it's just the pee smell.

Do I need to do some kind of strip again? I thought if I kept using the Tide and doing things right I'd never need to strip....

There are no synthetic fibers in my diapers. All cotton, all the time.


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## messica

Has her diet changed recently? Is she the one born 5/15 so she'd be turning one soon and adding in more solids lately? 

Any changes in your water hardness by chance?

I noticed a similar change when I added dairy in for my boys. I found adding a detergent booster (borax) and switching to washing every other day (instead of washing every third or fourth day) fixed the problem.


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## misspriss

She is eating more solids, but poop gets flushed or tossed with liners. Some probably gets in. Maybe i can add some borax, i think i may try stripping them now. I have just switched to disposables until i get this sorted.


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## misspriss

Well in case anyone comes back to this, i put bleach in the dispenser in the washer and washed them multiple times after with low detergent (not heavily soiled at this point) until the bleach smell was gone. No stink. I smell her pee diapers now, i must be crazy, but no stink! Sorry for the ill grammar, my phone quit autocorrecting i to I.


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## petite ping

Whenever my nappies start to smell, I washed them with a full dose of detergent and then soaked them for 24 hours in cold water. I changed water 2-3 times.

Then I would put them back in the machine and washed them without detergent.

It works every time. I've never bleached my nappies. I use bamboo nappies.

They've lasted me through 2 kids and will be used for the third.


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## misspriss

Glad you've had success, the last reply on this post was over 1 year ago. I do not have any stink issues, I quit cloth 6 months after that post (for other reasons), sold our house and the washing machine with it, and recently moved back to cloth with a new and different washing machine and new diapers, and am expecting a new baby (who will be in cloth).


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## misspriss

HA karma right? Started having some kinds of smells (although not as bad) with the new diapers.

Lysol Laundry Sanitizer.


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## veganmammy

I like to do one 40 degree 30 minute wash with full powder, then one 60 degree 60 minute wash with a few drops of lavender or tea tree oil. I had massive problems with my girls with stinky nappies and I strip washed them and strip washed them and they never seemed to come clean. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong but it turned out I wasn't rinsing them enough in the strip wash. It took so so long that I just assumed they were done but they needed more. It took me alllll day to get them done in the end!


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