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?

 

[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.

 

[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

 

[misspriss]

Anyone?

 

[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!

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

 

[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!

 

[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.

 

[adrie]

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.

 

[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.

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.

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.

 

[misspriss]

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.

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

 

[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

 

[misspriss]

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....

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!

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.

 

[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

 

[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.

 

[misspriss]

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!

 

[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!

 

[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.