why are my diapers not getting clean?!?

beck8008

my diapers are still smelly (like pee) after 3 or more washes... the only thing that seems to solve the problem is doing a bleach wash but i can't do that every time since we have a septic tank... i only do a bleach wash maybe once per month.   I do a cold wash with 2-3 T of detergent.  Then I do a hot wash with the same amount of detergent.  Then if the diapers still stink i do another hot wash with detergent.  I have ruby moon detergent.  I also have my own home made detergent.  Neither one seems to work.  Any ideas???

ElleBeeDub

Try doing a rinse cycle without detergent before your wash cycle (to rinse out some of the pee). Then do an extra rinse after your full wash. Your full wash routine would look something like this: Hot rinse no detergent, Hot wash with detergent (I use the longest wash cycle my machine has), Final rinse without detergent.

I'm not sure how big your washer is, but I also found that I needed to use 4 Tbsp of Ruby Moon in my wash cycle to make sure my diapers always smelled clean.

beck8008

i'll give it a try with just a rinse first rather than a wash with detergent.  detergent is just so dang expensive, i wish i didn't have to use so much of it to get a clean load

unaveragejane

Wow, you are using a lot of detergent! You could have detergent build-up that is causing the stink issues. A hot water strip (no soap) might help.

oliversmommy32912

I think you're using too much detergent. We have has a lot of stink issues the last couple of months and I stripped them and started using only 2 to 3 tbsp of homemade detergent and they don't stink at all now when I wash them. We were using 4 to 6 tbsp before. It sounds counterintuitive but if you have detergent build up then that can cause stink issues. I would strip and start fresh. Try a cold rinse with no detergent, a hot was with 2 tbsp, and a cold rinse and smell them. If they still smell like pee then try upping it by one tablespoon until they smell clean.

Rita092010

I agree -- sounds like too much detergent.  In my experience, pee/ammonia smell means too much detergent. "barn yard" smell means not enough detergent. I rinse them REALLY good until there aren't any bubbles. It might take quite a few rinses. I will accidentally over do the detergent on occasion and end of rinsing a lot...whoops!

bumpuser5078523

Do a few hot washes without soap. I also think it might be detergent build up.