Sbish OBF ammonia issue

princessyetz

DS is a heavy wetter and after lurking here for quite some time I decided to try the OBFs for overnight (with the snap in soaker and extra doubler) plus a fleece liner to help keep wetness away .  They are fantastic!  They have never leaked and have never had any other problems until now.  We have had the diapers about 3 months.  At first only the front was wet in the morning and back was completely dry.  Recently they have been soaking when I take them off in the morning (but never soaking through to his pjs).  He has not really changed his fluid intake since we got the diapers.  The last week or so when I take the OBF off him in the morning it wreaks of ammonia and now he has a bad ammonia burn/rash.  I have washed and rinsed several times.  I have tried a bit of bleach and then tons of rinses.  Nothing seems to help.  It it makes any difference we use prefolds and PUL covers during the day (have been using prefolds and covers since he was born and have never had a problem like this).  The prefolds don't smell of ammonia, just the OBFs.  Anyone have advice or experience?  I would appreciate any help.  TIA.

LottaLattes

This happened to me, and what finally fixed the ammonia was doubling the detergent (I do a prewash with charlies now and then a regular wash with it, was just doing the main wash before) and making sure I unsnap the doubler before washing. I ended up getting rid of them in the end because they took super forever to dry and were just more fussy than my other diapers. Good luck!

unaveragejane

Ours have been doing the same thing, and I have found that soaking them in a sink full of warm/hot water for a few hours helps. I just throw it in the sink in the morning after I change him, and sometime later in the day, I wring it out and put it in the wet bag.

princessyetz

Thanks for the input.  I don't think the rash is from the bleach.  I did so many washes and rinses after the bleach cycle to try to make sure all the bleach was out.

I think I will try soaking them after I removed them like you all suggested.  And maybe try a little less soap.  We use Country Save and I use 1/2 scoop in pre-wash rinse and 1/2 scoop in hot water wash.

unaveragejane

I would ditch the soap in the pre-wash rinse. It's just really meant to be exactly what you called it -- a rinse before you wash them. It gets the bulk of the pee out of the diapers. You could be looking at some detergent build-up.

Rita092010

Sounds like detergent build up, especially with the pre-rinse detergent -- but you can always email sloomb and tell them the problem you are having.  They are pretty awesome in helping decide a good wash routine depending on water, washer, etc. 

princessyetz

That is good to know about their customer service!  I have been meaning to call them. I just keep forgetting :P