Oh, the stench

AACaHa13

I use EOS liquid for my cloth diapers and I've noticed they smell really awful after my lo pees in them. They don't stink when he isn't wearing them so I'm not sure what the problem is. I don't think it's what he is eating to cause the smell. I recently had to switch from tide powder to the EOS and that is when I noticed the smell. Any advice, how can I fix them?

Into+the+Kitty

...Switch back? This seems really obvious.

AACaHa13

I switched because the powder messed up our septic so no, I can't switch back to powder.

ElleBeeDub

So... All powder is out? I know our washing machine doesn't work quite as well with liquid even on "normal" laundry.
Do you have hard water? Tide has a water softener in it, but if EOS doesn't, that could be a problem.

AACaHa13

We purchased our house two years ago and I think the previous owners used powder as well. It was clogged with the build up and it was backed up.

We have a water softener and I'm not sure if EOS does

zaraceligon

How much soap are you using. I used to use the EOS, I didn't have problems at all. I did use just a half of a spoon no more than that. I change to tide because I don't like to see stain on the diapers. You need to get rid of the build up of the soap.

unaveragejane

Do all your diapers stink after your LO pees? What does it smell like? How old is your LO?

My mom always used powdered detergent when we were growing up, and we were always on a septic tank. It never bothered them, but we also never had soft water.

jcwinsto

The reason you get build up like that is because of using too much powder and it wasn't dissolving. I'd say you are safe to switch back but just use only what you need to get clothes clean.

CLLDLL

We had a really hard time getting our diapers clean with liquid.

Is the stench a knock your socks off chemically smell or more of wetdog/fish/poop smell? If it's chemically you need to do several hot rinses with no detergent. Then start washing with less detergent or switch detergents and see how it goes.

If the smell is more wet dog/fishy/poop then then your diapers arent getting clean. You need to run a wash with 1/4 cup bleach to kill any trappped bacteria and then use more detergent or switch detergents.

AACaHa13

zaraceligon said:

How much soap are you using. I used to use the EOS, I didn't have problems at all. I did use just a half of a spoon no more than that. I change to tide because I don't like to see stain on the diapers. You need to get rid of the build up of the soap.

Oh my! That is probably my issue! I use too much soap. I am going to try the hot rinses like someone suggested and then less soap to see if that helps. When we use disposables his pee doesn't stink. Yes, all cloth stink after he pees. He is 7.5 months old. The diapers don't smell like wet dog, it's hard to explain.... Maybe like a mildew-extreme strong urine smell. Thank you all...

Edit: misspelled words

TJ1979

I vote buildup. Hot water washes till no more bubbles.
What is your exact wash routine?

bumpuser5078523

Powder shouldn't bother your tank.

I know some people add a little water to the powder so it partially dissolves. Would that be an option? Like half a cup of water, maybe.

Rrrrrachel

All septic tanks are not created equal. Tide may be septic safe, but that may be for modern septic tanks built to code or just standard tanks. I you have an older tank, not enough line, or a pump system or something all bets maybe off.

AACaHa13

Thanks everyone! I did a hot wash rinse, hot wash with bleach and they don't even smell bad now... Only took one time. Thanks for the advice. I think I was using too much soap causing a buildup! I did notice after every wash there were some suds in the door of the washer. Thanks again!