Fit and Wash Questions

km_md

I have more questions!

Did anyone ever have a brand of diaper that never fit right? I am really not happy with DDs AppleCheeks and I'm torn about what to do. They are the only diapers that have ever leaked. She has started to put on some weight now, so I thought the leg leaks would stop, but today she took a long nap and leaked everywhere. This doesn't happen with any of her other diapers. She is tiny so she still fits into her size 1s, but I bought a couple of size 2s a while ago to get free shipping, so we have those too. I don't know if I should just sell them all off now, or if there is a chance that they will fit better at some point. 

And a question about my wash routine. I can't seem to get it nailed down. Just wondering what I should try next. We switched over to bamboo inserts and cotton prefolds, but still use MF in the BGs. It is way better than using all MF. I have had to strip diapers before, and I think we are starting to get some ammonia buildup again (I can just barely smell it after she pees sometimes). So since this is happening again, I need to adjust something in my wash routin. We are using Nellie's detergent, which I do like, as far as getting diapers clean goes. We have hard water though, and an HE FL machine. Wash routine is warm quick wash, hot wash, cold rinse. I use 1-1.5 scoops per load, every other day. I have looked and not seen suds from too much detergent.  Would a logical next step be to start adding in a water softener? (Calgon? Borax? Something else?). Or should I try switching detergents again? (Tide maybe?) Something else?

Thanks ladies! 

freezorburn

I would try Calgon. It binds the minerals so that they rinse away.

Also don't worry too much about whether you see suds or not. Hard water tends to suppress suds, and HE detergents are usually designed to minimize suds. So what you really want to do is just see if your rinse water is rinsing clean. If your FL has a window, try to watch during the final rinse and look for clarity of the rinse water.

km_md

freezorburn said:

I would try Calgon. It binds the minerals so that they rinse away. Also don't worry too much about whether you see suds or not. Hard water tends to suppress suds, and HE detergents are usually designed to minimize suds. So what you really want to do is just see if your rinse water is rinsing clean. If your FL has a window, try to watch during the final rinse and look for clarity of the rinse water.

Thanks freezorburn. My window has a colour to it, but I have looked at the water coming out of the machine when it spins out and it has been clear, so that is good.