Rash - wash routine

justinethebean

hello, wondering if anyone has tips / can help. This has been the most frustrating thing so far for us with a new baby. (Which I am grateful only this!)

LO is 5 weeks and we have been dealing with a rash on and off since we started the diapers at 1 week. As soon as I stop using liners after it heals it comes right back. He is fine in disposables so I think it has to do with my wash. We are currently using BG Newborn AIO. We have Country Save detergent. A week ago I switched to BG detergent (bought it thinking it was the new version but realized this weekend it's the old) so I guess I'm basically using the same thing.

I have a Top loader, HE. I do a cold wash followed by hot wash with extra rinse. I tested our water with a strip and we have Hard water. Any suggestions on what could be wrong? Any success with these detergents. One thing I saw is possibly adding a water softener like Calgon? Also maybe adding something like bac out to diapers before going into pail? Or do I need a new detergent? I would like to use what I have of possible.

freezorburn

Do you smell anything when you remove the diapers from the washer?

How hard did your test strip say your water was? If over 15 gpg/260 ppm, then that's when Calgon will help.

How much detergent are you using?

Also, instead of starting with a cold wash, try a warm wash for that initial rinse step.

I would hold off on Bacout for now, because some babies don't do well with enzyme products.

justinethebean

Thanks for your reply!

I don't smell anything. And it has been from the start so can't really tell any difference in terms of absorbancy or anything.

My water is only 7 gpg / 120 ppm which was plain hard / beginning or hard on the strip I hard.

For country save I am using 1/4 scoop in prewash and 1/2 scoop in hot wash. For bumgenuis, I'm using 1/2 scoop pre, full scoop main.

I will try warm for prewash. Let me know if you have any other ideas TIA!!

freezorburn

I don't think you need any detergent in the pre-wash.

I'm not familiar with BG detergent, but if it says to use a full scoop per load (assuming you are washing every other day), I would stick with that for now.

It's possible you have a bit of detergent buildup. If you do a hot water wash, is the water running clear, or is it cloudy at all? What temperature is the extra rinse at the end of your routine? If it's cold, can you switch it to a warm water wash?

That's my 2 cents. You may get more/different opinions if you search out the old regs.

justinethebean

Thanks for the suggestion! I also spoke with Cotton Babies and they recommended similar things as it seems like detergent buildup. Hoping trying these things will help!

smashbaby111

I am using a combination of BG, thirsties and Blueberry, and we have found that LO gets a really red bum if we use a BG two or three times in a row... But if we only use thirsties or Blueberry, we don't see any irritation. All diapers are washed together so it isn't the detergent... We are thinking we have a bit of a suede cloth sensitivity here... Only mentioning this because you said you use BG

Pao=Pao

If I were you, I would Google the BG detergent. I've heard horrible stories about babirs having bad reactions to it.
Also, if you have hard water do not use additional rinses -- you are just adding minerals to your diapers.

I would start using Calgon and a regular detergent (whatever you use for your clothes, which you know your baby is not allergic to.)
And you can check out the group Fluff Love & CD Science (Facebook). It's a group fully dedicated to help parents with their washing routines. They saved me for giving up cloth a few times.
Good luck!

crsanchez87

I do not use any detergent in the prewash, and only 1/4 of the amount of detergent I would use in a regular clothes wash.I use all free and clear detergent for all  my babies stuff. I also line dry, if the weather permits. It's simple and I haven't had any issues yet.