Funky barnyard smelling diapers (new house/ routine)

smurfetteinred

So every time we visit the inlaws by the end of the week our diapers smell like a barnyard. This isn't ammonia but just funky diaper smell. They smell fine coming out of the wash but when they get peed in they just smell gross and dirty. I've always been convinced that something about their water/ washer/ whatever keeps the diapers from getting as clean as they usually do. Well now that we've moved out of state, we are living with them while we find a new place and sure enough it's been one week and today I got the barnyard funk.

Usually I use the eff blog detergent but this time I decided to use her Tide thinking that if anything that would do it. No dice. I'm using a pretty decent dollop of it too. I just don't know what else I can do to keep the funk out of the diapers since more detergent and stronger commercial detergents aren't doing it. When we visit I always bleach the diapers when we get home and that takes care of it (further convincing me that they're just not clean) but that doesn't really work as part of our regular wash routine. 

Any suggestions anyone? I feel like I'm an expert in ammonia but I have no clue where to go with this. 

Mystery2B

Have you tried using a lot more soap (like 3/4 of what a regular laundry amount would be) and adding another rinse?

Lotte134

Is the washer a frontloader?  If so maybe try some tricks to get more water in.  Mine is to do a wash on delicate with cold water first to get the diapers nice and sopping, then do the hot wash with detergent.  And for Tide make sure it's powdered original or original HE depending.  The liquid didn't get it for us, but powder does.  Go figure.

ElloPoppet

if it's a FL, definitely start with a rinse (or in mine, I do rinse and hit the extra rinse button) and turn the spin speed to low to retain more water. THEN I do my hot wash and a rinse or two.

Oh, and run the "clean washer" cycle a couple times before you try the dipes again. I've been shocked to see what comes out when I run mine. Also maybe check the drain filter - sometimes crap gets stuck in the line out screen.

smurfetteinred

Sadly it's a top loader (which is what we had at home too) so it's not that. And when we've been here in the past we've used the regular small amount of detergent so this time I've been using a lot thinking that was maybe it. It probably has been about 3/4 of a standard load amount. I was sure I'd get ammonia for sure from too much detergent but I'm still just getting funky unclean smelling diapers.

Thing is that they smell clean coming out but dirty (more so then they should) after they've been peed in just like with ammonia diapers. Except it's nothing like ammonia. 

blissfully_caffeinated

I bought 2 diapers used that were like that. It wasn't ammonia. They just smelled weird and unclean after use. More so than they ever should have. I ended up taking a brush and scrubbing the inside of them with some dawn. Then I rinsed them a few times (it only took twice) until the bubbles were gone. I never had that problem again. Do your in laws use dryer sheets? I'm thinking a dryer sheet could cause it.

MandaGail

I was having that same problem before we moved.  I started using almost the full amount of recommended detergent.  I use Country Save.  The recommended amount for that size load is a heaping scoop (TL, what I have), so I started using just under a full scoop.  It doesn't make sense to me to have the washing machine on the highest water level and use less detergent like the manufacturers recommend anyway.  My routine now that we've moved is a full cold wash with a cold rinse, no detergent.  Then a hot wash with detergent, double cold rinse.  I've tried just the single rinse before the hot wash and the diapers started to get that odd smell again.

peachypear

Barnyard definitely = not enough detergent.

I had that problem. The sure solution for us was to use the entire recommended dose (per the back of the detergent box) and then slowly back down until it was rinsing clean. Do some experiementing with doses and find the one that leaves them clean but doesn't have bubbles in the second rinse. For us, the perfect dose is slightly less (~7/8) than the full recommended.

Also worth giving the washer and dryer a nice little cleaning. Wipe thoroughly with some bleach water. Crap (literally) can get into the little nooks and crannies.

annha

Have you tried vinegar in the fabric softener slot? I don't have any experience with CDs (yet!) but have been doing a lot of research and this seems like a popular approach to freshening stinky diapers...

smurfetteinred

Thanks ladies. I think I'll use the full amount of detergent and see if that makes a difference (I guess I'm stuck with the Tide until we move out of here). I might try the vinegar in the rinse but with vinegar it either helps your stink or makes it worse. We used vinegar to combat our ammonia issues awhile back and I'm positive that it definitely contributed the chronic ammonia that we battled for so long.