Help with Lil Joey's

MeganMaryA

I am having trouble with my Lil' Joey's smelling clean after I wash them.  I currently use Tide Free and Clear and haven't had any trouble up until now.  There aren't any stains on the diapers and they aren't repelling at all, just not smelling so fresh.

 I haven't tried any other detergents, I know there is a lot of love for Rockin Green on here.  Has anyone used that detergent with an HE machine?  Is it ok?  Not sure if changing detergents is the answer though.  

What does it mean to strip your diapers?  Is that something I should do?   Any advice would be great!  Thanks so much!

StephanieDM

Because Lil Joeys have a sewn in soaker, its harder to get them clean. I use RnG (top loader) and love it! I suggest picking some up and doing a soak with it to get them really clean, then wash as usual. I've never used Tide F&C personally because I don't like that it has optical brighteners in it, but we've had great luck with RnG. Always got our Lil Joeys clean.

How big are your diaper loads? What is your wash routine? Are you setting the water level high enough? If you're not using enough detergent or water, or if you're putting too many diapers in at once, that could be contributing to the issue as well. 

ETA: RnG is HE compatible.

Check out the FAQ link at the top of the board for info on stripping diapers.  

MeganMaryA

StephanieDM:

Because Lil Joeys have a sewn in soaker, its harder to get them clean. I use RnG (top loader) and love it! I suggest picking some up and doing a soak with it to get them really clean, then wash as usual. I've never used Tide F&C personally because I don't like that it has optical brighteners in it, but we've had great luck with RnG. Always got our Lil Joeys clean.

How big are your diaper loads? What is your wash routine? Are you setting the water level high enough? If you're not using enough detergent or water, or if you're putting too many diapers in at once, that could be contributing to the issue as well. 

ETA: RnG is HE compatible.

Check out the FAQ link at the top of the board for info on stripping diapers.  

My diaper loads are about 20-25 Lil Joey's.  I usually just do them on a white cycle (front loader) which means hot wash/cold rinse and then a 2nd rinse.  But I can change it to whatever is best, if I should be doing something else.  I don't use too much detergent, just up to the first line on the cup of Tide F&E- sometimes if I put more than that I can still see suds and then have to re-rinse.   

MeganMaryA

Ahh, forgot about the FAQ site.  Just saw the question about ammonia.  Maybe thats the problem.  Looks like I need some white vinegar.  

StephanieDM

Are you sure its ammonia? Ammonia is burn your eyes smell. You'd know if that was it. Does it smell like that or barnyardish? 

My first thought is, are you doing an initial cold cycle before your hot cycle to rinse away the yuckies? That's very important.

You need a cold cycle (no detergent), then a hot cycle (with detergent) with a double cold rinse. If your machine doesn't allow you to manually adjust the amount of water, try turning the spin off on the first cold cycle so the diapers get really wet and heavy. It will trick the hot cycle into thinking there's more in there than there really is because of the weight and it will use more water. If you can't turn the spin off, add a wet towel. 

Hope that helps!  

MeganMaryA

Cool thanks!  I will try that first.  Also, I checked out the RnG site- and I am going to order a sample or two to try it out.  Thanks for the help.

emsrdh03

I have nothing to add to Stephanie's great advice.  I just wanted to say I'm impressed at 2 months your lil Joey's still fit!  Ours barely lasted 2 weeks, you must have a tiny peanut on your hands!

tokenhoser

You could also try a shot of baby oxiclean (or no-name oxygen bleach). It would help kill bacteria (which makes things smell) and is color safe / diaper safe. GMD says to add it to the hot wash.

melaynej

I have also been using Lil Joey's on my 4 month old (almost too small now) since she was born and am experiencing the same problems.  I use Rocking Green for front loaders and love it for my other cloth diapers but it doesn't seem to do the trick with the the Lil Joey's.  I have tried everything!  Stripping with a shot of Dawn, cold wash with no detergent before a hot wash and double rinse, sunning, oxiclean, less detergent, more detergent, different detergent, you name it. I even tried running them through a cycle in my diswasher to get them extra, extra hot but that did not work.  I am beginning to think that these little guys may be impossible to get the stink out of.  I recognize that this thread is faily old but if anyone has any ideas please send them along!  I usually have between 4-8 Lil Joey's in a load along with about 4-6 of my other diapers and inserts.  Thanks and happy CDing!