yep, another ammonia question

kris_kelsey

all our dipes are prefolds, GMD workhorses, and B4 fitteds.  I feel like they are stinking more and more of ammonia.  Initially it wasnt bad, but now when we get to about 30hrs from the time the hamper was changed her whole room is ammonia ridden (we have a swing top trash can thing).  Like dont shut her bedroom door because the smell cant be ok for her to breathe over and over.  And I went to take her B4 off this morning (she slept 9pm til 5:30) and I was blinking at the ammonia coming off her and the dipe.  We wash every other day with country save 3tbsp and calgon 3tbsp (we have terribly hard water but we also have a water softener).  They dont smell like ammonia right out of the dryer, but it seems like the smell is getting worse and worse.  am i crazy or what is the problem?

bugandbibs

Generally, ammonia smell means too much detergent and residue buildup.

Do they smell when they are freshly wet?  It's normal for ON to smell like ammonia because the urine has time to crystalize.  You can trying rinsing/spraying you ON before you put them in the pail. It's not normal for daytime diapers to smell like ammonia when freshly wet.

What is your exact wash routine?  I would try a hot water strip and check for bubbles.  Then I would use fish tank ammonia neutralizer once to get rid of the smell.  The issue, is it a one time thing that can be fixed, or an ongoing problem you need to solve. 

Megan.10.06

Strip them - if that doesn't fix it, bleach 'em.