AMMONIA : (

skrap

So I have come to the sad realization that we are dealing with ammonia for the first time. 

I have an HE front-loading washer & (I just learned, blah) hard water. Typical wash routine is: rinse/spin cycle on cold/cold with the "water plus" option, followed by a permanent press cycle on hot/cold with the "water plus" option & an extra rinse. From what I've read online it sounds like I may be better off doing a warm pre-rinse rather than a cold due to the hard water. I'm *also* wondering whether I'd be better off doing a warm/warm wash rather than a hot/cold wash? I don't have a hot/hot option...

Will be ordering some RLR from Kelly's Closet today, but in the meantime, is there anything I can do to deal with the ammonia issue? Will a bunch of hot water washes without detergent help at all? Or do I need to switch to sposies for a few days? : (  

tokenhoser

What detergent are you using? How much?

A wash with Tide solved my ammonia issues. The "cloth diaper safe" and "natural" detergents I was using just were not getting them *quite* clean and after a few months, the build up was a problem. 

CLLDLL

Ammonia is caused by build up of detergent in your diapers.  So absolutely yes, several hot washes will help.  That may be all you need to get rid of the ammonia. 

To keep it from coming back, start using a little less detergent.  If you still get ammonia, hot water only strip again, and use even less detergent.  If using less detergent causes a barnyard stink then you might need to consider using a different detergent.

RLR will probably not help with ammonia.  It helps your detergent get into the cloth to clean properly, so it will solve barnyard stink due to hard water mineral buildup.

Also, I don't think I'd change your water temperature in your wash routine just yet.  See if just adding less detergent does the trick. If it doesn't then you can try changing temps before you change detergent if you want.  IME changing temps is more helpful to alleviate barnyard though.

Good luck!

tokenhoser

Not all ammonia issues = detergent buildup. That's waaaay over simplistic.

skrap

tokenhoser:

What detergent are you using? How much?A wash with Tide solved my ammonia issues. The "cloth diaper safe" and "natural" detergents I was using just were not getting them quite clean and after a few months, the build up was a problem.nbsp;

Bum Genius most of our dipes are Freetimes. I've been using the recommended amount or a little less, but maybe I should cut down.

skrap

CLLDLL:

Ammonia is caused by build up of detergent in your diapers.nbsp; So absolutely yes, several hot washes will help.nbsp; That may be all you need to get rid of the ammonia.nbsp; To keep it from coming back, start using a little less detergent.nbsp; If you still get ammonia, hot water only strip again, and use even less detergent.nbsp; If using less detergent causes a barnyard stink then you might need to consider using a different detergent.RLR will probably not help with ammonia.nbsp; It helps your detergent get into the cloth to clean properly, so it will solve barnyard stink due to hard water mineral buildup. Also, I don't think I'd change your water temperature in your wash routine just yet.nbsp; See if just adding less detergent does the trick. If it doesn't then you can try changing temps before you change detergent if you want.nbsp; IME changing temps is more helpful to alleviate barnyard though. Good luck!

Thanks! Although KC specifically recommends RLR for ammonia in hard water...?

I will def try the hot water washes, though! And agree that it makes sense to make one change at a time.

skrap

tokenhoser:

Not all ammonia issues = detergent buildup. That's waaaay over simplistic.

Hmm, how would you suggest best determining the root of the problem?

tokenhoser

What I would do is wash them, once, with whatever you use on your regular household laundry.

If that solves your problem, then you can screw around with detergent dosing later. Try more, try less, try whatever feels right. I didn't want to spend weeks on that project, so I got them clean first and then went to the trial and error after that. A single wash with a "conventional" detergent (I've also used Sunlight F&C liquid with great success as a one-time treatment) seems to get things back to normal for me. 

CLLDLL

tokenhoser:

Not all ammonia issues = detergent buildup. That's waaaay over simplistic.

I agree that not all ammonia = detergent build-up, but that's the most common cause.  Not to mention a hot water strip being the easiest and cheapest possible solution. 

But I don't think it's a bad idea to try Token's suggestion of using regular det. once either.  Maybe try the hot water, if that doesn't work try your usual det.  If that works then start playing with amounts and types of a CD safe det.