Diapers repelling...nothing is working!

megl20 · February 2014

Hi there!
I'm a FTM of a 6 month old DS. We have been CD since December. We use all bumgenius (4.0 for nighttime, elemental and freetime for day). We have had a problem with leaks for a while now, but lately it's getting ridiculous. Yesterday he went throughout 3 outfits in 1 he before I finally got fed up and put a disposable on him.

Here is what we have tried in addition to our regular rinse/wash cycles...an extra hot vinegar wash and washing with blue dawn. We tried some of them out after doing these things and liquid just sits on top. Does anyone have any more ideas? My SIL CDs and that's where we got our routine, but clearly it's not working for us.

Thank you thank you for your help!

TJ1979 · February 2014

What is your usual routine?

Also, put down the blue dawn.

Aurora_Borealis · February 2014

What is your regular wash routine?

What detergent do you use?

What rise setting are you using on the diapers?/How big is your LO?

ETA: The Elementals should not be repelling - they are cotton, so unless you're using Downy or something I'm not sure what's up. When they leak, where are the leaks from? Or are they completely soaked?

megl20 · February 2014

We do a hot power rinse with 1/4 c baking soda (for smell) followed by a hot wash with Charlie's soap (1 scoop). We finish with another hot rinse with 1/2 c vinegar.

I'm still not sure I did the dawn correctly, but I did a squirt instead of the detergent then just a power rinse.

DS is about 17lbs and they're leaking from the top.
The elementals aren't as bad. I shouldn't have put them on the list. Sorry about that.

Rrrrrachel · February 2014

How long have you been using Charlie's? Are you using it on all your laundry?

Rrrrrachel · February 2014

And have you tried the Charlie's booster?

TJ1979 · February 2014

megl20 said:
We do a hot power rinse with 1/4 c baking soda (for smell) followed by a hot wash with Charlie's soap (1 scoop). We finish with another hot rinse with 1/2 c vinegar.

I'm still not sure I did the dawn correctly, but I did a squirt instead of the detergent then just a power rinse.

DS is about 17lbs and they're leaking from the top.
The elementals aren't as bad. I shouldn't have put them on the list. Sorry about that.

What smell?

Aurora_Borealis · February 2014

OP - no worries about including the Elementals. It's just that if you were having the same kinds of problems with them that would indicate some other things to troubleshoot.

Rrrrrachel · February 2014

I really don't think baking soda and vinegar on a regular basis are a great idea, but idk if that's part of your problem or not.

megl20 · February 2014

Well we started with the baking soda and vinegar at the advice of SIL because they started repelling a few weeks ago and it helped for a while. Now they're worse.

We've only used Charlie's on the diapers. Not on other laundry.

Today was the first time using Dawn. I followed the stripping directions on the FAQ.

What would be the best routine to use? I've pretty much just only done what SIL said to do but I'm open to whatever you more experienced ladies recommend. I just want to be able to use the diapers. Right now we can't really.

I hope I answered everyone's questions. I really appreciate all your replies.

Rrrrrachel · February 2014

You really can't use Charlie's on your diapers and something else on your other laundry. Charlie's is kind of all or nothing. Residue in your machine from the other laundry will interfere with the Charlie's, and I wouldn't be surprised if that residue was depositing on your diapers and causing your problems, especially if you're using fabric softener on all your stuff. Personally I think Charlie's is terrific but if you don't want to use it on everything you need to switch to a different cd detergent.

Rrrrrachel · February 2014

Here's some info from Charlie's soap you should check out.

https://www.charliesoap.com/pressroom/diapers.html

megl20 · February 2014

Thank you all so much!

Aurora_Borealis · February 2014

If your diapers started repelling after less than 2 months of using them, something is not right with your routine, water or detergent.

First, I would do a hot water strip. Wash your diapers on a hot cycle no detergent and see if you get a bunch of soap bubbles. If so, keep doing this until they go away. I know Charlie's is clean-rinsing and sort of think their advice against using different detergents on other laundry may not entirely based on science, but you have to try something.

If you don't have any bubbles in the hot water strip, then let's talk about your washing machine. What kind is it - TL, FL, HE-TL? What brand is it? What cycle selections are you using for your diapers?

Are you having any rash issues with your LO? You mentioned using baking soda to deal with stink in an earlier post. That makes me think that something is happening (not enough water, not enough detergent or wrong detergent) that is preventing your diapers from getting clean enough. Do you diapers smell 'off' when you take them out of the dryer? The reason I ask is that repelling can also be caused by diapers not getting clean enough - residual oils from poop can make them repel. Check out the highlighted portion about part way down on this link: https://www.cloththatcounts.com/?p=997 But also read the whole post - something might strike you about what's going on specifically with your diapers and how to fix it.

Which leads to detergent. It may be that your water/diapers/washer combo is not suitable for washing with Charlies. I know that sounds dumb, but if you have hard water (most of the US does) and are trying to wash microfiber/synthetic diapers with a 'natural' detergent it may be that the detergent isn't providing enough cleaning power. Perhaps changing detergents will help.

Sorry for the novel, but I hope this helps. Good luck and please post more questions or info if you think of any.

megl20 · February 2014

We have a GE top loader. And I do power rinse, gentle/fast wash with another power rinse.

I only used the baking soda because SIL said to. Haha I probably should've done more research myself, but she's done it for 2 years and the routine works great for her. We didn't have a smell even when I started using the baking soda. Silly me.

That makes sense to me about the Charlie's. I'm doing the hot water strip right now. I will let you know how it goes!

Rrrrrachel · February 2014

Using the charlies booster makes a big difference if your water is even a little bit hard.

flummadiddle85 · February 2014

Isn't a hot initial rinse usually a bad idea too? I thought either warm or cold woks best for most.

freezorburn · February 2014

I don't think there's anything bad about doing a hot initial rinse, other than the extra energy expended to heat the water. If warm or cold works fine, then why not save the energy.

runningyogimama · February 2014

I only skimmed but didn't even see this answered...are the inserts saturated when you change? What do you use for inserts at night and are those saturated?

But, yes, definitely to what everyone else has said about your wash routine. Simple is better. Don't fix problems you don't have. FWIW, I've been using Charlie's only for our diapers and not our clothes for 10 months without problems.

runningyogimama · February 2014

Chickypoo2468 said:
If she's changing 3 times in an hour due to leaks I would assume the inserts weren't soaked.

We decided she probably needs to try a hot water strip. How'd it go OP?

Haha, my brain didn't process the very small typo in "3 times in 1 he" as 3 times in 1 hr and I had no idea what she was trying to say!

megl20 · February 2014

Haha yeah sort about the typo. I didn't proofread as thoroughly as I should have.

We're trying them out today after the hot water strip. They seem good so far! I will for sure be simplifying my routine thanks to all your suggestions. I will be doing my own research about things from now on too.

Yeah, the inside is still pretty dry. I can tell he peed, but it's definitely not soaked enough to leak. I will post again if they're still leaking later today.

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