DH wants me to give up CDing bc stink is out of control

ktpaladino · January 2015

DH has gotten to the point where he's asked me throw in the towel with CDing bc he can't stand the smell anymore. I have terrible stink that I can't seem to get under control. I'm not exactly sure what "barnyard" smells like but if I had to do my best to describe our odor problem it would be "slight ammonia mixed with poop juice and fish." It's really bad. My stash is primarily GroVia stay dry hybrids (these are in the heaviest rotation and smell the worst), stay dry Imagine AIOs, and Alva pockets. The diapers smell like nothing out of the wash but immediately reek once peed on, and the smell just gets stronger and stronger the more saturated the soaker pad gets. You can smell it through clothes...once my daughter has peed you can smell the bad odor if you're holding her. She's 11 months and has been wearing these diapers for about 8 months now. I've tried adjusting wash cycles and detergent amounts. The only thing I have not tried is changing the detergent all together bc Tiny Bubbles is supposed to be so good. When I use a Mighty Bubbles pod to deep clean, the smell does get better (but doesn't go away completely) for about 2 wears, then back to stinking to high heaven. I have not tried anything with bleach/vineager/baking soda etc. or boiling (which I don't want to do bc of snaps) and there has been no sun lately for sunning. I spray my poopey diapers and put them in an open basket and the pee diapers get spritzed with BacOut and thrown into an open wet bag. I've tried some soaking and rinsing in the sink before hand and it doesn't seem to make a difference. I have a front loader and my routine is currently as follows:

"Rapid wash" on warm as my initial rinse (I do this bc temp can't be adjusted on reg rinse cycle and I feel warm helps with the ammonia)

Hot wash with 3/4 a scoop of Tiny Bubbles (up to the line on the scoop)

Cold extra rinse (no bubbles to very little bubbles present on final spin depending on how many dipes are being washed)

So I'm desperate here! Any special treatments I can do? Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Am I being punished by the CDing Gods bc I bought all synthetics? I knew in the beginning they have a reputation for retaining stink more than natural fibers but I didn't think it would be this extreme. I love CDing and don't want to give it up but I do have to admit that it's becoming more trouble than it's worth with having to constantly battle the stinkies! Please help!

Smallllmin · January 2015

Do you have an HE machine? If so, you definitely need more water. Make sure your settings are at the highest soil levels, and any "add water" or "water plus" buttons should be pressed.

And I would try a different detergent. But that's just me.

RachelCA29 · January 2015

I think you need to consider a new detergent, the stink is from the diapers not getting clean enough and since you have tried changing other things, you might just need to bite the bullet and try something new. Tide gets a lot of love around here. But the ammonia smell might need something more intense for an initial cleaning, maybe a RLR wash or something - I'm not that familiar with RLR though.

ktpaladino · January 2015

Yes, it's a HE machine. There aren't any water volume adjustment options ughhhhh. But maybe putting it on heavy instead of normal will do the trick? It just sucks that if I do that, it will take almost 3 hours for the diapers to get rinsed and washed time-wise. Which detergent should I try to switch to? Tide original powder?

RachelCA29 · January 2015

Yes, it's Tide Original powder that a lot of people use.

Kelly11235 · January 2015

Tide HE (for your HE machine) not the regular Tide.

freezorburn · January 2015

How often are you washing/ how many diapers per load?

Yes please check your water hardness.

Yes please switch to a heavy cycle -- if it is longer that may help quite a bit. You might also try using a full scoop of detergent.

Can you change your extra rinse to warm rapid wash?

himmeandmore · January 2015

There is a learning curve when it comes to cloth diapering with HE washers. I would recommend a strip followed by a bleach soak and then switch up your wash routine.

This is purely what has been successful for me with our HE machines.

I do a quick wash on warm, heavy soil level, with Tide original powder to the first line. Then I do a Heavy duty wash on hot, heavy soil level with Tide original powder to the 3rd line. No need to add extra rinses or water plus options or wet towels, etc. Those are all myths.

Remember too, that HE washers work best when 2/3-3/4 of the way full. So if you don't have enough diaper laundry to fill your washer that full, add a couple towels. I typically add two towels, as I launder every other day.

Like I said, this is what has worked with us for two years now. We have never had any stink issues since using this routine.

Mandmeesh · January 2015

I would never use any type of detergent pod

himmeandmore · January 2015

mamalamb10 said:

I've never bought Tide but do they still make a non-HE version? I was thinking almost all mainstream detergents were HE but I haven't bought mainstream detergent in a few years and honestly don't know. ETA: that was supposed to quote @Kelly11235‌.

Yes. TIde offers both HE and non-HE detergents.

nanabanana06 · January 2015

Ok, HE machines can be tricky. We dealt with tons of stink and ammonia issues as we found the right cycle. The key with getting diapers clean is rinsing them enough, and using the right detergent. I have found that for our machine and water liquid works best. So, we use a plant based liquid detergent that still gets good ratings for CD's. Then, we worked on the rinsing and water issue. My routine looks like this:

Warm/Warm soak with a big squirt of Bac Out (35 min)
Regular wash cycle on Warm, no detergent (50 min)
Rinse, Drain, Spin w/ no detergent and no spin (9 min)
"Whitest Whites" cycle (Heavy duty hot wash w/ 2 cold rinses) w/ 1/2 cap Calgon and full cap Biokleen detergent (90 min)
Express Wash on Cold w/ 1/2 cap of Mrs. Meyer's fabric softener (30 min)

It seems like a lot of work, but it isn't. I go up when it beep and press some buttons. What I would suggest to you is to do a bleach strip, 1/4 cup of bleach in the bleach compartment in your hot cycle. Make sure they are clean diapers and don't use detergent when you do this. Then, from there I'd add a cycle with the spin turned off between your rinse cycle and your wash cycle. Next, switch to a different detergent. Tide gets lots of love, Charlie's works well too, Nellie's is well loved, and I dig my Biokleen. This should fix your stink problem.

Another thing to consider is to get rid of all microfiber and switch to natural fibers. Microfiber tends to held onto the stink more.

haileyq · January 2015

I would echo a lot of what has been said- more water, Tide HE, and a bleach strip to kill the bacteria that are simmering in those dipes. Lots of extra rinses. It sounds like the diapers aren't getting clean enough, not like build up. Washing EOD and finding the right water level will help, but you need a better detergent.

freezorburn · January 2015

My wash routine is nearly 4 hours. I think the only way to shorten it significantly would be to switch to a traditional TL, but that's not an option since we rent.

Rrrrrachel · January 2015

Stuff isn't getting clean. You either aren't getting enough agitation or need more/different detergent.

freezorburn · January 2015

I would try making adjustments to your routine before switching detergents. And a few hot water washes wouldn't hurt. Maybe even do the first one or two with detergent.

BoothBaby · January 2015

If you have ammonia buildup, Rock N Green makes something called Funk Rock ammonia bouncer. It was the only thing that really helped me start fresh when we had bad stink/rash issues a while back.

I also agree to try more detergent, or switch to another brand. I had to try 3 detergents before I found one that worked for us.

Into+the+Kitty · January 2015

I just want to add that even a great detergent won't work for everyone's water/washer.

Rrrrrachel · January 2015

Truth.

nanabanana06 · January 2015

Yup. Tide and Charlies didn't work for us.

ktpaladino · January 2015

Kelly11235 said:
Tide HE (for your HE machine) not the regular Tide.

Tide HE liquid? I use tide HE liquid Free and Gentle for my regular laundry. I thought liquid was bad for cloth dipes. Does Tide HE come in powder?

ktpaladino · January 2015

freezorburn said:
How often are you washing/ how many diapers per load?

Yes please check your water hardness.

Yes please switch to a heavy cycle -- if it is longer that may help quite a bit. You might also try using a full scoop of detergent.

Can you change your extra rinse to warm rapid wash?

I wash EOD pretty religiously and it's usually 12-14 soaker pads, 6-9 shells, and the wet bag in the wash. She wears a sposie overnight so my load is on the smaller side. We are on city water...not sure if it's hard or soft. I have tried a full scoop of Tiny Bubbles before with no improvement. I can set the washer to heavy with no extra rinse, and then restart another warm rapid wash as the final rinse. I'll give that a try.

ktpaladino · January 2015

Mandmeesh said:
I would never use any type of detergent pod

Really? Mighty Bubbles pods are made by GroVia especially for cloth diapers and the directions say to throw the pod in the washer with the dipes on hot once a month to clear build up.

freezorburn · January 2015

Since you are on city water, you might be able to look up your water hardness at your local water authority's website. It would be helpful to have that information.

Among other things, I recently switched from a normal cycle to heavy duty ("Intensive" on my machine), which is just a longer cycle. It makes a big difference.

Grovia says that it's important to give your detergent at least 45 minutes to do its work. BUT we also had someone in the FB group contact them for advice, and it came up that it may not be the best performer in hard water. I use Tiny Bubbles but I need to add Calgon for it to be effective. My water hardness is at 300ppm. I don't want to use a mainstream detergent because I need to avoid fragrances, brighteners and enzymes because DS has eczema. Can't get Tide in the UK anyway. So this is what works for us.

ktpaladino · January 2015

OK lots of good tips here. I'm going to start with a hot water bleach strip, then give Tide Original Powder a try. Also I'm going to add two towels since my loads are in the smaller side. Unfortunately my machine is an older one with not a lot of settings and wash options so that makes it difficult.

Brandiewine11 · January 2015

ktpaladino said:

OK lots of good tips here. I'm going to start with a hot water bleach strip, then give Tide Original Powder a try. Also I'm going to add two towels since my loads are in the smaller side. Unfortunately my machine is an older one with not a lot of settings and wash options so that makes it difficult.

Honestly I would not change too many things at one time. Start with just the bleach wash and new detergent with the longer wash cycle. Then try adding towels after that if it doesn't work. Can you see how much water is in your machine? I don't have to use the extra water setting in my HE FL unless I go 3 days before washing.

ktpaladino · January 2015

Also going to try this:

Rapid wash on warm with a little bit of detergent to rinse

Heavy duty hot cycle with full scoop of detergent

Rapid wash on warm for final rinse

That is about as fancy as I can get with my machine LOL

freezorburn · January 2015

Good luck! Keep us posted.

ktpaladino · January 2015

Brandiewine11 said:

ktpaladino said:

OK lots of good tips here. I'm going to start with a hot water bleach strip, then give Tide Original Powder a try. Also I'm going to add two towels since my loads are in the smaller side. Unfortunately my machine is an older one with not a lot of settings and wash options so that makes it difficult.

Honestly I would not change too many things at one time. Start with just the bleach wash and new detergent with the longer wash cycle. Then try adding towels after that if it doesn't work. Can you see how much water is in your machine? I don't have to use the extra water setting in my HE FL unless I go 3 days before washing.

OK so bleach strip and then new detergent with new heavier wash routine. Then add towels if that doesn't work. Sounds like a good plan to start with.

PipSqueak0313 · January 2015

I don't have a HE FL so this is just a curiosity question....do you have to use towels to bulk up the load or is that just a convenient choice for a lot of people with HE machines? In my non-HE TL I add my hot whites (socks and undergarments) otherwise I have too much for the smallest load but not enough for the next size larger.

unaveragejane · January 2015

Just out of curiosity, when you used a whole scoop of Tiny Bubbles, did you try it right after the Mighty Bubble treatment or when the diapers were already smelling funky?

freezorburn · January 2015

I can't possibly add towels. I have a small machine. 2 days' worth of diapers barely have enough room to move around as it is.

I also don't add towels when I visit family in the US. I haven't had issues getting diapers clean without them, so no reason to.

Brandiewine11 · January 2015

PipSqueak0313 said:

I don't have a HE FL so this is just a curiosity question....do you have to use towels to bulk up the load or is that just a convenient choice for a lot of people with HE machines? In my non-HE TL I add my hot whites (socks and undergarments) otherwise I have too much for the smallest load but not enough for the next size larger.

I don't add towels either. I've heard that its a possible way to trick the washer into thinking there are more clothes, thus using more water. Many HE FL's use the weight of the load to determine how much water to use. However, I've found that I don't really need more water. I have the correct consistency without it. I do use my "extra water" setting when I am washing 3 days worth of diapers occasionally.

I think it can cause more issues than its worth. It means there is more stuff in the washer to clean, and you'd need more detergent. But if it works for some people's washers, great. You need it for ALL HE FL's though.

nanabanana06 · January 2015

I don't add a towel, I do a rinse and drain setting without the spin. That adds weight since they are all heavy from the water that wasn't spun out.

CLLDLL · January 2015

unaveragejane said:
Just out of curiosity, when you used a whole scoop of Tiny Bubbles, did you try it right after the Mighty Bubble treatment or when the diapers were already smelling funky?

This. Adding more detergent without starting with truly clean diapers won't magically fix a problem. I second, third, whatever starting with a wash with bleach followed by lots of hot water rinses to get the bleach out. Then change the setting and maybe the detergent or the amount of detergent and see how it works before changing something else.

ktpaladino · January 2015

FFwifey said:

Does your washer have a whitest whites cycle? I've always read that's the best setting on FL washers. I used to have ammonia issues until I started using the wash routine outlined for my washer on the Rockin Green FL database (Google it). Now my dipes are much better and I use: warm rinse with extra rinse (no detergent) (30 mins) Whitest whites extra soiled with full scoop of tide (70 mins) Cold rinse, extra rinse (30 mins) Good luck! Also, I think the bleach rinse will really help get you back on track. You can try doing that every so often if things are smelling funky- bum genius even recommends it once a month.

It does have a "whites" cycle, but we don't have a manual for the washer, so I don't know what that cycle would consist of. I suppose I could play around with that some and see what works better. Looking into the Rockin Green FL database now....thanks!

ktpaladino · January 2015

CLLDLL said:

Just out of curiosity, when you used a whole scoop of Tiny Bubbles, did you try it right after the Mighty Bubble treatment or when the diapers were already smelling funky?
This. Adding more detergent without starting with truly clean diapers won't magically fix a problem. I second, third, whatever starting with a wash with bleach followed by lots of hot water rinses to get the bleach out. Then change the setting and maybe the detergent or the amount of detergent and see how it works before changing something else.

This makes sense. Yeah it was probably when they were already smelling funky. Man, I have a lot to experiment with now

freezorburn · January 2015

You might be able to look up your washer manual online.

freezorburn · January 2015

FFwifey said:

Does your washer have a whitest whites cycle? I've always read that's the best setting on FL washers. I used to have ammonia issues until I started using the wash routine outlined for my washer on the Rockin Green FL database (Google it). Now my dipes are much better and I use: warm rinse with extra rinse (no detergent) (30 mins) Whitest whites extra soiled with full scoop of tide (70 mins) Cold rinse, extra rinse (30 mins) Good luck! Also, I think the bleach rinse will really help get you back on track. You can try doing that every so often if things are smelling funky- bum genius even recommends it once a month.

I tried Googling the database and couldn't find it. Got a few 'page not found.' Any chance you have it bookmarked and can share? Would love to add this to our FB group FAQ.

Baby-Boo · January 2015

Personally I would do a bleach cycle. I knew it isn't popular, but you can always do extra rinses to ensure no bleach remains in the diapers. I think they might have gotten so bad that a bleach soak is needed and than change up the cleansing routine. I always rinse in cold because any kind of heat in a rinse cycle ingrains the smells and stains and doesn't aid in cleaning. Good luck!

Unknown · January 2015

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Rrrrrachel · January 2015

Warm water does not make smells stick and it absolutely does clean better.

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