Pregnant and Despise the Smell of Cloth Diapers!

Hi Hopie! I've been using cloth on my 22 month old since she was 4 months old. I have some suggestions for you:

-Make sure you wash often enough. Don't go more than a couple of days. I wash every other night.
-Do a cold wash/cold rinse with no detergent, then a hot wash/hot rinse (if you have it, if not use cold rinse) with a tablespoon or so of a diaper approved detergent. I like Arm & Hammer Essentials Free & Clear. Then follow with a hot wash/rinse with no detergent. I use the shortest wash time for each cycle.
-Water is the key to clean, non-smelly cloth diapers!
-If you have hard water consider using Calgon liquid water softener (can be found in the laundry aisle at wal-mart) about once a month. Use about a 1/4 of the recommended amount when you are doing the cycle with the detergent.
-You may need to strip the diapers if they have a build-up and then start using the above recommendations. Check out pinstripesandpolkadots.com for info on stripping prefolds or other cloth diapers
-Do not use bleach, vinegar or baking soda on a regular basis. These will break down the fibers in your diapers and will make them wear out faster. I bleach maybe once every couple of months, if that.

Modern cloth does not have to be labor intensive if you know they type of water you have (I have hard water so that's how I discovered calgon) and how to care for your diapers properly. They are not our grandmother's diapers thank goodness. But if you care for them like our grandmother's did they will wear out on you faster lol.

H. that helps!

The biggest reason that we didn't do cloth is that I spent a large part of my childhood absolutely abhorring all the "boiling diapers". My grandmother was a surgical nurse, and she *essentially* autoclaved all the cloth diapers every day in a big pot of boiling water for several hours AFTER washing them.

They'd come through the process smelling fantastic... but I just have a massive bias against the constant boiling/ humidity/ hard work.

Scrape
Soak
Rinse
Wash 1st x
Bleach
Wash 2nd x
Boil for 2-3 hours
Dry on the line

Ugh. I'm glad I know how in case I ever live on a boat/ nuclear disaster/ etc... but my god. The sheer amount of work involved with them.

Have you tried washing them in hot water and vinegar/baking soda? That combination can get lots of smells out. Good luck

What are you washing them in? They shouldn't have a smell at all!
We used Charlies Soap (www.charliesoap.com) and our diapers never had a smell. It washes clean and keeps them sparkling.

Give me your address and I will send you a sample of Rockin Green - AMAZING!

This is the company and I am a retailer. I have tried everything - Charlies, Sun and Earth, All Small and Mighty, Borox. NOTHING comes close. It completely eliminates all smells and THEY DON'T COME BACK! You know how they seem clean, but then the baby pees and the ammonia smells is intense?? GONE with this stuff!!!!! To the point I don't even know when he pees or poops anymore!

Here is the company website: http://www.rockingreensoap.com/

I am http://www.mymammasmilk.com

I dare anyone to put it up against what they are currently using!!! FABULOUS!

As urine sits it turns into ammonia, if that is the smell you are getting try the hot wash 2x with soap followed by hot wash 2x w/out soap. The vinegar/baking soda wash also helps a lot. Keep washing and rinsing until the smell is gone. It can take a while but once it's gone...it's gone!

Best of luck!!
T.

p.s.
when I had this problem the first time I tried using bleach but the reaction between the bleach and the ammonia was MAJOR. If I were you I'd stay away from bleach and OxyClean.