I just started putting DD in our cloth. We hadn't used them for a couple months and I'd forgotten that towards the end of the last period of time we used them exclusively (with DS) they would start to stink terribly after being peed in.
How do you combat the dreaded cloth diaper stink?
cantaloupe / 6059 posts
@autumnlove: See, we do that and didn't have stink for almost a year. But it seems to not be helping any more. How much bleach do you use?
blogger / grapefruit / 4836 posts
What kind of detergent do you use? One thing I heard was that your diapers may not be getting clean enough during washes due to using a detergent that is too gentle or not using enough detergent.
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
@coopsmama: I think I did 1/2 cup with the highest water setting.
apricot / 456 posts
@coopsmama: What is your wash routine? You might want to check out Fluff Love & CD Science on Facebook. They have tons of useful info in their files.
We were having stink issues a while back. I decided to replace our natural detergent with original Tide, and I made sure the washer was always 2/3 full, and that solved our problems immediately.
honeydew / 7589 posts
They need to be stripped. I do it every couple if months. 1 tablespoon of blue dawn dish soap, 1/4 cup of bleach and a hot wash, then 3-4 rinse cycles.
cantaloupe / 6059 posts
@Mrs. Lion: We use Country Save which is gentle, I know. So maybe that's out issue? Gentle but ineffective?
@autumnlove: Thanks! I've only been doing 1/4 c, I'll try more.
@Skadi: Thanks for the FB group recommendation, I'll check it out! And I'm leaning towards trying Tide. By 2/3 full do you mean 2/3 full with diapers? We have a huge washing machine and I don't have nearly enough of a stash to do that. Bummer.
apricot / 456 posts
@Arden: I would not recommend this. Dawn says on their website not to put it in washers...partly because it suds so much (especially bad for he washers) and partly because it is such a powerful degreaser, it has the potential to strip away the lubricants in the barrel of the machine and cause it to beak down. 
apricot / 456 posts
@coopsmama: nope, it doesn't have to be all diapers! We throw baby clothes, underwear, socks, baby blankets, etcetera in there. If your diapers are coming our clean--which they should if you can nail the wash routine--it doesn't matter if you mix non-diapers in there. The only thing I would advise is not to wash towels with them because they are so heavy that they will detract from the amount of agitation the diapers get.
I would try adjusting the routine first, then stripping if need be using RLR ($10 for a pack on Amazon). There are instructions for stripping in that FB community I listed. From what I understand, the ideal wash routine is:
Rinse only cold (you can add up to one line Tide to get them extra clean).
Whites hot, heavy soiled, extra rinse, full cap or scoop Tide.
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
@coopsmama: I use an older bleach...I think they are stronger now so 1/4 is prob good!!!
blogger / grapefruit / 4836 posts
@coopsmama: I would try a stronger detergent before using bleach. We use original tide as well (the powder) and I have never needed to strip our diapers. A couple times I did start to notice a faint smell, and I used a trial sized pack of rockin green. It is a little bit stronger than the Tide, and that did the trick.
As far as the fullness of the washer, I think just making sure you have it set as if you had it 2/3 full will work. You want to make sure there is enough water in there for them to get nice and clean. You would want to determine the amount of detergent then based on the water, not the number of diapers, since if you put in too little detergent the water will dilute it too much.
honeydew / 7589 posts
@Skadi: It's not my idea, Cotton Babies recommended it for stripping diapers. The one tablespoon doesn't did enough to overflow, I've done it probably 15 times with no issues.
hostess / watermelon / 14932 posts
@coopsmama: definitely check out fluff love. you shouldn't have to strip every few months. and def not supposed to put Dawn in your washer!
watermelon / 14467 posts
I use something called squeaky pieces to strip my diapers. It works really well. It's locally made for me, but you can buy it online.
apricot / 456 posts
@Arden: Cotton Babies says a lot of things that are just not right, IMHO. Dawn removes oils, not buildup from hard water particles, so unless the OP has been using diaper ointment with petroleum ingredients, I doubt it will solve the stink issue. From what I understand, most stink issues have to do with either having hard water or not using a powerful enough detergent.
hostess / watermelon / 14932 posts
oky doke, those are most of their images/files. LOL. but if you join the group, the admins are super helpful at troubleshooting!
pomegranate / 3759 posts
I just thoroughly cleaned my cloth. I did a cold wash no detergent. Then I did a hot wash with Calgon. Then I did a warm wash, no detergent. I THEN did a hot wash with detergent. Then lots and lots of cold rinses. I then popped them all into a hot dryer. Came out smelling SO much better. It took a better part of the weekend 
grapefruit / 4663 posts
I had my diapers professionally stripped. $30 and amazingly clean, I'll never go back to fighting the stink again.
ETA: Prior to stripping I emailed cotton babies, scrubbed with dawn (but didn't put it in my washer I don't want to void my warranty), bleached, changed detergents, bought Allens stink out and RLR, washed multiple times hot/cold detergent/no detergent until I gave up
hostess / watermelon / 14932 posts
@Skadi: I just started CD a little over a month ago, and I am so glad my cousin got me into that group before I even started, lol!
honeydew / 7589 posts
@Skadi: Ok, well I'm glad you have a system that works for you. This works for me, very well, so I'll continue using it. 
papaya / 10473 posts
@sorrycharlie: I love Fluff Love and CD Science!
I definitely think Country Save could be part of your problem. We use Tide, and it's really effective!
wonderful grape / 20453 posts
I've never had an issue with our diapers smelling. We use Tide Ultra powder.....but I'm wondering, at what point, they may start smelling!
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
Ours stunk because we had hard water and a HE front loader, so I was having trouble getting all the soap residue off. The only thing that worked was boiling, which was so gross, I had to take a break from CDing. I couldn't get the combination of water softeners and detergents to work, it was frustrating.
honeydew / 7091 posts
I also use Tide Ultra and haven't had any stink issues since switching to it.
Although, it's now burning DD#2's entire diaper area, who appears to have sensitive skin like her daddy, so I might be giving up 
cherry / 212 posts
We use the same stripping system as @Arden: , and Country Save Detergent the rest of the time. So I don't think it's the detergent alone. Maybe the combination of water type, lack of stripping and the detergent? We also have an HE front loader (GE's cheapest model from a few years ago). No stink and we're 8 months in. Maybe we're just lucky. Good luck!
persimmon / 1355 posts
Just echoing the tide recommendation. We have had very few stink issues since switching. If I notice a little smell, I just add another wash cycle without detergent. What kind of diapers do you have? I definitely wouldn't use bleach if you have hybrids, but it might be worth a shot on pocket inserts.
pear / 1739 posts
I had that problem but then again I handwash. I thoroughly rinse and scrub my dipes in cold water an then I let them soak overnight in detergent. So far no stinks
pear / 1693 posts
I used Tide powder at first and never had any stink problems. I then switched to a more natural detergent (Charlie's) and the stink came on quick. I stripped the diapers in a manner similar to what @arden recommended (never had any machine problems with just a little dawn) and then went back to powder Tide. The stink went away and hasn't returned.
cantaloupe / 6059 posts
@Boheme: I picked up Tide today! Hoping it helps.
@sorrycharlie: Thank you for posting those helpful infographics! I really appreciate it. There are very helpful.
@Skadi: @Arden: and everyone else (too many to tag!): Thank you for the input! I am going to try a variety of methods until something works because the stink has to go. I love cloth diapers but not when they immediately smell bad at the first sign of pee!
I picked up several products tonight and have a few sitting in shopping carts online. We'll see what works.
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