Posted by KarenC on February 06, 2004 at 18:30:55:
In Reply to: smell posted by momma new on February 06, 2004 at 18:17:10:
Nope, that's not normal. It is a common problem but usually pretty easily fixed.
First suggestion is to reduce the amount of detergent you're using. Most people find they only need about 1/3-1/2 of the 'recomended' amount. Too much detergent won't easily rinse out of diapers so it will build-up and cause lingering odors even when diapers are supposed to be clean. The odors will often get particularly nasty when they're hit with 'fresh' urine. Check your rinse cycle, there should be almost no suds in the final rinse. If there are you need to either reduce the amount of detergent or rinse more often (many people throw in an extra rinse after their regular cycle). If build-up is the issue you'll have to get rid of it first as well. You'll need to put your clean diapers through a warm (hot isn't necessary but warm is probably a little better than cold) wash cycle with NO detergent. Keep rinsing until you see no more suds. Be warned that this could take several wash cycles!!!
Another thing to watch out for is your hot water temperature. I can never recall the exact temp it needs to be but it's possible that your hot water tank is set too low and the water isn't hot enough to kill all germs.
Also make sure you're not letting your diapers sit too long before washing (especially if you use a dry pail). You don't want the diapers sitting too long because odors could become set and more difficult to remove. I wouldn't recomend any more than 3-4 days at the most (less in really hot weather).
Hope that helps!
Karen.