Posted by wood on March 21, 2004 at 23:19:06:
We are struggling with ammonia build up in our diapers. I wish I new what to do. Currently, I use two buckets, the poop bucket gets a prewash and wash on cold with Tide. Then the pee diapers get added, washed on hot for a prewash and wash with tide and bicarbonate. Then they go through another wash on hot without detergent. Sometimes I throw in a bit of borax. They get line dried.
We gave up on a set of diapers a month ago because we couldn't get the ammonia out. The diapers would smell fine coming out of the washer but instantly turn to a burnibg ammonia as soon as he peed. We tried more rinses, less soap, vinegar, more bicarbonate...The only thing that helped was a heavy bleach treatment but it ate the diapers up. We aslo had some luck boiling them with bicarbonate but I can't do that every week. We never had this trouble with my first child. In a newly purchased diaper his urine stays sweet smelling. It took a few weeks for the new diapers to change. I have not noticed any corelation with changes in his diet or hydration. Suggestions anyone?