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I'm having detergent build-up issues which cause dd to get a bad looking rash. The rash doesn't seem to bother her but it does bother me!
I live in Israel and use a European front loader. I do a prewash, hot wash (60 C) with a *tiny bit* of regular detergent and then an extra rinse. The rash seems to come back about 2 weeks after a stripping in a 95 C wash.
I've considered trying a baby detergent. I've considered using a hot rinse but don't want to wear out my dipes prematurely. I could easily strip every 2 weeks or twice in a row but, again, I'm afraid of wearing out the dipes. I could also add vinegar to the rinse but I'm not sure how effective that is.
Any suggestions? |
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Be careful with 'baby' detergents as sometimes all that means is that it's a regular detergent with a 'baby' scent and/or that it has fabric softeners built-in so that fibers feel softer against 'sensitive newborn skin'.
Not a bad idea to consider switching though. Do you have stink issues because of the build-up? If not then it might just be a sensitivity to the detergent, not an actual build-up. Consider one without dyes or perfumes as that could be what's irritating her. Consider also one without enzymes as those can cause irritations in some babies.
Vinegar might help as it's supposed to help detergent rinse out better. Do the diapers stink as well from the build-up?
Could you further reduce the amount of detergent you use? Not sure how little you're using already but just thought I'd throw that out there. Although another thought is that maybe you're using too little detergent and the rash is from a bacteria build-up in the diapers? That would seem consistant with a stripping in almost boiling water helping temporarily until the bacteria has a chance to build-up again. Might be worth a try...
Karen.
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I don't know how detergents are labelled in Israel, but in Europe they're bio and non-bio, which makes it easier to find detergents without enzymes. I just used non-bio because that's what the midwife said, but once I started looking into it a little more I was glad for the advice. Having returned to the US, I've noticed my son gets red when his diapers are washed in detergents with enzymes, so now steer clear of them. I don't know if that's relevant to your case, but wanted to follow up on Karen's comment about enzymes.
I have to say that I miss my European front-loader. Well, I don't know if it was that washer or the water or the detergent, but I never really had to do much at all, just pre-wash and 60C wash (with cold rinse). |
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Detergents here are also labeled as bio and non-bio. The one I'm currently using contains enzymes. I just checked on the baby detergents website and it states that that detergent is bio-enzyme free. Its marketed for babies and individuals with sensitive skin. However, I'm not thinking that its the detergent itself, I'm wondering if a non-bio detergent will have less build-up over time.
Interesting thought about bacteria build-up. I'm only using a sprinkle of powdered detergent. The first time I stripped the diapers there was strong ammonia stink issues. The next time the stink wasn't as obvious but dd's skin looked terrible. I stripped and didn't see as much improvement as the time before so I stripped again about 2 weeks later and its been better since (I went back to adding a second rinse after that).
Most recently her rash went away with 2 applications of vaseline. I'm wondering if that was just a run of the mill rash or a food sensitivity? Its so easy to blame rashes on the diapers but it may be completely unrelated!
It seems to me that it will be prudent to strip once a month.
I'm loving my European front loader, it takes a long time to run load and its on the small side but the clothes come out so clean! I also love the variety of settings and ease of running a hot wash. I also just pop my dipes in set it for 60C with a prewash and extra rinse and hit "start"  . |
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If the smell was ammonia, that often does point to detergent troubles.
Although many factors play into it all, having to strip your diapers once a month isn't typical, even if that's just one 95C wash. If that's what keeps your diapers happy, then it might be what your combination of factors calls for, but I guess I'd still wonder about playing with a few more things before accepting that.
If your detergent has enzymes, how about other things like optical brighteners and such that might aid to build up in the right conditions (many people do fine using detergents with brighteners, etc., just as many people can use enzymatic detergents without problems, but maybe it's part of the problem for you, since it doesn't sound like you're using too much detergent?). I don't know that non-bio would be less likely to build up (don't know enough about it, honestly), but it's possible that the non-bio might also have less other "stuff," like dyes, perfumes, brighteners. As long as it doesn't have fabric softener in it, I would certainly think it'd be worth a try. The non-bio I used was just the store brand, but I did every once in a while use one for sensitive skin and it worked well.
Regarding the washer, I did enjoy my US front loader the other day when I was able to wash a queen duvet in it instead of having to resort to the bathtub . . . :-) |
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Thanks for your input. I bought a 7 kg washer so I may just be able to fit a comforter in there .
Dd's bottom is looking lovely right now so I think I'm just going to maintain status quo and stay with my current detergent for the moment and continue with the extra rinse. If things change again then I'll give baby detergent a try. |
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