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| hi again everyone. remember how one of my dipes started having a faint urine smell? well, most of them are like that now. and when my lo pees, it immediately stinks. i think it is due to the fact that when my dh was washing the dipes, he used the manufacturer's recommended amount of detergent. i am wondering if i need to strip my dipes and how to go about it. my washer is finally properly marked now so now i can do this without any guesswork involved. can i use white vinniger to strip these? or do i just need to run these through a plaine cycle with no detergent? i really need help with this. i did not think i would have build-up issues so soon. what is a good detergent that i can use for these dipes? i know that my dh is not going to want to buy it, but these issues with my dipes need to be properly addressed and dealt with accordingly. sigh... he thinks that he knows everything there is to know about cloth dipes. i am getting rather frustrated with his know it all attitude especially when it comes to this. |
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It sounds like you are catching the diapers just as they are starting to have build up so you can just run the diapers through a hot wash cycle with no detergent a time or two. You can throw in some vinegar if you have it on hand but it probably isn't necessary. I wouldn't worry about switching detergents just yet ... start by halving the recommended amount of the detergent you are currently using and keep checking the diapers for smell ... although I started doing this and now my daughter has to smell every piece of laundry that I do  I wish I had some advice for the know it all attitude you are dealing with ... but just know that you can always look for nonjudgmental advice on this forum ... the mamas on this forum are a great support system! |
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Hello,
Using the recommended amount of detergent certainly could have caused buildup. What is usually recommended for stripping is to run a few cycles with hot water (as hot as possible) and no detergent. Vinegar in the rinse can help, too. You may need more than one cycle, the best way to know if your diapers are stripped properly is to look for any suds while the diapers are in hot water, but I understand that would be hard for you to do. If you really have buildup, though, I would expect more than one cycle would be necessary.
In the future, I would definitely stick to at most 1/2 of the recommended amount of detergent, but possibly even less (I use about 1/4). What are you using again? Do you know if you have hard or soft water (you need a lot less detergent in soft water)? What is your routine? You could use vinegar in the rinse regularly (it's cheap and it doesn't hurt the fabric), you may want to do an extra rinse every time or once in a while, depending on what you are currently doing...
Sometimes it takes a little while to figure out the perfect routine for your conditions, because it's different for everyone. There is no magic recipe because everyone has different water, different washing machine, even the diet of your baby I assume could make things work easier or harder... So keep at it! |
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| hey there. i am using all f&c. we actually have hard water. as far as looking for suds, what i did was i lifted the lid and heard alot of bubbles popping on the surface of the water and when i put my hand in, i felt thick foam on the surface of the water. 6 rinces later, i still heard bubbles popping and still felt the same foam on the top of the water. as far as the water temp. i had it on hot wash, cold rince. the only problem is that the computer inside the washer makes the water temperature fluctuate. it starts off warm, then switches to hot for about 30 seconds, then switches back to warm for 30 seconds. it goes back to hot for 30 seconds, then finishes filling the machine with warm. so by the time it is filled, the water is somewhat hot, but not as hot as it can be. this is very frustrating. |
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Wow, that's a lot of buildup if there is still that much suds after five washes... Strange that it would have happened that quickly! Not sure what else to say to help you though.
Some people add boiling water to the washing machine for stripping, but I would not recommend it to you as it is already dangerous when you are sighted... |
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| hi. i have given up on the washer to strip my dipes. so what i did was i washed them again with 2 tbsp f all f&c and let it finish the cycle. i let the machine rince the dipes. meanwhile, i prepared the sink for hand stripping. i boiled a pot of water and poured it in the sink with a cup of white vinnigar. i currently have the dipes soaking in that. hopefully that will get the smell and all of the detergent out. |
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| that seems to have done the trick! i put the dipes in for one more rince in the washer after i took them from the sink and did not feel nearly as much detergent that was in there the last few rinces. my father is not going to like the looks of the electric bill once it comes in because i have basically had the washer running all day to try to remove this build up. by the way, my dh was telling me that all f&c does not have build up issues, but the tons of suds in the washer told me otherwise. he asked me how much i was using and i told him the amount that he told me to. i also said that that amount is way too much on diapers and as usual, he told me that i was wrong. |
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I stripped my diapers and switched detergents after having the same issue. Haven't had a problem since. I found this site useful in choosing a new detergent to try (I'm now using Charlie's):
http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html
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| that intensive stripping seemed to work because i have no more smell issues. is it normal for the dipes to be a bit harder feeling afterward? i used white vinigar a few times. and also, as my husband insists, there is no build up issues with the all free and clear detergents. i am thinking about switching detergents as far as diapers are concerned. |
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I would maybe ask why hubby is so sure there's no build-up with All F&C. It contains no dyes and perfumes but those aren't what builds up in fabric anyway. Maybe have him read this: (from the Sunshine Diapers detergent page)
"A note on “Free & Clear”: The term “free & clear” does not mean that there are no mysterious or unlisted ingredients. True, they have no perfumes or dyes, but since “free & clear” detergents are often meant for those with allergies, most add something called “microbiostat” or something similar. It’s a fungicide/bacteriocide used widely in many industrial applications. It would eliminate some of the bacterial or fungal causes of allergies. This may be the ingredient that is responsible for the residue that free & clear detergents seem so prone to leave on diaper covers and fleece/suedecloth. And for some reason, ALL free & clear seems to cause the most trouble for people. This ingredient isn’t necessarily “bad”, just perhaps not best for diapers.
These brands that seem to be cropping up as particularly consistent troublemakers:
- ALL Free & Clear
- Some versions of Bio-Kleen
- 7Th Generation (love the company, just not for my diapers)
- Dreft and other “formulated for baby” detergents
- Soap products like Dr. Bronner’s and Fels-Naptha "
Regardless of hubby's convictions though, if you had that many suds and odors after such a short time using your diapers, that's just not normal and you need to cut down drastically on the amount you use.
I wouldn't worry too much about the added electricity costs, I found this chart that might make you feel better about it and put the cost in perspective: <A href="http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/laundry.html">http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/laundry.html</A> Essentially what they say is that using the National US average electricity costs, the most you're paying for a load is $0.50 (hot wash cold rinse). This even includes the cost of the water itself. So even if you did 10 extra loads for the stripping you still only added less than $5 to the electrical and water bill combined.
They shouldn't feel that much harder after stripping. Generally speaking they should feel softer since the build-up is gone. But it could just be that the diapers are just starting to show their use more and you just noticed it now after quite a few washes in a short period of time.
Karen.
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yep. the diapers are successfully stripped because my ds just peed and i did not smell a thing. his morning dipe was extremely strong though but i think that is to be expected. i think the reason the dipes are a bit harder was because of the multiple vinigar treatments i gave them. the next time i go to strip, i will just boil some water and put the dipes in that with some vinigar since my washer is unreliable when it comes to stripping. i cut down drastically on detergent. i am using 1.5 tbsp instead of the recommended quarter capful. so now i have to get the dipes soft again. that shouldnt be to hard. lol i dont think that anyone has had problems crop up as quickly as i have. but of coarse that package is meant for part time use and i was using it full time, so naturally problems like that are bound to crop up sooner. but it is finally taken care of so no harm done. i am getting 13 more diapers, 2 more liners and 1 more ml cover on monday. if i like these dipes, i might sell the cotton ones and use the money to get bamboo ones second hand if anyone is willing to ship the second hand dipes to me since i cannot pick them up. btw, can bamboo and stay dry be washed together? and what kind of detergent would you recommend so that i can avoid these issues in the future? we buy it at walmart. i have heard good things about soapnuts and might buy those depending if i have any money leftover after i sell these dipes and buy the second hand bamboos.
update:
i asked my dh to take pics of the dipes because i told him that i was going to sell them and he does not want me to because they were a gift. so i guess that idea is scrapped. |
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You may enjoy having a mix of fabrics anyway. I have only bamboo, but I have 36 diapers for a toddler, so I don't mind if they take longer to dry. With only two dozens and a younger child, you may like having cotton diapers, which dry faster, if your bamboo take longer to dry. Of course, it depends on how often you wash and on your drier, but I find that even if I put my diapers for a full cycle in the dryer, they are usually still humid and need to be hung up overnight.
I don't see any problem about washing stay-dry and bamboo (and cotton, for that matter) together. They can all be washed on warm or hot, they all need very little detergent, so it's all the same! |
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hi all. i finally found the solution to keep my dipes nice! 2 tbsp of my detergent and a long wash on hot (in my washing machine's case, warm.) when the cold rince comes on i add 1/2 cup of white vinigar to the rince water. my dipes came out smelling nice and feeling wonderfully soft! not sure about stain free though but that is perfectly fine. the next time that i do diaper laundry, i will add 1/4 cup of baking soda to the hot wash. i did no prerinces and no extra rinces at the end.
Update: I had my twin sister look at the dipes when she came over to give me a beautiful gold ring with an emerald and 2 diamonds, as well as to see her nephew. she examined each diaper and pronounced them stain free! yay! i am extremely extatic about this! |
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pb&j - what a cool web site! I am currently using ECOS in Magnolia(I saw the ECOS free and clear got an excellent rating) that I bought at Costco. I hope it's a good one. How exactly does one strip diapers? If I use the sanitary/extra hot setting, is that it?
firedancer - did you end up buying used bamboo diapers? I love mine. I bought 24 and I quickly figured out that I have to wash every night (not morning) and hang dry through the night so that they are dry by the next evening. I've been using them since he was 4.5 months and he's now 8 months. |
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Hi Melslu,
I tried using the same ECOS you are currently using and had trouble. It contains a fabric softener built in and I had stinky troubles. I found it did not clean well enough and eventually built up. Granted, I have a front loader and perhaps a different water type (I have regular water-not soft or hard), but I wanted to point out the issues I had. |
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| Hi Meisiu. I found that site very helpful as well - glad you found it useful! The detergents I've tried and still use are Ecos, Nature Clean and Charlie's soap. I find all three work well. I don't strip my diapers often but when I do, I boil water in a huge stock pot and "cook" them for 5 - 10 minutes after a good wash. My washing machine water doesn't get hot enough... I suppose I could just turn up the temp on my hot water tank when stripping. I occasionally do a rinse cycle with 1/2 cup of vinegar as well. |
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