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My MEOS have terrible build up. Morning diapers are super stinky but no rash.
I've put them through about 10 hot washes and I'm still seeing bubbles. I even soaked them in vinegar for a few hours first.
I'm not sure what try next.
And, yes, we have very hard water. And, yes, I used a detergent that I'm sure was the culprit. |
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A couple thoughts...
First, are you sure that what you're seeing is detergent suds or could they be air bubbles? You'll always get a few air bubbles from the washer agitation. Usually air bubbles will disappate quickly when you stop the washer, whereas detergent suds will usually hang around longer (if they dissapate at all). Detergent suds are also usually whiter and more opaque.
Second, since you have hard water maybe try using a little water softener like Calgon. Either just for the stripping, every few washes or even in all washes...
Third, if you're sure that they're suds it might not be necessary to keep going till the suds are totally completly gone. You might have already gotten rid of enough of the build-up that you the odor would be pretty much gone. Any remaining residue may rinse away if you solve the problem by reducing how much detergent you use and/or changing detergents and/or using water softener.
Fourth, temporarily upping the temperature on your hot water heater may help rinse out the build-up easier. You could also add stock pots full of boiling water to really heat things up (be very very very careful if you do this and don't even attempt if you have a front loader).
Karen. |
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Thanks Karen! I was hoping you would speak up!
1) They are definitely suds.
2) I think its time to invest in water softener.
3) The smell goes away for one use after the stripping and then comes back. I've stopped using the gel detergent that caused the problem.
4) I have a European front loader that heats the water for me to 90 C. Very hot!
I've spent so much time and energy on stripping the diapers and I live in a country that is in a state of drought so every drop of water is precious. |
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Some thoughts:
1) Although it sounds like water softener might be key for you, if you use vinegar again, the hotter the water (or vinegar), the better. I had some horrible buildup from my in-laws nasty water and detergent, and was amazed at what it took to fix it. They'd be okay for a little while after a few no-detergent hot washes, but quickly not so good again. We are semi-arid here in CO, so I just couldn't keep running them through washer loads. Finally, I boiled water and poured it in the sink with a LOT of vinegar and soaked the diapers in that for a few hours, stirring periodically and adding more hot water (after soaking, I did run them through a rinse in the machine to get rid of the vinegar). The house stank of warm vinegar that afternoon, but that was the end of the build up nasties. In my case, I was able to leave the horrible water behind, so once I got rid of the buildup I've never had to do that again, but it was more effective than the multiple hot cycles I'd run earlier, and was a relatively low-water approach.
2) I had mild build-up once earlier and switched detergents because I thought that was the problem. I was actually able to return to that detergent, just a generic non-bio, once I was very careful not to exceed a certain amount, in that case 30 ml/load (only mildly hard water, though). So your suspect detergent might truly be a problem, or, esp. if you don't have many better choices, it might be workable if really toned down. Since you stopped using it, it sounds like you have something better, but just mentioning it. |
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Thanks for the suggestions.
Last night I ran the diapers through 3 HOT washes with water softener and multiple rinses. After all this there were STILL suds!
I put them out to dry and I'll know better Friday morning whether I've eliminated enough of the build-up to stop the smell and the rash.
I will try your vinegar trick next and then I'll simply give up. I have access to eco friendly diapers at overstock prices and I would just switch to those. We are only in diapers at night now anyways.
The main reason I don't want to completely give up is because these diapers are fairly new and I would have wanted to use them on another baby. |
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Don't forget that stinky nighttime diapers is normal to a certain extent (especially with older toddlers). After all they are soaked with urine and have been on for 10-12 hours. I don't know how bad yours are but some stink is normal, just not if it's so bad that it causes rashes (I'm guessing from your comment that they are now???) or if it's such a bad ammonia smell that it burns your eyes in the morning.
You could try rinsing the diapers in the morning as well. That might help with the overall stink and will make them more tolerable in the pail till you can get to wash day.
I don't normally recomend bleach but if you're really that close to giving up then perhaps it's worth considering. Bleach isn't exactly eco-friendly but I believe that a small amount every so often is still better than the supposedly eco-friendly disposables (they're one of my pet peeves as they're not nearly as great as the advertising would have us believe).
HTH,
Karen. |
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I understand that there is normally some smell to nighttime diapers. The smell we are dealing with fills the room by morning EEK!
I have been rinsing and soaking the dipes until wash day. This has definitely helped keep the house smelling fresh.
I don't actually have any bleach in my house but would be inclined to try it just not to have to give up on CDing. Problem is that these diapers are beautiful MEOS in colours!!!
I put dd in a eco disposable tonight since her CDs are all the line and she was so uncomfortable that I had to take it off. She preferred a bulky, folded up flannel recieving blanket instead! I really must make this work...
I will also start to use the water softener in any wash that contains diapers and see if that helps keep the diapers free of build up. After all, I did buy a box of 15 tablets. |
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Hmmm, yeah, colored diapers and bleach aren't a good combination... Especially if you want to use the diapers on future little ones.
If the water softener doesn't help maybe you could try boiling the diapers?? I'm kinda reaching here but I'm running out of suggestions... It's a bit of a pain to do and you do have to be careful of the elastic and snaps (officially it's not recomended I think, but then again neither is bleach).
Hmmm, what kind of detergent are you using now? Have you considered soap nuts? I'm not sure how easily available they are in Israel but they're worth considering...
What about running a sanitary cycle if you have one? Apparently rather harsh on the diapers long term but probably less so than bleach and at least it'll keep the colors intact.
And contrary to what we were exploring before, is it possible that it's not detergent build-up but bacteria build-up instead? Is it possible that in an attempt to avoid build-up that you've used too little detergent? I know it's hard to believe with all the suds you saw when you stripped but it's something to explore before quitting I think (the suds could be from the washer itself maybe? washers have been known to get build-up too, when I was little our washer got a huge build-up of detergent crud all over the inside!!). The fact that stripping helps for one use could perhaps indicate a bacteria problem. Like all that hot water washing helps wash it all out but then after one the bacteria is back. Again, I'm reaching but worth a shot I think... You could try upping the detergent (just once, at worst you'll know pretty quick if it helped or made it worse) or maybe something else that could help with bacteria, like boiling the diapers, temporarily upping the temp on your hot water heater, running a sanitary cycle, using a natural bacteria killer like tea tree oil (maybe something like 30 drops as a one-time measure - rinse well afterwards) or even soaking in pure vinegar (undiluted vinegar is a very good bacteria killer, not to mention that it could help with any mineral or detergent build-up at the same time).
HTH,
Karen. |
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I'm back!!! Or should I say, its back!
Dd's diapers smelled better for about 3 washes and now the smell is back. When I use a milder detergent they stink and when I use a stronger detergent they stink. Diapers with only one pee don't smell, its the nighttime diapers.
Soap nuts are easy to find here and I tried them. My diapers were never truly clean when I was using them and I had smell issues because of it so I gave up on them.
The smell isn't even one of ammonia, more like a rotten smell. That made me think of your bacteria suggestion. However, I have stripped them on 95 C many times and she is no longer pooping in diapers since she is just sleeping in them.
Tomorrow I will wash them on hot with strong detergent and water softener added so it'll wash better and rinse cleaner. I'm so stumped! |
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It could well be that they're not getting clean enough. How much detergent are you using? Maybe use more if you're using just a small amount. If you end up with build-up issues it might be better to add more water to the wash or rinse them more rather than use a really small amount of detergent.
For the soap nuts, I found that adding 2-3 tablespoons of washing soda helped (actually not my idea, it was another poster's suggestion and I found it did help). But hey, if they don't work for you then they don't work. Maybe it's a water thing...
I would think that stripping that hot would take care of any lingering bacteria... Does it help at least temporarily? If it does maybe it's just that your regular wash routine isn't getting them clean enough so the bacteria starts building up again?
Hope you figure this out!
Karen. |
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| Have you tried Rockin Green natural detergent? Its amazing!!!!! I have major buildup with mine, I rocked a soak, and voila they were wonderful! Now its all I wash my dipes in and its a natural detergent! love love love it!!! Use it at ever wash and do a soak maybe once a month and have been in heaven....if you wanna know more they have a website! Also works amazing on stains too! |
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