How to Get the "Stink" Out of Cloth Diapers?

I use fuzzi bunz and do a warm prewash with 1/8 c baking soda & 1/8 c oxyclean. Then, hot wash w/soap. I think they smell fine at this point, but my baby is only 4 months and breastfeeding, so diapers aren't too stinky...yet! My neighbor does an additional cycle w/baking soda, if necessary to get odors out.

Have you tried Oxy Clean? I use that for everything! If you use it on the diapers you will need to rinse twice though, it is hard on their skin if not rinsed thoroughly. I also use Odo Ban to freshen things up, it has a very clean fresh scent and covers bad odors very well.

I resorted to clorox, but I don't recommend it because
1. it didn't seem to wash out completely (even with 2 rinses) and I think contributed to diaper rash.
2. it broke down the cotton cloth so it wasn't as absorbent, and diapers began to leak.
I stopped using cloth for awhile, but now my baby (of 3) is nearly ready for undies, and I broke into the box of diapers in the closet yesterday when we ran clear out of disposables. He likes them because he thinks they are like undies! This time I am trying a new method:
soaking in a bucket of 1 C vinegar and water until wash day.
I'm going to skip the bleach! And read what other advise you've garnered... good luck!

I've had this same problem, I've cloth diapered four babies over the last 18 years, and I'm still cloth diapering number four, lol. Try adding a half cup of baking soda to the main wash. If that doesn't work, add about a half teaspoon of tea tree oil along with the baking soda. What's always worked for me over the years has been a cold rinse, then a hot wash, followed by two cold rinses. I also use a half cup of vinegar in the first rinse cycle (after the wash cycle). I've had stink-free diapers for the past 18 years!

R., the hot water is "setting the smell in the diaper, rinse in cool water first, wash in warm, not hot, add lemon Juice, about a tablespoon to the wash, you can also try fabric softner in the wash cycle . they will both do the job. Vinegar is good, but only in the wash, it may be adding to the smell. good luck.
K.

When I did cloth, about 9 years ago, I would put a little Borax in the washer, let it fill up w/ cold water & agitate for a second to disolve the Borax, add diapers, let agitate for for about five minutes and let sit...for as long as I could with the washer lid open, at least a hour. Then have the washer spin out, start over with regular detergent and instead of fabric softener at the rinse cycle I would add 1c of vinegar and 1 tsp of teatree oil. I never noticed any odor (AFTER I washed them :))

I would also put a little Borax & teatree oil w/ cold water in my diaper "pail" (I just used a rubbermaid bin)and let it sit the whole time they were washing and drying and then rinsed with clear hot. This worked so well, that now I have been able to go on and use my diaper "pail" for other storage...you would never know :)

Hello... This may sound crazy... but trust me it works. Put your diapers in the dishwasher and run them through (of course after you wash them as normal). Half way through the dishwasher cycle... open it up and hopefully you will see tons and tons of bubbles! That will help strip the diapers.
Vinegar I have been told has a negative effect if you have hot water. Try using Calgon in your rinse cycle. Tea Tree oil works too.

Besides the dishwasher... the only other way is to boil them and then run through a few loads without any detergent.

Cloth diapers tend to get detergent build up especially with hard water. I would use half the detergent that you normally use for regular wash loads.

Good luck! Trust me on the dishwasher stripping.. it's fun!

C.

Have you tried adding 20 Mule Team borax to the laundry laod, along with the detergent. I love the stuff, and it is really cheap. It comes in a yellow and green box and costs less than $3. We use it to get the sour milk smell out of clothes and when they do the poop up the back trick.

Hi R.-
I have had great success with using 1/2 white vinegar and putting it in wither the downy ball or in the "fabric softener" area of your washer and then finish off with water. Good luck

Stink means build up. Coincidentally, both of the detergents you're using are notorious for causing build-up. Charlie's Soap is a soap, not a detergent, and has long-term build up issues associated with it, and Tide Free has a number of components known to build up on fabric over time. Strip with a tiny bit of blue Dawn and run hot rinses til the bubbles are gone, and then switch permanently to a residue free detergent (I recommend Country Save or Allen's Naturally - they're both relatively easy to find, as far as cloth-safe detergents go, and they both perform well on other laundry, too).

If your water is slightly hard (most water is at least a little bit hard), adding some baking soda or borax to the wash cycle may help, too. Good luck!

An old fashion product called borax, it is a wonder for so many things a presoak and also add some to the wash, I would continue the 2nd rinse. Look it up it has many uses and it does work to keep the brightness in the whites too.
Good luck!

R.,
I used cloth diapers with my last child. To help with the smell I would soak them in a pail of water with borax. Borax can be found in the isle with detergent and bleach.

I didn't read all the responses so I'm sorry if someone already suggested this. Also, I don't know what Fuzzi Bunz are, so this might not be appropriate for them. I used the plain old cloth with all 4 of ours. After rinsing out solids, I soaked them in a diaper pail full of water with approximately 1/2 cup bleach, 1/2 cup white vinegar, & a generour sprinkling of baking soda until laundry day (washed 1-2/week). I only ran them through 1 cycle in the washer, in hot water with 1 cup bleach for a full load. They always smelled fresh & stayed white. Didn't seem to break down the cloth too fast; many of them lasted for 2-3 of the kids.

Hi R., there is a product called Kids 'n' Pets that is a carpet cleaner that uses enzymes to remove the stain and odor of urine and feces from carpets. On their bottle they also say adding a cup to the laundry will do the same for it. I have used it for dog and kid accidents on carpets and it really does get the stain and odor out. I have found Kids 'n' Pets at Target, Walmart, and Albertson's in the carpet cleaning section. It is also biodegradable.

I use a capful of a product by company called Melaleuca. The product is called Sol-U-Mel and it is a tea tree oil based product. It works great on stains and smell! If you are soaking your diapers you can also add a capful to the pail.

Another item I found really helpful is we have a mini sprayer that attaches to the toilet and really works great to power rinse ALL of the poop off! Fabulous item! We got ours at frogandelephant.com

L. C

Yes you are still helping the environment!!! The process of making disposables uses so much water and so many chemicals that to even question your wonderful decision to use cloth is only because you are living in the most disposable society in the entire world. Keep up the good work!

For your problem, I don't personally own fuzzi-bunz and I know that the wool diapers have some special rules about how to wash them and things, but I will tell you what has worked really well for us. We do diapers over night. We first run a rinse. Then refil the washer adding 3tbsp of washing soda (a laundry additive found in the laundry isle) and 3 sqirts of simple green (a non-toxic biodegradable, household cleaner). We also add a half scoop of oxiclean. Then we let the diapers soak overnight in this solution. In the morning, we get up and turn the washer back on and also use a downy ball with vinegar in it for the rinse cycle. Also we wash our diapers everyother night or every third night. Decreasing the time they sit in the pail may help. If you have any other questions just let me know. I would love to help if I can!

One other thing, if you need to use rash cream, make sure you get some without Cod Liver Oil in it. This can be a big culprit in creating stinky diapers. I know Balmex does not have it. Oh, and make sure not to use fabric softner as it will leave an oily film on your diapers making them less absorbent.
A.

I used to use a little bleach - it is safe since the diaper were white - plus it kept them really white.

I'm fairly new to cloth diapering but I have found that this method of washing has gotton the smell out of all my diapers.
soak your diapers overnight in cold with detergent and a 1/2 cup of baking soda. I usually agitate the load a little bit before I leave it to soak.
Then in the morning I do a prewash with the water from the night before. Then I do a regular wash with Hot and 1/2 as much soap (I use a detergent that I found on the website cottonbabies.com. They have a list that contains tons of detergents that work for cloth diapers and gives them ratings, It's awesome.)with a second rinse that has a 1/2 cup of vinegar. The baking soda helps with the smell and stains and using baking soda and vinegar together balances out the ph of the diapers so your baby doesn't get diaper rash. Like I said this has worked well for me but I don't have fuzzy bunz. I do mostly prefolds, AIO's and Bum Genius. Good Luck!

I was just looking into the fuzzi bunz so I am glad you posted this. Nice to see a variety of opinons on a product before you invest in it :)
They mention on their site that you can use small amounts of tea tree oil to help with the smell. I would check out their site and see if that helps any. You still might try putting them outside on a sunny day even in the winter just to get that extra boost from fresh air and sunshine.

what I found worked best and didn't require a second wash was to keep a pail of baking soda water available and they would get put in to soak as soon they came off the body. then after they soaked awhile I would wash using 1 cup clorox bleach and regular detergent. I also did one extra rinse just because I am anal to be sure all the bleach is out so it doesnt irritate the skin. Use about 1 to 1 1/2 cup baking soda to about 3 gallons water for soaking. I love baking soda, havent found a smell yet it couldnt get rid of!!

Hi, i'm a mom of three who works at home and the product i swear by, is called odor handler. It's a multi-purpose cleaner/deodorizer you can use for everything!! You can order from the company senproco in sioux falls or pick it up at mini-critters pet village. (it's also used for skunk smells in dogs! You're laughing aren't you. Trust me, it works. I used cloth diapers for my first-born. This product is enviromentally friendly and it will also help you save water. Good luck

J.

Hi
Here's my method and it seems to work(except with one A-I-O that I'm tempted to pitch because it takes 2x as long to dry as well:kushies=bad news)
I remove solids (if it's messy I don the gloves and rinse it out in the toilet) keep in diaper pail no longer than 3 days, use a cold rinse cycle and then wash on Hot with (I think this is the trick) 1/2 cup BORAX and some detergent(non-scented). I generally buy it at Target 1,000 mule? /mile? team Borax.
Hope this helps

So did Fuzzi Bunz say Borax was okay or not?

Hey R., I saw that a few people recommended tea tree oil, which is a natural disinfectant- and the same thing I was going to recommend. I am a rep for The Body Shop at home and we carry tea tree oil that I could get for you at a great discount if you are intersted. I use fuzzi bunz as well which I actually bought used from a mom who had used them on her two girls (so my daughter is the 3rd baby to use them) and I haven't had an issue with smells at all. Check out my website and feel free to contact me if you want to order!
http://www.thebodyshopathome.com/web/abbeyhall

You need to try SA8 laundry detergent. It is biodegradable, very concentrated, has no abrasive clay fillers,and packaged in recycled materials. But the best thing is IT WORKS SO GREAT! Your washer will last longer, as will your clothes and diapers, and they'll be so clean and fresh - and soft. Call me and I'll tell you how to get some of these 100% guaranteed products to try. 1-###-###-####

Dawn dish detergent (original..not the concentrated kind)works great at removing smells. The smell can come from a build up of detergents over time...some sites suggest using Dawn to "strip" the diaper of other detergents, and just a few squirts around in with the diapers occasionally works great for me.

Hi R.,

Have you tried rinsing the diapers right after you are done changing the little ones? Sometimes this helps a lot. You can also pour vinegar right in your diaper pail. We also used the baby detergents. I am sorry I don't remember what it was. My kids are 34 & 32 years old.

Hope this helps.

Hugs Mary

**********Adding one more thing--here's a helpful link:
http://www.pinstripesandpolkadots.com/detergentbasics.htm...

It has been a year or so since I had to wash dipes:) but I do remember having a bit of a stink if I used TOO much detergent of any kind! I prewashed/soaked with cold water and baking soda and a little tea tree oil. Then I hot washed with baking soda and tea tree oil. Some times Charlies but not every time. Usually I soaked over night. The tea tree oil is very good at disinfecting (more effective pound for pound than bleach--but we don't use that). My son didn't have rashes or infections or anything so I'm sure they were clean. I did line dry outside in summer and dry the cotton/microfiber in the dryer in the winter (but not the fuzzis).

I've heard people have great results with Bac-out but I didn't need to use it. I have heard that vinegar can, with some types of dipes, make them smell more...something about acidity. Have you checked out diaperswappers.com they have a good forum for cd users. There is also a wool soakers group on yahoo groups and they have some excellent links in their links section.
Best, K.

Try washing them with a baking soda, vinegar mixture. Baking soda is a natural deodorizer and usually a great helper to vinegar.

First, you are definitely helping the environment by cloth diapering. Plus, Fuzzi Bunz are great diapers, definitely more absorbent and comfortable for your kids. I am convinced that that idea is propaganda propagated by Pamper's and Luv's and "environmentalists" who want to rationalize not using them. You are also saving a TON of money, even with Fuzzi Bunz. I use them too, and as you may know, they have excellent resale value on ebay (if not stinky).

The Large Fuzzi Bunz I have used on my son for about 1 1/2 years now don't stink, but I also wouldn't describe them as being "fresh as spring." They are diapers, so any diaper would smell a bit after extensive use. However, here is my routine (v. similar to yours), which may provide insight:
(We have a high capacity, high-efficiency Kenmore front-loading washer and dryer set.)
1. I put all solids (as much as possible) into the toilet

2. Keep disassembled, soiled diapers in a dry pail with a Bummis liner

3. First I wash in COLD water on the Normal wash / heavily soiled setting. Biokleen detergent is recommended as it is all-natural and does not leave residue. I usually use that, but have run out and used ECOVER, and that seems to do fine.
You can buy Biokleen (powder) from many places, including www.juliestuff.com. Julie also has 6 kids and a lot of advice on cloth diapering on her website. You may also want to ask her your question. It is critical to wash in cold initially to avoid setting stains. However, I don't think it is related to your issue.

4. Then I put them through a second cycle on HOT water (Whitest Whites setting), which includes an extra rinse. Again, I use a normal amount of detergent. It is definitely necessary and recommended to put them through twice. This may be the root of your issue. If you get enough diapers (36 or so) to last a week, this is only two extra loads per week, nothing to feel guilty about environmentally:)

5. I usually dry in dryer. If I am feeling VERY ambitious, I have hung them out on the line, and putting them in the sun should decrease odor, but you are a better woman than I for doing that on a regular basis!!!

* Also, I RARELY use rash cream- I don't need it for my son, and it can reduce absorbency may possibly contribute to your odor problem?

Hope this helps and GOOD LUCK!!
S.

Hi R.,

I too, cloth diaper and what I do with every load is use Borax in addition to my regular detergent (Gain) and I also use about a quarter cup of baking soda. I presoak and use the softer rinse cycle, too. Since I started using the Borax and baking soda I haven't noticed a smell. But I know the one you are writing about. Hope this helps!