We use Bummis, Kushies and chinese prefolds during the daytime and they've worked great for us this far. However, now that our seven month old is eating solids it seems to have changed the chemistry of her urine and I can't seem to wash that urine smell out of them the way I used to! Maybe I'm just sensitive to the smell but if you have a surefire method then I'd love to hear it! (We run the diapers through a presoak cycle first, then wash them in hot water with Arm & Hammer detergent and vinegar in the rinse cycle). Thanks!
I used bleach on my kids things whenever possible. When they were very small, I would wash their things first with bleach then a second time without. It was time consuming, but it got all smells and most stains out. They never had any type of reaction, and they both have sensitive skin. I am not familiar with the types of diapers you listed, so I'm not sure if they say not to use bleach??
J.
We used to have a solution of Borax and water in the diaper pail and they would soak until laundry day. Worked for us!
Good luck.
R. W.
Try DREFT it is awesome. You can soak something that has a stain on from YEARS ago and it will work. It is for babys sensitive skin and smells nice.
Hope this helps.
C.
Bleach will eat up the cloth diapers (I'm sure you've read that somewhere). There are some enzyme-based odor eliminators that are supposed to work well. There's one called "Bac Out" made by Bio-o-Kleen. I use this one for pet smells but have never tried it with diapers but have read that it works well. You can find it online or maybe in a natural foods store. It's not too pricey.
One thing that I did differently: I put everything through a rinse cycle first, then soaked then washed with Arm & Hammer detergent.
Good luck!
I have found that most commercial detergents do this eventually due to build up. I have been using Allen's Naturally (got it online) and have not had any smell issues since switching. You can also try stripping the dipes, google it because i haven't had to do this. The Allen's seems a bit pricey, but I only use a teaspoon for each load, so it's really not so bad.
My wash routine is Cold Rinse, HOT wash with detergent, and a second cold rinse.
Hi R.,
It sounds like you are concerned about both your daughter's health and safety as well as the environment. If that is the case, you'll want to check out these products: http://www.shaklee.net/changinglives/product/00525
This one is the gremicide, but the whole GetClean line is fantastic. Oh, and by the way, you'll save a lot of money over brands you can buy in the store. There are comparisons with both big name brands as well as another "green" brand that you'll find interesting.
Good luck in your quest. I'd love to hear what you think.
S.
