ZukaBaby

Residues can build up in cloth diapers from diaper rash creams, minerals in your water, detergent additives and urine.  When your diapers come out of the dryer, put your nose up to the diaper and smell.  If it does not smell clean, it isn’t! If a diaper smells strongly as soon as it gets wet (peed on), then the diapers are not clean enough.

If your diapers are not getting clean or your baby’s skin is irritated by the diapers, try adding something to your washing routine that you are not currently doing like:

• If you are using mainstream laundry products consider a clean-rinsing product.  Mainstream laundry products hold in the stink (called buildup).
• Try adding another entire hot wash cycle at the end with just water.  Warm/hot water rinses better than cold.
• Try washing more frequently.  Waiting longer than three days is too long, unless you live in a dry climate.  Washing every other day is recommended.
• Try a soak before washing.

Baking Soda soak – ½ cup baking soda in washer filled with cold water.  Agitate and then let the diapers soak for 2 hours to overnight.  Baking soda can be included while washing or soaking diapers.  Make sure to use vinegar in the rinse to restore the pH of the diapers.  Otherwise you may end up with diaper rash.

• Try spraying diapers off before putting them into the pail.
• Some air in the pail really does help prevent stinks.  Try keeping the lid open for the first day.
• Is your water hot enough?  Not hot enough water because of cold water in the pipes coming into the machine first is a very common washing problem!  Open your machine during the hot cycle and feel it.  It should be very hot or too hot to touch.  If you water is not hot, run hot water nearby first to get hot water in the pipes.
• Are you overloading the machine?  ¾ full is maximum, 2/3 full is best, less than half full might not be enough to get proper agitation.  Add a towel or 2.
• Are your rinsing completely?  Run a cycle with your clean diapers on hot with no detergent and you might be surprised to find suds.  Try it!  Try vinegar in the rinse or stop using vinegar in the rinse.
• Try adding Bi-O-Kleen Bac Out to the initial cold cycle .  This is helpful for odor prevention.
• Try adding more oxygen cleaner to the hot cycle.
• If you have hard water, you may need to soften your water, try Calgon Water Softener.
• Sometimes a little bit of bleach seems to be the easiest answer.
• Clean your washer. Your washer manual probably tells you how to do this for your machine.  Wipe it out.  Clean the dispensers.  That big rubbery part  in the front of your front loader needs frequent cleaning.  Running a full cycle of water and a little bleach now and then will keep the parts clean that you can’t reach.  Do this perhaps once every few months.