Ammonia!!! Should I switch from Microfiber???

[momnixon]

Help! My diapers have ammonia problems!!! I'm using BG Microfiber and Flip Stay Dry inserts. Love them both immensely but we moved and are now on hard water and I cannot get the ammonia OUT! (I hope this post is in the right place!)

Here's the story, had been on not hard city water, used RNG and loved it. Rarely had any smells or anything.... Than, moved to VERY hard well water. Got a new"er" washer that doesn't seem to agitate as well (toploader). Switched to hard rock almost immediately. Diapers didn't seem very clean after washing... friend introduced me to homemade detergent (powdered) and I tried a borax/arm and hammer (laundry)/oxiclean free mixture. This definitely got them whiter and brighter and smell free. Dipes did okay on this mixture for a couple of months and then just randomly started smelling VERY strongly of ammonia and gave bambino a red burn one day. I switched (unwillingly) to disposables 'til we got it sorted out.

Thankfully, RNG released Funk Rock and I leapt at the chance to save my inserts and my baby's bum! I washed and washed and rinsed and rinsed and then did the first Funk Rock soak, overnight... plenty of funk rock. Washed again, rinsed, rinsed, rinsed.... diapers smell fresh and clean *YAY*!! But alas... after two more washes (with funk & hard rock) the ammonia was back, not as bad, but definitely still there.

Tried vinegar. Tried lots of rinsing. Tried more washing and more rinsing. Tried boiling. Tried soaking. Tried everything but sun 'cause we've had none.

All that to say, I think my water is just so hard that the diapers aren't getting very clean or aren't rinsing clear enough. I dunno. For right now I'm stuffing my pockets with toddler prefolds but they are HUGE and I only have 10.

I've about decided that I need to switch to hemp.... what do YOU think? Is hemp as absorbent as Microfiber? Which inserts will fit okay in my BG pockets? Is there something better than hemp? Which brand of what do you love? Is anyone else having this problem????

Thanks ladies. I love you all.

[bellx1]

Just curious, do they smell like ammonia straight out of the washer? or once baby pees on them?
My sons diapers smell like very strong ammonia when he pees in them. Even on the rare occaission when he wears a disposable, the disposable smell like very strong ammoina too. Therefore, I dont think my diapers have a probleme, just my son has smelly pee.

[mariamommy]

Would a water softener like Calgon help?

[momnixon]

Originally Posted by bellx1 Just curious, do they smell like ammonia straight out of the washer? or once baby pees on them? My sons diapers smell like very strong ammonia when he pees in them. Even on the rare occaission when he wears a disposable, the disposable smell like very strong ammoina too. Therefore, I dont think my diapers have a probleme, just my son has smelly pee.

Bellx, it is once he pees in them... But it never happened before we moved and it doesn't happen with either disposables or the prefolds in the pockets. Thanks though!