Poo AND detergent smell ugh!!!

[AZmommy]

Originally Posted by xocen I have pockets, aios, prefolds, inserts, fitteds, covers ALL types and I have rinsed by hand before washing. not hard at all. time consuming yes but it's not costly and doesn't take 40 minutes. I've heard not so great things about tide and cd. we use oxyclean baby which says on the box it's cd safe. it's sold at target. as for crunchiness, line dry and fluff in the dryer for a few minutes to bring back softness!

I agree with the rinsing... Tide is very well liked in the CD world. Its not for all but its is one of the top detergents. Oxyclean isn't a detergent it is just a booster though. At least all the ones I can get here are I do remember they once did make an actual detergent. Haven't seen it in years though.
OP a few suggestions I dont advocated to little detergent but as you now have a water softner maybe a little less will be more, are you able to see how the water is during the rinse cycles? Crunchy diapers especially in prefolds for me has always meant too much detergent.
As for bleach what is DH issue? if its the wear and tear (whch isn't an issue) consider using the Clorox ultimate care bleach.. It wont have the same disinfecting properties but it does still help the detergent it tackles odor well and helps stuff to rinse out better.

Also consider using a wet pail add 1/2 cup vinager to a 1/2 filled or so pail of cool water.. Usig a mesh type liner really helps if you wet pail. Put any solids into the toilet before putting into pail of course.
You'll still need to dry pail covers/pockets

Deanna

[HappiMom]

I think I may have found a solution. Yesterday I did a *warm* wash cycle first with no detergent followed by a hot super wash with Tide filled to the 1 line and they are not as stinky. I also put half as many diapers in the wash, so I'm thinking I'll have to wash every other day instead of every 3-4. It's going to be more time and $$ for me, but if it solves the stink issues I'm willing to do it.

As far as the prefolds, they are simply not soft. I'm seriously thinking of getting some of that cd safe fabric softener, Eco-something?? Can someone remind me? Can I add that to a load of mixed materials?

[daniele_ut]

Originally Posted by HappiMom I think I may have found a solution. Yesterday I did a *warm* wash cycle first with no detergent followed by a hot super wash with Tide filled to the 1 line and they are not as stinky. I also put half as many diapers in the wash, so I'm thinking I'll have to wash every other day instead of every 3-4. It's going to be more time and $$ for me, but if it solves the stink issues I'm willing to do it. As far as the prefolds, they are simply not soft. I'm seriously thinking of getting some of that cd safe fabric softener, Eco-something?? Can someone remind me? Can I add that to a load of mixed materials?

I would change one thing at a time so you know what really helped. Personally I would bet it was the warm wash cycle that made the difference. You really need a pre-wash/pre-rinse of some kind so that your wash water isn't filled with pee and poop. I'd try washing your normal amount of diapers with the warm pre-wash for a week or so and see how that goes before you assume you need to wash every day.

[HappiMom]

Originally Posted by daniele_ut I would change one thing at a time so you know what really helped. Personally I would bet it was the warm wash cycle that made the difference. You really need a pre-wash/pre-rinse of some kind so that your wash water isn't filled with pee and poop. I'd try washing your normal amount of diapers with the warm pre-wash for a week or so and see how that goes before you assume you need to wash every day.

Ahh, that makes sense. I will try washing the big load later this week with the warm wash initially followed by the hot, and see if they are still smelling clean. Thanks.

And, yes, I am pretty certain it was the initial warm wash that helped the most.

[croth7]

Originally Posted by HappiMom I think I may have found a solution. Yesterday I did a *warm* wash cycle first with no detergent followed by a hot super wash with Tide filled to the 1 line and they are not as stinky. I also put half as many diapers in the wash, so I'm thinking I'll have to wash every other day instead of every 3-4. It's going to be more time and $$ for me, but if it solves the stink issues I'm willing to do it. As far as the prefolds, they are simply not soft. I'm seriously thinking of getting some of that cd safe fabric softener, Eco-something?? Can someone remind me? Can I add that to a load of mixed materials?

The fabric softener you are thinking of it Ecover.

[TrennaII]

If you are washing that many diapers, of types that have a lot of layers, you definitely need to prerinse. There is no detergent that is going to get you out of that. You just have too much crud for the detergent to deal with.

It's interesting that you say the Tide Original got rid of the smell "for the most part" ... meaning it really didn't. You either aren't using enough or it's not right for you. I personally hate Tide and like Country Save but I get that it works for a lot of people.

I used flats at a laundromat situation and still always ran 2 cycles. I'd usually run one full cycle on cold, then a second with detergent on hot.

I would:
-- Rinse, one way or another. Try a diaper sprayer on the toilet, rinse right when the diaper comes off. Or start running 2 cycles.
-- Use Tide Free & Clear plus some Washing Soda.
-- Run smaller loads, wash every 2 days.

You might look into buying a Haier HLP21N. I got one from Home Depot for $200 delivered. It's a huge purchase but it will save you a lot on laundry. Just as diapers are a big investment up front, that saves you a lot in the long run ...

[HappiMom]

Originally Posted by croth7 The fabric softener you are thinking of it Ecover.

Thanks.

[HappiMom]

Originally Posted by TrennaII If you are washing that many diapers, of types that have a lot of layers, you definitely need to prerinse. There is no detergent that is going to get you out of that. You just have too much crud for the detergent to deal with. It's interesting that you say the Tide Original got rid of the smell "for the most part" ... meaning it really didn't. You either aren't using enough or it's not right for you. I personally hate Tide and like Country Save but I get that it works for a lot of people. I used flats at a laundromat situation and still always ran 2 cycles. I'd usually run one full cycle on cold, then a second with detergent on hot. I would: -- Rinse, one way or another. Try a diaper sprayer on the toilet, rinse right when the diaper comes off. Or start running 2 cycles. -- Use Tide Free & Clear plus some Washing Soda. -- Run smaller loads, wash every 2 days. You might look into buying a Haier HLP21N. I got one from Home Depot for $200 delivered. It's a huge purchase but it will save you a lot on laundry. Just as diapers are a big investment up front, that saves you a lot in the long run ...

Actually, I have a haier for this exact purpose! We just moved and it's not hooked up yet. I can't wait to try it.

Thanks for the advice. Yeah, about the smell. It was REALLY bad poop smell at first and now it's just musky. So, that's what I mean about getting rid of it for the most part. I am just about to run out of detergent, so maybe I will try the tide free and clear this time.

[LauraSue42]

If your diapers smell of detergent, poo, or muskiness, then they're not getting clean. I would also make sure that you're rinsing the dipes completely, especially since there's a water softener. We have softer water, and I ALWAYS need to run a full cycle without detergent at the end as an extra rinse. Check the washer when it's full of water during that final rinse and see if there's any bubbles. If so, you need to keep rinsing. You don't have to do it in the washer, your tub will work for the final rinse.

[HappiMom]

Actually, I'm not able to see into the washer while it's running. I'm going to get on my husband to hook up our haier top loader. Fingers crossed that it will work.