Troubleshooting cloth diaper cleaning problems

After washing, your diapers should smell clean. If they are starting to take on a funky odour, the culprit is likely something to do with your washing routine.

There are two main types of diaper stink – ammonia and barnyard. 

Ammonia:

  • Very strong “burn your nosehairs” smell

  • Often will become obvious only after diapers are wet (they will smell clean out of the wash)

  • Caused by bacteria which convert urea in urine into ammonia

  • May become more of an issue during toddler years as they pee larger volumes

Barnyard:

  • Often smells like a barn or cattle truck, but can also smell stale, fishy, or just plain stinky

  • Is more obvious when diapers are warm (if they have just come out of the dryer, for example)

  • In severe cases, diapers will smell even when they’re freshly washed and on the shelf

  • Is caused by bacteria and soil left over in the diapers after washing

  • Can be the cause of  rashes.

If you have either one of these problems, something is wrong with your wash routine and must be corrected. Remember, the way to get clean diapers is with a good wash routine, NOT through frequent “deep cleaning”. Even if you do a deep clean, the stink will return sooner or later unless you correct your wash routine.

Troubleshooting

We’ve provided some troubleshooting information for you below. For most people, trying these steps will fix the smell issue.  Feel free to get in touch with us at clothdiapers.osean@gmail.com if you have questions.

  • Some diaper manufacturers suggest using half the recommended amount of detergent per load when washing cloth diapers. This may be insufficient to really clean your diapers. Try using the recommended amount for a regular load. If you are already using the recommended amount, try adding a little extra.

    Conversely, you can have problems with too much detergent. One easy way to see if you are using too much is to look at the water coming out of the machine at the end of your wash cycle (or add an extra rinse). If you see bubbles, it is likely that you are using too much detergent. If this is the case, run your diapers through a quick wash (with no detergent) and add an extra rinse to remove all excess detergent, then reduce the amount of detergent the next time you wash them

  • Problems can arise if you are using a detergent that includes a fabric softener. If your detergent includes fabric softener, it may say so on the front of the bottle (e.g. Tide with Downy) or the description may include promises of soft fabric (e.g. Dreft Liquid Newborn Detergent). Change detergents if either of these apply.

  • Once your baby starts eating solids, you may need to adjust your wash routine to remove all solid residues before washing.

    To hand rinse, soak the diapers briefly (e.g. 5-10 minutes) and then rub the heavily solid parts against each other to remove any residual solids.

    WIth your machine, you can do a quick wash with or without a little bit of detergent. Then, open the machine, fluff the diapers away from the drum and perform your usual wash.

    You can also increase the wash time/agitation by playing with your machine settings (e.g. increase the soil level).

  • Your washing machine cleans by rubbing the contents against each other.

    If you have a top loading machine, your wash should look like a stew (not a soup) when properly filled.

    Front-loaders may do better when filled at least 1/4 but no more than 3/4 full. If you don’t have enough diapers, any other laundry can be added to fill out the load (but large bulky items like towels are not recommended).

  • Since Ottawa’s municipal water is very soft (low in minerals) [citation], it is almost certainly not causing issues for anyone using the central water supply. If you use well water and are experiencing issues, you can test your water to determine if it is hard or soft using water hardness test strips . Look for them in hardware or pet supply stores, or ask for one from any friend who own a pool, hot tub, or aquarium. You can also bring in a sample of your water to a pet store and ask them to test it.. you may need to fib and say that it is your “aquarium” water….

    If you find that your water is more than 100 ppm Calcium carbonate, it is leaning towards being hard; hard water by definition is 120 ppm.

    If you find that you have hard water, the simplest option is to use a commercial detergent (such as Tide Original Powder) which contains softening agents which will help bind the hard water minerals (like Calcium and Magnesium) allowing the actual detergent to focus on fighting dirt and stains. Unfortunately many eco-friendly detergents contain less of these softening agents so they may be more problematic in hard water. You may also want to use a little more detergent in your laundry if you have hard water.