HELP: My diapers smell!

Diapers should smell clean out of the washing machine.  You shouldn't smell anything (including detergent) in clean diapers.  

Residue is a major contributing factor to smells in diaper.  In fact, other than fit issues, this is the number issue that we help trouble shoot.  

How do you know if you have a residue issue?  Typical signs are stinking diapers, non absorbent inserts, leaky diaper covers, and diaper rash.  There are two types of residue issues:




URINE RESIDUE:
Your diapers should smell clean after they are washed.  If they smell like urine right out of the wash, it is probably because of a urine residue.  If they smell clean after the wash, but have a strong ammonia smell after being used, chances are you also have a urine residue.

If a diaper smells strongly after it has been peed in, it is very likely from an overproduction of ammonia.  Once urine leaves the body, it begins to convert back to ammonia.  An ammonia smell after a period of time is normal.  However, if you smell an unusually strong ammonia smell right after your baby pees, you probably have a residue in your diaper.

The most common cause of a urine residue is not using enough water to wash and rinse diapers clean.  It can also be caused by not using enough detergent.  Both of these issues cause urine to be diluted, but not rinsed away.  It then gets deposited back into he fabric and forms a residue.  


FIXING THE PROBLEM:
Typically doing 3 hot washes with no detergent and fully drying between each wash will solve this problem.  To keep the residue at bay, make sure you are following proper wash instructions when washing your diapers.  Make sure that you are using enough detergent to clean your diapers, and enough HOT water.  Increasing the amount of rinses will not work.  You need to increase the water level for washing and rinsing.  If you have an HE machine without an agitator, you may need to add a wet bath towel in with your load.  This will "trick" your machine into adding more water, and help the diapers rub together more to help clean them.  

Also, make sure both baby and you (if you are breastfeeding) are getting enough to drink.  Especially in the summer.  The heat and humidity make urine more concentrated, and you may need to adjust your wash routine if babies aren't drinking enough to keep their urine diluted.

You can also pre-rinse diapers, especially night time diapers with a diaper sprayer and put them in your pail or wet bag after a quick squeeze.  (A Spray Pal comes in super handy for that!)  Rinsing the urine away before it sits until washing will help to stop more ammonia from forming.

                                                                               

DETERGENT RESIDUE:
The signs of detergent residue aren't always seen right away.  Often it takes a few months before you see a problem.  It can be seen right away if your diapers are washed with way too much detergent, but typically not.  In fact, you will probably find that a diaper cover starts to have problems before the rest of your diapers.  

One of the first signs that someone has a detergent buildup is a PUL cover leaking right through the PUL.  

Detergent residue can be caused by a few things:

• Using too much detergent.  

• Using a detergent that has additives such as bringers, enzymes, or fabric softeners

• Switching to a zero-residue detergent after previously using a detergent with additives.  Switching detergent may cause residue left behind in your washing machine from a previous detergent to be loosened and deposited into your diapers.  

FIXING THE PROBLEM:
Typically doing 3 hot washes with no detergent and fully drying between each wash will solve this problem.  To keep the residue at bay, make sure you are following proper wash instructions when washing your diaper.  Make sure that you are using enough detergent to clean your diapers, and enough HOT water.  Increasing the amount of rinses will not work.  You need to increase the water for washing and rinsing.  If you have an HE machine without an agitator, you may need to add a wet bath towel in with your load.  This will "trick" your machine into adding more water, and help the diapers rub together more to help clean them. 

                                                                               

If your diapers are still having issues, we'd be happy to help!  Please call us at 616.395.555 or email info@ecobuns.com