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Cloth diaper users: how do I get the poop smell out of my diapers?

I have two FuzziBunz AIO that seem to smell like poop still. Right now the way I was my diapers is I dump any loose feces in the toilet, keep my diapers in a dry bucket and I do laundry every night or every other night at the longest. I keep baking powder in my bucket. I do a cold rinse then a hot wash where I add 1/2 cup baking soda then another cold rinse where I add 1/3 cup white vinegar then a final cold rinse. I then dry them on high heat for 60-90 minutes. What should I being doing differently? I don't seem to have the same problem with my pre-folds or my bum genius diapers. Thanks! I forgot to mention that along with the baking soda I also put in detergent in the hot wash cycle

Public Comments

  1. This is what works for me. I wash every other day with the following regimen: 1) Warm wash/Warm rinse with 1/4 C soap (like Arm&Hammer sensitive skin or whatever additive-free soap is on sale...) 2) Hot wash/Warm rinse with 1 Tbsp Dawn dish detergent Once a month, I add 1/2 C baking soda to step one and 1/2 C white vinegar to step two. The addition of Dawn to my routine really did wonders. I have never had to deal with the stinkies since I started this regimen. HTH! ETA: Belinda, I read that you shouldn't use soap, like Dr. Bronner's, on dipes. You say you've had success, though. Hmmm...do you get buildup & have to strip them or what? Sorry to hijack a little, but it's still in the realm of answering the question :) Also, using chlorine bleach on Fuzzi Bunz and most AIOs or pockets will void the warranty.
  2. I agree--Dawn can help you to get the diapers really clean. I have also had some success with Dr Bronner's soap. I buy it from the health food store in liquid form and use it like I would use regular detergent. Another idea is to dry them outside. I like the way my diapers smell when they're dried outside. I know it will take forever to dry AIOs outside! Last idea: you could add some essential oil to your laundry. Right now I'm into lavender and tea tree oil, but you can use anything that will kill odor. Good luck! Regarding soap, if I use soap on the diapers at home, I get buildup issues. Right now I'm at my mom's house and I've been here for several weeks. OK, four months. Anyway, with her well water, the soap actually helps strip the diapers. It's weird. When I lived in Dayton, Ohio, OxiClean worked great, but in Missouri I only needed baking soda and vinegar. OxiClean was too much. In Kentucky, I need detergent, baking soda and vinegar and at mom's house, I need soap and vinegar. It's weird how much water chemistry can affect how you wash diapers. It's also weird how many places I've lived, but we go where the Army tells s to go!
  3. Diaper stink is caused by one of three things: Diapers that are still dirty. Diapers that have bacteria growing in them. Detergent residue. My 1-2-3 approach: 1. Keep it simple. Diapers that are still dirty need to be washed again. 2. If washing again doesn’t help the stink, check for detergent residue next. To do this, wash the diapers without soap. Do you see suds? If so, keep rinsing until the suds are gone. Liquid Dawn in the first wash cycle can help speed this process along. 3. If the diapers STILL stink, you may be dealing with a bacteria issue. There are two ways to try solving this issue. The first is the sun. This works because the UV rays from the sun actually causes the bacteria causing the stink to die. By drying your diapers on the line, you get the stain removal benefit and a stink-killer too. The second option is to use a laundry additive. OxyClean would be my first recommendation. My second (and the last resort) is 1/4 cup of bleach in a large washload. To prevent bacteria buildup in the diapers going forward, wash every other time with OxyClean and line dry in the sun as frequently as you can. *An added note.... Hard water reduces the effectiveness of your detergent and makes it harder to get clothes really clean (and harder to get detergent out of your clothes). Look into getting a water softener if you know you have hard water issues.
  4. You have to not only WASH cloth diapers but they need to be disinfected and all bacteria needs to be eliminated...that is WHY people use bleach.
  5. Ignore the bleach comment, that would ruin your diapers and break down the fibers. Sounds like you have build up of detergents in your diapers. Next time you wash, do an extra hot cycle. When the washer is in the agitation stage, peak in and see if there are lots of bubbles. Keep running the dipes on hot cycles until the bubbles are gone. I notice the inserts tend to hold onto the detergent more, so if it seems like it's taking forever, run those on hot cycles over and over.
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