The Fluff Talk topic for this Thursday is dealing with stink. When I started using cloth diapers, I had no idea that odor could “stay” in the diapers, so that even when they smelled clean out of the wash, they would stink to high heaven as soon as Miss peed on them. And I mean STINK. Much more than the little bit of urine she put on them would warrant. Ew. I have definitely had this problem. I’ve also had the problem of diapers not smelling clean out of the wash. I’ve tried lots of things to deal with it, some that have worked, and some that haven’t.
In terms of the soap used, I have tried several different types to wash my dipes. I started with Seventh Generation Free and Clear, then quickly switched to Allen’s, then a mixture of half washing soda and half Oxy Clean, and now Rockin’ Green and/or soap nuts. I heard very mixed reviews about the use of SGF&C. some say it’s fine for cloth diapers, others say stay away from it. I switched to Allen’s just to be safe. Allen’s was a great soap, but didn’t seem to manage the stink build up issue very well. I didn’t really care for the washing soda/Oxy Clean mixture. It seemed hard to rinse clean and didn’t cut the stink either. Both Rockin’ Green and soap nuts seem to work really well to get the dipes clean without build up, and they really help with the stink. The soap nuts seem to rinse clean a bit more easily. I have tried using vinegar in the wash, but didn’t notice any difference, so I stopped. I have hard water, so I always add Calgon water softener. We have a water softening system in our home, which helps, so I only use half the recommended amount of Calgon.
Recently, I decided to soak my microfiber diaper inserts to really get the stink out of them once and for all. I have found that the inserts with microfiber are what tend to hold in the sneaky stink (the smell that comes back when peed on). So, prior to coming on this trip, when I had Miss temporarily in disposable diapers in order to get every single one of her diapers clean, I did the soak. I first washed all her diapers as normal. Then I took every one of her microfiber inserts and soaked it in hot water with Oxy Clean for two hours. Then I rinsed them several times until there were no more bubbles. It worked! The stink was gone completely and did not come back with a vengeance when Miss peed. I will be doing this again if the problem comes back.
The biggest thing I have done that has decreased the stink factor in my diaper pail is to switch to more natural fibers. I have been told, and have found through my own experience, that bamboo, hemp, and cotton do not hold stink the way synthetic fibers like microfiber do. I have heard from some friends that they have had stink problems with bamboo that was in need of stripping, but I never have stink issues with my inserts made of these materials. So, I have been gradually trying to switch my inserts to these natural fibers and hopefully will have less stink to deal with as I use less microfiber.
Different water makes all the difference with cloth diaper stink. We have horrible stink with most detergents that are considered safe for cloth diapers (and the worst was Tide, which some people love even if it is not recommended for cloth diapers). We always go back to Allen’s because for us it is best for keeping smells away.