Are CDs supposed to smell this bad??

[ladybugsea]

I have noticed that the FBs I am using smell and really stink to high heaven after an overnight. I attributed that to the hemp liner. Well, last night I tried a PF overnight for the first time. I sniffed her in the morning, and I thought it was a lot better. That is, until I opened it up. Peee-eewww!! DH was walking down the hallway toward her room and could smell it. And he does NOT want to CD at all, so this is not helping me out!! Is it supposed to smell this bad?? Everyone seems to say that 'sposies make them gag and CDs are just the best. Could it be from my diet (exclusively BFing)? Okay, this is a little embarrassing. I did have fish for lunch yesterday and cabbage for dinner, and now that I think of it my own hasn't exactly smelled like flowers lately... :)

[Momof3Labs]

Sounds like you might have a laundry problem, either too much detergent or not enough detergent. Do you have hard or soft water?

[searchdog]

Is it the diaper that smells or is it the urine/poop that you are saying smells?

[bcky2]

i know that i use the hemparoos and a few other hemp inserts and they have a "unique" smell to them, not strong or bad but different than a sposie. with micro fiber towels i dont get that. i do know that i was using too much detergent and the hemparoos would smell worse, now that i have my soap/water ratio down the smell is gone. who ever knew less soap is better but it is :) i do have one or two prefolds that i use and they smell bad to me.

[ladybugsea]

I am using very, very little detergent. I do have an old machine, though, so maybe it is a problem. I'm using Purex which cottonbabies says no to, but I assumed they meant the Baby Purex. Maybe I need to try a different soap and maybe an extra rinse. It's funny how much detergent I used to use with my laundry!! Now I use so much less!!

[ladybugsea]

Forgot to say that the pee seems to smell, not so much the diapers. They smell clean when they're clean. Although the FBs don't always smell entirely clean. A friend is loaning them to me to try out. The first night I used a FB I thought I was going to throw up when I changed it in the morning. They were using Tide and it smelled really strongly, and also the FB seemed to wick a lot. I thought it was detergent related, but it hasn't gone away.

[toomanystrollers]

Have you stripped your inserts at all? Sounds like you have detergent buildup - even a little detergent can build-up fast - especially in soft water.

FWIW, I have 12 yo top-loading washer and after stripping my entire stash of dipes, I switched to a HE (high-efficiency, low-sudsing) detergent - designed for the new front loaders. I haven't had stink issues in months :)

HTH

[bcky2]

ok i hate to sound gross but does it smell like a hampsters cage when it needs to be changed? that is what my ds's smell like when i go to change him. now the smell is contained, we have a hanging bag that doesnt close and there is no odor control problem. also i dont cd over night because i have a heavy wetter and to be honest i am scared to try. but i could see me having a wicking problem overnight if i tried it. when my ds gets up in the morning i can smell his diaper first thing when i walk in the room. sorry im not much help but i do feel for you and the problem. by the way i use cheer or tide free, not that i think it is that big an issue on det. but maybe if it is scented it is a "reaction" of the pee and detergent.

[ladybugsea]

I have city water and not sure if it's soft. How do you strip them? Hot washes? But why are the prefolds stinking, too? A different friend lent me these just yesterday. She never had any trouble with them. I washed them up first. Maybe that is the problem... What kind of detergent can I use that doesn't cost a lot and is available in stores?

[mudder17]

The amount of detergent you need varies with the water hardness and the machine. Hard water requires more detergent, while soft water requires less. Front loaders also require less detergent than top loaders. I've used both powdered Tide and liquid Era successfully. But I also use Calgon with all my diaper laundry. You might try varying the amount of detergent, either more or less, to see which helps. Again, it depends on the hardness of your water. If you have hard water, it's quite possible you're not using enough detergent. I do also do a second cycle with a second rinse with no detergent added after the detergent cycle. Ever since I've done that, I've had far less problems with buildup, so I think it's working. I'm satisfied with it enough that I don't want to mess with it!

I've never used Purex, so I can't comment on it. I'm currently noticing that my overnight diaper really smells like pee, although I don't notice it outside the room! Rinsing with water afterwards really helps. My overnight diaper DOES contain hemp. The rest of the diapers, are never that bad. Oh, and her pee odor does change based on what she's eaten, but she's on solids now. I don't think her pee smell usually varied based on what I ate when she was EBF.

Anyway, good luck at finding the problem. You'll find that many of us (see the laundry thread) have played around with our methods of washing and some have the stink and others don't. It's just a matter of finding out what works for you and your machine.

Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://www.babysfirstsite.org/newtickers/ticker/16994.birthday.png

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amber_9m.gif Breastfed 11 months and counting

[mudder17]

You can check with your department of public works to find out if you have hard or soft water. Stripping usually means washing them in hot water with no detergent, or washing them with hot water and Calgon or RLR or Sportswash and then washing them again with nothing at all until there are no more suds. If the prefolds are stinking as well, that definitely sounds like it could be buildup. You can probably use regular old tide. You just have to figure out how much you can use. I think people have used Cheer Free with some success as well. All detergents will cause buildup if you use too much and don't rinse them out completely. While some cause buildup a little faster, I would say that most regular detergents would be fine as long as you don't use too much. That's my theory, actually, and I could be wrong, but I believe that all detergents I've used so far, including the HE detergents, have the potential to cause buildup problems. It's partly why I use Calgon with all my washes and why I always do a second hot cycle with second rinse with nothing added.


Eileen

Mother of Beautiful Kaya, www.chemicalgraphics.com/kaya
http://www.babysfirstsite.org/newtickers/ticker/16994.birthday.png

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_amber_9m.gif Breastfed 11 months and counting

[Momof3Labs]

You need to call the city and find out what kind of water you have. Does it feel slippery, like it is hard to rinse the soap off your body (soft water)? Or do you see mineral deposits on your fixtures (very hard water)?

If you have hard water, you'll need to use a lot more detergent - I have very hard water and use about a half capful of Tide Free in each load. Otherwise the dipes don't get clean and they also stink.

[toomanystrollers]

Monique,
I just bumped a water hardness map that I posted long ago.

HTH