Myths and Misconceptions: Cloth Diapers Stink!

I've decided to do a series of blogs all about common myths and misconceptions about cloth diapering! If you have any ideas feel free to comment here, share on my twitter, or post to my facebook page any myths or misconceptions you have heard, especially ones that really drive you nutso!

 

 

Myth #3: Cloth Diapers Stink

 

Oh my do I hear this one a lot! When talking to new moms or moms to be who are curious about cloth diapering, the number one question I get is "Well don't they stink?" People assume that they stink when you change them, they stink when you are waiting for them to be washed, and they probably stink after they come out of the wash, just a little. People think that because they are pooped in you will never be able to get them completely clean and they will stink at least a little bit. They think stink is normal, but it's not. It doesn't happen to everyone but if it does happen to you, it can be fixed! It could take a little bit of experimenting, but you can figure out your stink problems and get rid of them once and for all, if you ever have stink issues in the first place! There are two main kinds of stink I've heard of, and that is Barnyard or "dirty" stink, and Ammonia stink. I've also had people who say they are worried about the smell while they store their diapers that are waiting to be washed.

 

Storage Until Washing

 

One thing that people think is that cloth diapers must smell while they just sit there waiting to be washed. There are plenty of ways to store your diapers while you are waiting for wash day, and if you experiment around you can figure out just what works for your family! First off, you rinse, dunk, or shake all the poop out before you do anything. See my blog post "So What Do You Do With All the Poo?" to see different ways of getting rid of the poop. So it's not like your diaper is sitting in a bag with poop in it. Some people choose to rinse wet diapers out too, especially if they have had ammonia issues (which we will talk about later!). Then you can either store them in a wet bag, or keep them in a pail. Some people use large zip lock backs instead of a wet bag, or put each diaper into a plastic grocery bag and tie it tightly. Whatever works, works I say! I have done the plastic bag thing while out and about and never ever ever have I smelt the smell through the bag. I've also used a wet bag, which is made of PUL which is waterproof on the inside, and a cute fabric on the outside with a zipper closure. I use both Planet Wise brand and Super Green Label wet bags and have never had a leak or a stinky smell come from either! It might stink for a second when you open the bag, but once you toss the diaper in there, you zip it back up and can't smell it anymore! A lot of people also use pails. You can get a Rumparooz pail liner from Mama's Emporium and a trash can from wherever. The pail liner is washable so you can toss it in the wash with your diapers. I've heard this open air system, where air is allowed to get to the diapers, actually keeps the stink away better than the wetbag system. I plan on trying it just as soon as I can convince my hubby! This is because the air helps inhibit bacterial growth which causes the smell.
Another thing that can help keep your diapers from smelling while you wait to wash is not waiting too long to wash. I wash every other day and have gone as long as three days when the need to wait was dire, but I wouldn't go longer than that, and I would still stick to every other day. If you must wait three or more days to do diaper laundry, rinse all the diapers off after each use, wet or dirty, and I suggest you get some BacOut from Mama's Emporium. It smells like limes and not only is it a great stain remover/preventative, but it will help keep the stink away and make your diapers smell like limes until you wash them. It doesn't hurt your diapers either.

 

Barnyard or Dirty Smell

 

The most common smell issue I hear about is that diapers just smell icky after each wash, or maybe not icky, but just weird. If you are washing your diapers and they come out of the wash or dryer smelling like anything, there is something wrong. Something that can be fixed, as any smell issue can be fixed. This one is actually a super easy fix usually. Usually a barnyard smell or a dirty smell usually means there is a problem with your wash routine and/or detergent. Most of the time it means you aren't using the right ammount of detergent and you need more. This is especially important if you have hard water. I've struggled with this because we have VERY hard water and very old pipes. It can also be that you aren't using the right detergent. Different detergents work for different people and it depends on your washer, your water, and your personal preference. I started out using BumGenious detergent but didn't love it so I tried a bunch. I liked Rockin Green till we got very stubborn ammonia issues, so we switched around until we found the one we liked. Remember, liquid detergent doesn't work quite as well as because it doesn't rinse out as cleanly and easily as powder detergents and that can cause repelling issues in your diapers, which you can read about in another Myths and Misconceptions post called "Cloth Diapers Always Leak". Some people find Free and Clear powder detergents such as All Free and Clear or Tide Free and Clear work great. Others find that Cloth diaper detergents work wonderfully and they don't always work for others. I have heard about using original tide on your diapers but as my son has a sensitivity to tide we haven't used it. I've considered trying and making sure it all gets rinsed out but I found something that works so I don't need to bother. I suggest you experiment with different detergents and amounts. I also suggest stripping in between trying a new detergent. So if you are going to stop using what you are using now and try a new detergent, strip first! I have had the best results using GroVia Mighty Bubbles, which you can read about in my review of them. We use 4tbs of EcoSprout detergent in our wash cycles and it has turned out to be great. We had to experiment with going from 2tbs to 3, and then from 3tbs to 4. But once we found the right detergent and the right amount, the issue was no longer an issue!
You may also want to adjust your wash routine. I found what works best for us is a cold rinse cycle, so I'm not washing the diapers in water that has a ton of poop and pee in it, then a hot wash on heavy setting with detergent, and then a hot wash on heavy setting with no detergent to make sure all of the detergent gets rinsed out.

 

Ammonia

 

Ammonia is a smell that you kind of know when you smell it. It will smell like a strong cleaning chemical or just very strong urine but worse than that it will burn your eyes and nose as soon as you get a whiff! It seriously burns to smell it! You may also notice a rash on your child. Ammonia is really bad and unfortunately, all to common, especially for overnight diapers because  the urine sits in them longer. Some good things to do to prevent ammonia is to rinse each diaper, even the wet ones, before putting them in your pail or bag. You can also spray each diaper with a spritz or two of BacOut to make it smell like limes and neutralize bacteria. You could also try adding a presoak to your laundry routine. If you already have ammonia however, you will have to strip the diapers to get rid of the ammonia. I had stubborn ammonia issues and I tried everything. I tried a strip with bleach, a strip with RLR, washing multiple times each load, a presoak with detergent, a presoak with RLR, all sorts of stuff. I couldn't get rid of it. Finally I tried GroVia Mighty Bubbles from Mama's Emporium and it worked! If you have a lot of buildup you may need to do it two or three times but these little packs really got rid of our ammonia. Then we changed our detergent and wash routine to what it currently is and we have not had issues since! I'm also finding I have to strip less and less compared to what I was before.

 

Bottom Line

 

Bottom line is, cloth diapers do not need to stink! If you are having stink issues, you can cure them! You just need to experiment and find a wash routine and detergent that works best for you, and you may need to strip your diapers. I suggest anyone having any smell issues strip first before adjusting anything. I use GroVia Mighty Bubbles and have never been disappointed with them. Please don't give up if you have stink issues! You can fix them! There are plenty of ways to prevent stink issues though, such as storing them correctly, rinsing diapers well, and using BacOut on every diaper before putting it in the pail or wetbag. 

So "What Do You Do With All The Poo?"

One of the first questions people inquiring about cloth diapering ask me is, what do you do with all the poo? A lot of people give the reasons of not wanting poop in their washer or not wanting to have to touch the poop as main reasons they do not cloth diaper. It's an interesting question, but like so much that has to do with CDing, it has many answers and the answer will depend on you and what works best for your family!

Did you know: You are supposed to dump poop in the toilet from disposable diapers too?

I didn't know this until I started cloth diapering. I didn't believe it was true, so I went out and looked at the back of a disposable diaper package. Sure enough, it says clear as day that you should dump poop and/or rinse the diapers in the toilet before throwing them away!! How many of us REALLY do that? I know I didn't when I used disposable diapers with my oldest! But it does make sense! Think about it, all that poop is just sitting in landfills, polluting the air and land. And what happens if a garbage barge sinks in the ocean with tons and tons of trash on it, then what happens to the poop in all those diapers? I shudder to think of it! So now that I know better, I do better, and I dump poop from disposables into the toilet when we use them. I still much prefer using cloth tho!

Different Ways to Get Rid of the Poo

Like I said there are a few ways to get rid of the poo. The goal is to get it in the toilet without making a huge mess and getting it all over yourself obviously. It's super easy and there are multiple effective ways but one might be easier for you, so maybe try them all!

Dunk and Swish

The dunk and swish is what our grandma's most likely did. This is what I did during the newborn stage. It's fairly simple, hold the diaper by one end and dunk it repeatedly in the toilet water. Flush, and while it's flushing hold the diaper in the running water from the side of the toilet, and continue to dunk until satisfied. Then put it in your wet bag, pail, etc, and you're done! While this is effective for some poop and not other, it is generally great in a pinch or a bind, or when you are just getting started before you invest in anything else!

Spray or Peri Bottle

A lot of people use those little peri bottles that the hospital sends home with you or a spray or squeeze bottle of their own (recycle an old ketchup bottle or something!) filled with either warm water or wipe solution. You then hold the diaper by one end into the toilet and use the bottle to spray water directly on the poop, pushing it off into the toilet, flush and done!

Sprayer

Diaper Sprayers are a very popular option these days. They can be a little pricey, or you can make your own using simple and cheap items found at your local hardware store and YouTube tutorials. I'll be honest, you don't need one. They can be convenient, yes, but I bought one in a co-op and never used it. It hasn't even been hooked up. You just really don't need them and if money is tight, you can totally skip! But while they can be convenient they can also be messy. It is my understanding that a lot of people need to adjust the water pressure to a lower setting because with the recommended setting you get "spray back" meaning poopy water sprays all over you and the bathroom. But once you get that figured out it usually isn't a problem. It's usually just a matter of figuring out the right pressure, and angle to spray at. Sprayers hook into where the toilet water comes from in the wall. So it is using the clean water that would be fed into the bowl.

Detachable Shower Head

Now, for stubborn poops, I use my shower head, and my husband tends to use it for all poops. It has the convenience of a sprayer with the ease of it already being hooked up! Like most bathrooms, my toilet is right next to my bath tub. So all I do is grab the detachable shower head, turn it on low, and spray the diaper off into the toilet. The shower head never touches the diaper or poop and I have never had a problem with spray back. It's already there so it doesn't cost any extra, so if you are wanting the ease and convenience of a sprayer, this may be a great solution. It's also awesome if you don't want to mess with the plumbing and you don't want to worry about asking your landlord if it's ok to use a sprayer.

Spatula

Some people like to keep a separate spatula that does not get used in the kitchen (I've also heard of people using bottle brushes) in the bathroom to scrape the poop off the diaper and into the toilet. This is completely feasible, cheap, and an easy way to quickly get everything off into the toilet without having to dunk and swish, dunk and swish, and without risking spray back from sprayers. I have never tried this method but I have heard it is very successful as long as you keep the brush or spatula clean. I am a very busy mom, I have two jobs, two kids, a dog, a husband, and a house to take care of and I don't like the idea of another thing to clean but that is just me. I've heard it's very little and very easy upkeep, I just don't want to bother when I already have a system that works fine and was free.

But what do I do when I'm out?

This is a very good question, and I honestly need to do a blog just about cloth diapering when away from the house and all the challenges that come with it! When I'm out and about I always just throw the diaper into my wet bag and save it for when I get home. Some people do this at home as well and only spray right before going in the wash, but I prefer to spray as they happen so they aren't stinking up the wet bag anymore than usual. So you could dunk and swish, or carry a spatula in a big zip lock bag, or you could bring a peri bottle full of wipe solution or water with you. It's really up to you. Like I said, you could also just toss it all in the wet bag and rinse when you get home!

I Don't Want Poop in My Washer!

I honestly don't understand this sentiment, especially with parents of newborns or very young babies. Has your child ever leaked out of a diaper or had an explosive episode? What did you do with the sheets from the bed? Chances are you took those crib sheets and tossed them in the washer, while gagging, choking, and reminding yourself how much you love your kids! And what about when your child is sick and spits up? Straight in the washer, right? The clothes that they wear when poop leaks out your diaper? Yep, straight in the washer. So poop and pee has already been in your washer. Your washer gets clean, and gets rid of the poop and pee, that's what it was made to do! So how is a load of diapers every few days any different than a load of nasty icky sheets and clothes? The only difference is you don't have a screaming baby to bathe while everything is in the wash!

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is, try them all, see what works for you. I started off with the dunk and swish, moved to a peri bottle, and now use the shower head as a sprayer sometimes. I'm very happy in the routine we have developed, and once you find the right routine you will be too! I hope this has answered questions about the process of getting the poop off of the diapers. Remember, you could just throw the diapers in without rinsing them and do a couple rinses in cold before you wash, but I don't recommend that. You can also just use flushable liners and pull them out and dump them in the toilet.

Something You Should Know: Stripping

Something you should know about with cloth diapers, you may need to strip. Stripping is a process to get rid of buildup caused by hard water, detergent buildup, using non safe rash creams, ammonia, stink issues, and just to make sure your diapers are at their freshest and most absorbent.

 

Why Strip?

 

Stripping can solve multiple problems. One such problem is repelling, when your diaper is having leaks because the fabric is not at it's most absorbent. This is usually caused by hard water mineral buildup or detergent buildup from using too much detergent and/or not rinsing enough. Another reason to strip is if you are having stink issues. Stink issues can be caused by not using enough detergent, detergent buildup, hard water buildup, ammonia, and other causes. Usually if your diapers smell like a barn, you aren't using enough detergent and you should play with how much you use. If they smell like pee or burn your eyes and nose after they are dirty, then it's ammonia buildup. Another culprit of stink is not using the right detergent. Some people have problems with some detergents that others find amazing. You have to find the right detergent for your diapers, water, and washing machine. Also, make sure you aren't using dryer sheets or fabric softener, as well as detergents that contain dyes or optical brighteners. It may also help to switch from a liquid detergent to a powder detergent. Liquid detergent has been known to cause buildup.

 

So you think you have to strip, now what?

 

Now you decide what kind of strip you want to do! There are multiple ways to strip your diapers and each has their benefits. I suggest you play with it and decide what way is best for you. I also think stripping can fix the symptoms, but you have to also find the cause of the problem and cure the disease so to speak. If you find yourself stripping often, you should tinker with your wash routine and try to adjust it so you can find the perfect routine and products for you! You may simply need to switch to a new detergent, you may also need to adjust how much detergent you are using, or you may need to add an extra rinse or adjust the temperatures of your washes. Whatever it is finding it is key and may take some Patience, trial, and error. Eventually though you will get it and you will be one happy cloth diaperer! I however live in an area that has VERY hard water and because I'm renting I'm not allowed to have a water softener. Plus on top of that our pipes are very old and my washer isn't the greatest. So I have settled for stripping every couple of weeks, especially now that we are fighting ammonia. One day I'll get a better machine and live somewhere with a water softener and all will be well, but stripping isn't hard to do so for now it's a good system we have worked out.

 

Different ways to strip

 

1. RLR - RLR is my go to stripping method. It's ingredients list is super secret so we don't know exactly what is in it but we know it is safe for cloth diapers and we know there is washing soda. I have heard people swear by adding washing soda to their wash and it stripping just like RLR but I have also heard of people's diapers being ruined because plain washing soda makes them rough and nothing gets the diapers soft after that has happened. So if you want to try that use caution and do so at your own risk, I won't risk it. Anyway back to RLR. It's very simple to use, you just put your clean diapers, weather dry or wet, into the washer with a packet of it (half a packet if you are using a HE washer) and wash on hot with a couple extra rinses and then voila, you're done! You should notice a difference right away.

 

2. GroVia Mighty Bubbles - GroVia Mighty Bubbles comes to us from the makers of GroVia diapers. It's a newer laundry treatment and is super convenient. It comes in a little packet that you just toss into the wash, kind of like a tide pod.The ingredients are Sodium Carbonate (washing soda), Sodium percarbonate, Sodium Polyitaconate, surfactants, Enzymes, Oxygen bleach activator, and Sodia sillicate. To use you place in the washer with diapers (clean or dirty, doesn't matter, but I always put them in clean), No other detergent is needed. You wash on hot and do a hot rinse and voila, you should notice the difference as soon as they are dry.

 

3. Bleach - Bleach is controversial. Some people say don't use bleach because it can damage your diapers. Some diaper companies recommend you use bleach. I personally use bleach on all my diapers that I buy used or am given, and occasionally to do a really deep strip. You KNOW they are clean and nothing is going to be wrong with them once you strip with bleach. It's kind of like starting over! I use 1/4 cup of bleach. How I do it without bleaching the color from my diapers is I fill my washer up [maximum water level] with hot water and 1/4 cup of bleach. It will bubble a little. Then I let the washer run a minute or two so the agitator mixes the bleach in, then put my diapers, inserts, wipes, etc in. The general consensus is this should be done no more than once a month. I recommend doing this to all your diapers after thrush, yeast, sickness, or if you get used diapers.

 

4. Blue Dawn - Blue dawn! This should be used with caution. I have heard you can also use Dapple Baby Bottle and Dish Liquid sold here. The Key to stripping with dish soap is to only use a little as it's very hard to rinse out. Some people just put a few drops in a bath tub and soak overnight then do a bunch of rinses until there are NO bubbles. Or you can do the same thing in your washer. Fill your washer with hot water and about 5 drops of the soap. Then put the diapers in and wash on hot, and keep rinsing until it's all out and there are no bubbles. I've heard this is better for oil buildup, not mineral buildup, such as if you use the wrong diaper rash cream with your cloth diapers. I have never used it, so I can only tell you what I've heard, such as it is very difficult to get them completely rinsed when using this method.

 

Bottom Line

 

The bottom line is, if you need to strip, I suggest RLR or GroVia Mighty Bubbles which are sold here. We are battling Amonia and the only thing that has worked is the bleach strip and the Grovia Mighty Bubbles, not RLR.