Smelly nappy's

[Rainbowbrite]

Yes, I'm aware they all smell :p But i'm talking after they have been washed :( I've changed detergents but still nothing. They are dry pailed for no more than 48hrs before being washed, re-rinsed & either line dry'd or put in the dryer. They still have that wet nappy urine smell IYKWIM.

Any ideas, or should I soak them & see if it helps?

Ta
RB

[veve]

aww hon I hvea no idea...
how frustrating...

I use amolin on my nappies- haven't had an issue yet (although I've heard it is common)

have you tried adding vinegar?? I'm not sure WHEN you are meant to add it though.. cant remember??!! sorry ... hope someone helps you soon!!

xxx

[tickle]

I read this this afternoon and thought what is she talking about....
Then I got a load out of the machine and noticed what you are talking about. Call me crazy but I always smell clean clothes out of the machine for some reason.
I have never had this problem before but noticed the only thing I did differently was washed at 40 degrees rather than 60. I have a front loader so I just set the temp. Don't know whether that's of any help to you?:)

[SugarBlossom]

I rinse in vinegar then do the wash with powder and a little splash of eucalyptus oil,
then mostly dry in the sun and take them of before they get hard and scratchy

We have a front loader and I do the 1 hour 55 minute wash on 40 degrees.


I've never had smelly nappies and I reckon thats pretty good for being in the territory.

Hope that helps ya out

[SugarBlossom]

T. Call me crazy but I always smell clean clothes out of the machine for some reason.


I do too....they just smell so lovely and clean and fresh!!

[sopolicha]

I know when my nappies get a bit on the nose, I put a big splash of white vinegar into the final rinse and then put them out in the sunshine to dry.

Brings em up a treat. I think I heard somewhere that it is no good to do all the time as the vinegar can eat away at the elastic.

[tickle]

Yes sorry to hijack here RB but does anyone know if it is bad to wash them at 60 all the time. I always hang them out to dry in the sunshine but I just get weird satisfaction knowing that they have been washed hot.
Yes I'm strange, I know that.:o

[Rainbowbrite]

I have a top loader & wash in cold water, which i thought was alright :confused: Also I put white vinegar in the softener dispenser every wash. Dont know what else to do.

Oh BTW they are just old fashioned terry flats, nothing flash. On that subject, I need to get more, whats the best brand? The ones I have are no longer square :mad:

Thanks
RB

[reAllytee]

Washing in cold is fine RB as long as you are then line drying as this way the bacteria etc is killed off.
Maybe its the water ? Sometimes i find the water has a funny smell at times so maybe you havent used enough detergant or vinegar ? :confused:
Weird sorry i cant be of much more help where is Lucy ?!?!?!?!
LUCY !
LUCY !
:p

[LucyE]

I've got a super clingy, teething DS atm so not much 'puter time for me lately :(

But back to the OP, so this is a new problem? You haven't changed anything in your routine lately? My thoughts then, it could be a detergent build up...have you checked to see that there is no foaming or bubbles during the rinse stage (make sure you don't have vinegar in there at the time because they somehow inhibit the foaming)? Have you gradually added more vinegar over time? I started off measuring carefully and progressed to a free pour splash LOL That would only cause it to smell vinegary though...Have you used a dryer recently? That can sometimes 'set' smells which then requires a hot/warm wash and line drying to get out (or some swear by bicarb but I've never tried it beause I use fitteds).

When we get smelly nappies (usually the PUL pockets), I do a hot prewash with vinegar, wash in hot with regular detergent, extra rinse and line dry. We have very hard bore water here so I can't use vinegar in the final rinse - reacts with the minerals in the water and produces a horrible acrid smell when wee-d upon. I have a front loader and use the recommended amount of OMOmatic (again due to hard water). Otherwise my normal wash routine uses no vinegar and warm instead of hot water.

When we stay with Mum, she washes in cold only and line dries. I the balance of detergent is right and fully rinsed out, the nappies smell sweet - no perfumes or anything. So Happy Lady, you're not the only weird one :p

Could it be something your bub is eating or not drinking enough which causes changes in the urine???

I hope the smell clears up real soon.

I've been happy with our Canningvale terry squares sold under the 'Happies' brand I think. It's made by the same mob who make the Canningvale towels in WA. It's the only brand I have so can't really compare them to anything else. They are a bit smaller in size than some brands but are much thicker and therfore more absorbant. I found hanging them over the line in half kept them nice and square but on the odd occassions MIL decided to be helpful and peg them by the corners for me, a turn in the dryer squared them back up nicely.

[Rainbowbrite]

Thanks for that. I went out & got some Caningvale flats from DJ's today. Now that i've got more nappies, i'l wash them seperately in warm water & line dry or use the clothes hoist if its raining. I dont think the dryer is helping.

So fabric softener is a no-no for nappies right? Or is that just for fitteds that its not recommended?

Sorry to ask so many old questions, but MJ has been so clingy lately that i dont have time to search :(

Thanks
RB

[JenNT]

I have a top loader & wash in cold water, which i thought was alright :confused: Also I put white vinegar in the softener dispenser every wash. Dont know what else to do.

Oh BTW they are just old fashioned terry flats, nothing flash. On that subject, I need to get more, whats the best brand? The ones I have are no longer square :mad:

Thanks
RB

try hanging them with 3 pegs along the line, they retain their shape better, rather than let them dip in the middle iykwim. Regards to washing, try putting napisan in wash booster in.
Cheers Jen

[Tea Lady]

Hey thanks Rainbowbrite, I was going to ask exactly the same Q! My smelly nappies have only been since I've been drypailing though so I might go back to soaking :( . I think I heard somewhere about putting a few drops of ti tree oil in the bucket to help - does anyone know about this?

Re: fabric softener, I know my towels all say not to use it, so I guess maybe it inhibits the absorbtion or something - ?

Re: vinegar, when I bought a batch of PUL I was told not to wash it with vinegar because it wrecks the fabric - I assume this would apply if you have AIO nappies with PUL too (but I'm no expert at this, so just going by what I was told!)

I've heard driglo nappies are good too, but I"m not sure about other brands. :)

[LucyE]

fabric softener coats the fibres in an oil like substance to make them feel soft. It will reduce absorption and cling onto smells once the perfume is washed out.

I don't use vinegar on a regular basis but figure once in a while doesn't hurt since it's only in the prewash, not like the pul is soaking in it or anything. no scientific data to back it up though ;)

also, have you tried using more detergent?

[Tea Lady]

Yeah, I don't think lack of detergent is the problem, but I dd have more success using BioZet than my normal one. I'm wondering if the prob is that I only cold wash (but my machine can't do a hot wash so I'm abit stuck there!!). Oh well, I'll keep experimenting - bubs doesn't seem to have nappy rash or anything so I guess it's not harming her. :)

[jarrahsmumma]

I put a few drops of Tea Tree in the bucket (on top of the nappies) it is antibacterial and an antiseptic. This is fine for all nappy types. Sometimes washing in bi-carb (intsead of powder) can work and the vinegar rinse as mentioned (this mostly strips the material of any build up which helps with absorbency)

Dry in the sun (this also kills germs) and takes away any stains or smell. They drier seems to make mine smell more, esp the Hemp.

I use a washing powder from the Health Food Shop called EnviroClean...good stuff (better than Planet Ark etc)