Smelly nappies or urine?

[Smurfette]

Hey there, Liv has been in cloths for about 8wks now. She uses Greens which have been fantastic. I use a hemp booster with microfibre cloth. I am starting to notice though that the nappies are getting smelly quite quickly. I use 1/2 detergent on a long cycle on my front loader. I have had the machine for quite sometime, and dont really know how to add to cycles, like vinegar. Oh, I also use cold as there seems to be something wrong with the hot water connection.
My question is, should I do something to get rid of the smell in her nappies? If so, what? Or is it her urine becoming smelly as I have heard that teething babies can have smelly urine, and I suspect she may be teething. The nappies were new, so not sure if they require some sort of more thorough washing at this stage.
I hope this makes sense?:confused: :o

[Oscar's mum]

Do you hang the nappies in the sun? If not that can help kill any germs and bacteria so it may help the smell.

If you are dry pailing the nappies add some bicarb to the pail to help nuetralise the odour in the pail then when you go to wash the nappies use your detergent etc like normal but add a bit of bi carb into the wash too (it might help);)

Their is no need to add vinegar if you don't want to, I do but I don't believe vinegar will help you with the smell problem, vinegar is used alot to soften etc!

Though it may just be smelly wee's your bub is doing. I find on the odd occasion Ozzy does wee's that are really really strong for a couple of days then the wee smell goes back to normal!

Edited to add: I just re read your post, do you mean the nappies are smelly once they are clean or when they are in use?:confused:

[the_queen]

My hemp nappies and boosters get a bit whiffy too. A hot wash and hang them in direct sunlight usually helps. Also I was adding a bit of wool wash (thinking that the eucalyptus smell would make them smell better) and this was coating them, holding the smell in. So my advice would be to do a hot wash and rinse, and hang in the sun. :thumbsup:

[sopolicha]

When mine get a bit woofie I just throw some white vinegar in the rinse cycle seems to help. I don't know if hemp is a bit prone to it or not?

[Smurfette]

Edited to add: I just re read your post, do you mean the nappies are smelly once they are clean or when they are in use?:confused:
[/QUOTE]

Thanks, I meant when they are in use

[Oscar's mum]

Thanks, I meant when they are in use

That's what I thought!;) But I think I will blame it on my pg brain cause I am getting confused very easily of late:p

[*~Jaz's Mum~*]

Seconding the hot wash, if you are able to get your machine to do that. Both hemp and fleece seem to hang onto smells, and a hot wash spruces them up. :thumbsup:

[LucyE]

I've found with our PUL pocket nappies (which is what Greens are), they can get a bit whiffy after a few months and especially if they haven't been washed in warm water. They smell even when not in use though....My solution for this has been to do a hot wash with vinegar in the prerinse and then wash as per normal.

With yours, if it is only smelly when they have become wet, it could be just the urine becoming smelly or the reaction between the urine and nappy. If the former, try increasing her water/breastmilk intake to help dilute the urine. If the later, you'll need to experiment a bit to find the cause. Try running just a rinse cycle with nothing added to see if there are suds forming. If there is, then the problem is due to excess detergent residue being held in the nappy. If no sudsing, then it could be due to not using enough detergent to actually wash out all the urine so try a load with a bit more detergent to see if it makes a difference. Hemp is smellier than other fabrics but I've found making sure that they get some sunlight and are fully dry before using makes a difference. Because it's so absorbant, it can sometimes still be a little damp inside (especially if it's a few layers sewn together) which would promote the growth of mould and smells.

Re vinegar - I know you said you don't use it, I just wanted to add that in areas with hard water, vinegar will react with the minerals in the water to produce a horrible acrid smell when wet. So although a lot of people recommend it, it may not actually suit everyone.

Re bicarb - it will damage elastic and PUL if used in the wash. Especially if used in conjucntion with vinegar or heat. It's everyone's personal choice what they use but if you are considering it, please bear this in mind.

[Oscar's mum]

Re bicarb - it will damage elastic and PUL if used in the wash. Especially if used in conjucntion with vinegar or heat. It's everyone's personal choice what they use but if you are considering it, please bear this in mind.

I have been using bi carb and vinegar in my wash now for the nappies for 16 months with no problems at all. I don't use hot wash though so perhaps that is why my nappies are all in good condition!