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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

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Bemoaning Ammonia Part 2

This post is continued from Bemoaning Ammonia Part 1 posted on February 1st, 2011.

I have also tried some other tricks and solutions to fight the dreaded ammonia smell that I’ve gleaned from my research and/or conversations with other moms.  With my new routine I really don’t feel that any of these are necessary, but if I have the time or the notion I will play around with them occasionally. 

  1. Spraying diluted Bac-Out on diapers-I made a solution using distilled water and Bac-Out in a spray bottle to spray on particularly stinky diapers and inserts when they aren’t going to be washed immediately.
  2. Rinsing every diaper after a change-Let’s face it, this might have been possible when my daughter was immobile, but she hits the ground running after a diaper change so this really isn’t something I could stick to, nor do I believe it’s that effective.
  3. Adding water to front loader-I certainly don’t want to be a slave to my laundry, but if I do happen to catch it I will add some hot water to my wash cycle to allow the diapers to really swish around in there.
I am a true, self-professed cloth diaper lover and addict, but the idea of ammonia being an inescapable  part of cloth diapering was very unsettling to me.  Furthermore, the painstaking routine of weekly or even monthly soaks, stripping and bleaching just didn’t sit well with someone about to have a newborn and toddler in diapers. I can truly say I am in love all over again.  I refuse to get cocky or rest on my laurels because ammonia has tricked me before and I’m sure it will trick me again.  However, at this time I feel adequately prepared to tackle it with two very good solutions and several tricks of the trade.  In sharing this I hope it will help other moms out there, frustrated with the smells, rashes and time-consuming solutions. 

Disclaimer: The opinions are of the blog contributor and not of The Cloth Diaper Whisperer. We recommend reviewing the manufacturer’s washing instructions before using any product on your diapers.

By Jennifer

8 comments:

NDmomma said...

I doubled my Charlie's Soap, and it's fine now! I did have to do a couple of long soaks in hot water at first with double detergent. I have very hard water, but this works for us! I have FB OS, and they're working great!

avaliandellab said...

I have found that I have the hardest time with micro fiber inserts with my hard water. My solution for ammonia is green mountain pre folds as inserts in my bum genius. Quick wash in cold with just water. Regular wash in hot with tide regular powder and an extra rinse. This is the solution that has worked the longest for me so far and I'm on boy #2 in cloth. Rockin green as needed for deep cleans:)

Unknown said...

After reading part 1 of this series, I bought some bac-out to use with my rockin green in my wash, and it was wonderful! No smell out of the wash! :)

Thank you so much for the suggestions,

A Happier Cloth Diapering Mommy

Unknown said...

Can't say it enough...
VINEGAR works wonders on ammonia!

Christina Weedon said...

We've tried so, so many different things and I've had NO luck kicking out ammonia for good. I keep thinking, maybe I should start a blogging quest to ask for help from all of these great detergent companies, etc... because my trials (and ERRORS) are really getting expensive! :/

Anna said...

I look forward to the answers, and I'm going to buy some bac out. How unfair is it that my 3 month old EBF baby has had ammonia the few times I've tried cloth overnight? During the day it's not a problem at all, but over night, it's powerful! I don't mind using paper at night, but I'd like to be able to use the cloth at night too. HELP!

Christopher and Marcille said...

What kind of bac-out is the best kind to use? And where is it available to purchase?!

Unknown said...

This couple of posts are great great help! I am fighting the stinky diapers issue and build-up. I will try Bac-Out as soon as I get it!! Thank soo much for sharing!!