How do you get rid of the ammonia smell in cloth diapers? Read through my journey as I tell you how I struggled – and finally conquered – this nasty odor.
I thought I was washing in hot – I set my washer to the hot wash setting. I soaked in Rockin Green detergent and did extra rinses. But I still got ammonia stink! I was more than mildly frustrated – I was pissed! I think ammonia smell is one of the things that would make me quit cloth diapering if there wasn’t a cure.
What Is Ammonia Smell In Cloth Diapers?
It’s a really strong and awful smell that makes your eyes water. But what is it? It’s not the pee. It’s a chemical reaction that happens as the pee breaks down. When the pee sits in the diaper, it will turn to ammonia as it breaks down.
So, if your diapers aren’t getting clean enough, they will eventually smell AWFUL.
How Do You Get It Out?
I emailed Kim of Rockin’ Green and she was super helpful. The temperature of your hot wash determines how clean your diapers get. This is what she said to me:
I wholeheartedly believe that water temp is important to diaper washing. Hot water kills bacteria, which could be in your inserts causing stink problems.
So I investigated and discovered that my water temperature is too low and when it fills up the basin it switches from hot to cold water – making the water my dipes are washed in warm, not hot.
One solution would be turning up the temp on my gas hot water heater, but I don’t want to risk Lizzie getting burned. So I simply reach behind the washer and turn off the cold water. I also turn on my bathtub before I wash my diapers to get the hot water flowing faster. I turn the cold water on after the basin is filled.
To rid my diapers of the ammonia I boiled water on the stove and added it to my washer, then soaked my diapers in Rockin Green overnight. That did it! Since I have hard water, calgon added to the main hot wash also helps it alot. I cannot wait for the hard rock formula from Rockin Green! It will be fabulous for my hard water.
I use Rockin Green too and love it! Every few weeks I do a long soak with vinegar and that seems to get rid of the ammonia salts that can build up in the diapers.
Stopped by to check out your upcoming Diaper event and am now a new follower!
thank you for following! And thank you for the tip about vinegar – I will have to try that too 🙂
I can’t wait for the Hard Rock to come out, too!!
I have tried Charlies soap and that really helped.
http://couponmommyof2.blogspot.com/
Actually, Charlies Soap in my hard water gave me worse ammonia smell. Even with calgon I couldn’t get rid of it. So I had to sell all my Charlies and try something else.
I didn’t realize I could soak cloth diapers in detergent prior to washing them. I’ll have to find where I can purchase Rockin Green detergent and try it out. BTW, how much Calgon do you use and at what part during washing? TIA
~Christine
Awesome post Annie! OK, dunno if you do this or not but I did have something for you…in case you want it! http://www.handshouseandheartfull.com/2010/01/passing-on-award.html
I have trouble with the ammonia smell as well. It is awful!
Not only is it bad but it also burns my poor son’s penis. It gets bright red and he cries when you wipe him. It is especially bad when he wakes up in the morning because he has been in that diaper for hours and hours.
I have found now that I wash every other day, it has improved. I have repeatedly stripped my diapers with no luck. I feel your frustration!
Hey, I wanted to ask you if you plan on getting feedburner set up? I am always missing your great posts. 🙁
i know they say bleach is bad, but i have bleached out my diapers about every 8 months. it’s an all day process though and they are in the washing machine all day long.
eventhough I blow just about all of my working day on the internet enjoying online games like myspace poker or petville, I still like to put aside some free time to peruse a couple of blogs and forums here and there and I’m pleased to report this most recent page is actually kinda good quality and substantially more beneficial than 1 / 2 the other spam I read today , at any rate i’m off to have fun with a few hands of facebook poker
I just started using Rockin Green and I have ammonia stink for the first time.