I never in my wildest dreams expected that washing my diapers (and keeping them smell free) would be the biggest challenge for me out of everything that could be difficult.

Worrying with poop, no biggie, I have a sprayer.

Finding a diaper that works?  Turns out my son fits almost every diaper very well.

Leaks?  Nope, hardly ever.

Image: Flickr NaturesDawn

Smells…… well……… that is something that I have been battling.

I bet when most people start thinking of using cloth they are most concerned with what diapers will work best for their family, if they will have time to wash the diapers, and what will they do with the poop?  I didn’t even realize there was a special wash routine until it came time to prep my diapers.  Then I saw the vast amount of literature on washing routines.  It seemed like every person did it differently.  I was overwhelmed.

What detergent was I going to choose?

I did a lot of research and decided to use Tide Original Powder.

I had a lot of leaks in the early days and stripped at least once a month thanks to repelling issues.  However, my diapers never had a smell.  They smelled clean and fresh out of the washer.  It took 6 months before I started detecting an odor.

Crap.  I had read that sometimes microfiber takes time to begin smelling, then the battle begins.

I stripped.  I used vinegar.  I used bleach.  And then I tried other detergents.

I tried Tiny Bubbles, Crunchy Clean, soap nuts, and finally- Rockin’ Green.

All of those eliminated my need for stripping since they left no residue, but the smell continued.

In fact, I began having an intense ammonia odor.  If you don’t already know, diapers can build up ammonia salts from the urine.  Excessive buildup leads to strong odors and even burns.  My son was being burnt by our overnight diapers!

I cried the first time this happened.  I wiped him and his legs shook from the pain.  And when it came time for a bath, he stood up the entire time because it hurt for water to touch his bottom.

I honestly felt like the worst mother in the world.  We began using disposables at night and after stripping the burns stopped so we switched back.

Recently the burns came back.  I stopped cloth at night until I could kill the ammonia again.  (And let me tell you, if it comes to burning my son or using a disposable, I will use a disposable until the problem is fixed. Though rest assured, no Pampers have entered my home, just Earth’s Best)  I have tried desperately to sun my diapers but the damn sun won’t shine!  Hello Summer?  Where are you?

I finally got 2 loads out in the sun this weel and tried my Gro Via AIO first.  I smelled no ammonia!

So happily, I can say the sun really does help with ammonia and odors.  But I don’t have sun very often so I foresee many problems to come with ammonia.

I am going to switch to Rockin’ Green Hard Rock after I finish off my Classic Rock and see what happens.

The fact is, even an experienced cloth diapering parent can have issues.  I hope by disclosing my own battles and the fact that I have kept fighting them (and had to resort to disposables) will help others.  I only wish I had an answer that would fix everyone’s washing problems!

I was asked to review Crunchy Clean detergent for cloth diapers.  I have heard of Crunchy Clean, they are a leading brand recognized by many as a very cloth safe detergent.

From the website:

This cloth diaper detergent special blend of naturally occurring minerals, detergents, oxygen releasing agents that have proven to clean diapers in a safe way that does not harm your precious baby or your diapers. It does work to kill bacteria, and works great in any temperature wash and any type of machine. You can use it to soak your diapers to kill germs or get rid of stains as well as wash your diapers regularly.

No optical brighteners, fillers, dyes, or enzymes.
Great for military use!
Clean rinsing – an extra rinse isn’t necessary!
No soap to build up in your diapers.
HE compatible.
Great for all of your family’s clothing and diapers.

When I opened the package my first thought was how adorable the packaging was. Their logo of a sketched front loader washer is oh so cute. The bags are brown with the logo and are resealable. Since powder detergents tend to get clumpy, especially in my damp basement, this was perfect.

I set about washing my diapers as soon as I could to begin trying it out. I started out using Cherry Almond. After opening the bag I was greeted with a delicious sweet scent. That made me even more excited to try it. I have used a few other cloth diaper detergents which have worked great, and like one I have tried, Rockin’ Green, it smelled so awesome!
The two small bags I received also came with a wooden scoop. I used 2 scoops for my diapers, not heaping, level to the slant of the scoop. I do relatively an average size load of diapers, about 10-12.

When I took the diapers out of the washer they smelled nice and clean. My diapers didn’t smell like cherry almond much but clean is what matters. Other scented detergents never left my diapers smelling the same scent either, after rinsing and drying it just hasn’t happened. Keep in mind that this detergent is cloth diaper safe for a reason.

I used Crunchy Clean exclusively for about a month on my diapers. I also used it to wash my sheets because it smelled so great. Cherry Almond was my favorite scent. The other scent I had the opportunity to try was Lavender Vanilla. It smelled very strong out of the bag but again, after rinsing and drying there wasn’t a scent left on the diapers, they were just clean smelling. I never had any issues with repelling, which is awesome. It is always scary trying a new detergent when you have a routine that works for you. The first load you are waiting for a disaster, for wet sheets, for anything. None of those things happened.

I have been battling ammonia smell (the buildup of ammonia salts in the inserts from urine) in my microfiber for a long time. It has been worse than right now and it has been better. Unfortunately the only solution that has worked (and for a limited time) has been bleaching. It isn’t recommended for every wash, maybe once a month. I don’t even do it that much. Crunchy Clean didn’t cure my microfiber stink but no detergent has so far. I wasn’t expecting it too. Ammonia is a complex issue, probably the most complicated problem with cloth diapering.

As for the packaging, the re-sealable bag worked great.  My basement is very very damp.  While the powder seems to thicken up just a tad, it didn’t get super clumpy or hard like my boxes of detergent do.  I also am at fault for leaving it unsealed a couple of times!

The biggest benefit of using Crunchy Clean is that it is made with cloth diapers in mind. There should be no residue. Now that modern cloth diapers have modern materials like PUL, elastic, velcro, and man made fabrics, it is no longer acceptable to use a wet pail filled with bleach. That worked for flats and prefolds, but will ruin your PUL and elastic. We need modern cloth diaper detergent as well!  Crunchy Clean has even come out with a Hard Water Detergent.  She also has sprinkles for your stinky diaper pail (which are awesome, I was sent some to try as well) and linen spray.  Mmm… lovely!

You can also save 15% on your entire order at CrunchyClean.com with the coupon code DirtyDiaperLaundry. Pretty cool!

To enter first:

I was not paid to perform this review however the samples sent to me were free of charge.

This morning I was woken up by my son (at 6:30, sweet!) and found him laying in his crib with a soaking wet back.  How long was he like this?  I have no clue!  There have been other instances this week where my diapers have repelled.  I stripped them when I came home from Texas and ran tons of hot and cold rinses.  They are still repelling.

Now to my stink issues.  My diapers have a terrible ammonia smell.  When they come out of the dryer they smell clean, but once peed in they have a slight odor.  When they sit in my pail for a few hours they become terrible.  When I open the pail to add more a wall of ammonia hits your nose!   If they get worse it could cause a burn on his skin so I have to take care of this problem now.

Here are my options: Strip again.  Use bac-out for ammonia (which I have used twice but it doesn’t seem to be helping).  Strip yet again…. Use bleach.  I don’t want to use bleach but it will probably kill the ammonia.  I could also try vinegar, another “no no” in the cloth diaper world.  I am at a loss.  I am not giving up…. just frustrated with what is happening.  

This situation makes me want to give up using Bum Genius pockets and only use the Organic AIO Bum Genius or any other organic cotton diaper.  The suedecloth and microfleece liners in pocket diapers tend to repel more.  I also want to start using wool covers at night.  When I was pregnant and planning my “stash” I bought a small wool cover which I intended to use for nights.  I had read how amazing wool is: it is breathable, antibacterial, doesn’t need to be washed but every 2 weeks, and bullet proof for night time diapers.  SOLD.  Alas, I found the pocket love and never even tried my cover before it was too small.  I swear, very soon I am going to buy one wool cover and try it at night.  Who knows, I may fall in love!

For now my washer is going to be running for a whole day while I try to rinse my troubles away.