Stinky cloth diapers may cause you to second-guess the true benefits of reusable diapers. A urine or ammonia smell in cloth diapers often stems from your washing method. In addition to the unpleasant odor, a urine residue in the diapers can cause your baby to develop diaper rash. Fortunately, a thorough stripping of the diapers removes the residue and your regular washing habits will help prevent any additional build-up of urine, resulting in fresh-smelling diapers with every load.
Step 1
Avoid detergents with extra additives, such as fabric softeners, brighteners and stain repellents. These additives often stay in the cloth diapers, resulting in a residue that can contribute to the urine or ammonia smell.
Step 2
Wash cloth diapers every other day. Wait no longer than three days to wash them to make it easier to remove all urine from the cloth.
Step 3
Wash the diapers in hot water without any detergent to strip out the detergent and urine residue once you notice an odor problem. Also increase the water level to give the diapers plenty of hot water to wash in.
Step 4
Smell the diapers after the hot water cycle. Repeat the hot water washing as many times as necessary to remove the urine smell.
Step 5
Wash the diapers a final time, adding a small amount of detergent. Add 1/2 cup white vinegar during the last rinse cycle for additional odor-fighting effects. Another option is to add 2 drops of tea tree oil to the water during washing to help with odors.
Step 6
Reduce the amount of detergent you add to cloth diaper loads once you get the urine smell out of them. Avoid using too much detergent to keep the urine smell away.
Step 7
Run the diapers through an extra rinse cycle to remove all traces of urine and detergent. If you still notice suds in the water, do another rinse.
Tips and Warnings
- Limit your regular loads to two dozen diapers at a time. Avoid crowding the diapers as they are less likely to get clean.
Things You'll Need
- Detergent
- White vinegar
- Tea tree oil
