Help! Smelly pocket nappies! What to do?

My pocket nappies smell even after they've been washed.

I usually wash the inserts (after a cold rinse) at 60 degrees - I used to wash them at 40 degrees but noticed they were getting a bit whiffy.

I rinse the pocket nappies too and then wash them at 40 degrees. But most of the time when I get them out of the washing machine they're still a bit smelly.

My question is can I wash them at 60 degrees all the time or is that likely to damage the outer fabrics? I have minkee, cuddlesoft, plain PUL, patterned PUL, velboa and fleece outers.

I'm sure I shouldn't be washing them regularly at 60 degrees but everytime I wash them at 40 they still smell.

I use bio liquid and a bit of vinegar instead of conditioner.

Every month or so I run a hot wash with the washing machine empty.

Any ideas what I can do to solve this problem?




Helen xx

Up till now I have washed everything at 60 all toghther, am just now switching to 40!

We still wash all our nappies at 60 degrees and it's not harmed any of them and we've never had any issues with smelly nappies.

We need to ensure a full rinse as the only place Bella seems to have sensitive skin is on her her bum and lady parts.

Rinse at 30 before you wash and then wash at 60 - the cold rinse (or cold prewash) is VERY important for avoiding smells...

will post more tomorrow off to bed now

We still wash all our nappies at 60 degrees and it's not harmed any of them and we've never had any issues with smelly nappies.

We need to ensure a full rinse as the only place Bella seems to have sensitive skin is on her her bum and lady parts.

same here, i do a full cold wash, then a full 60deg wash with 1 daz tablet and then a couple of rinse/spins and have always done so.

We always washed at 40 after Kayleigh turned 6 months old. We found that putting a bit of bicarb soda in the nappy bucket after each nappy was added stopped the ammonia from burning our eyes when we went to transfer them from the bucket to the wash. It also seemed to help the smell after the wash. My sister adds a little tea tree to the fabric conditioning tray, and that also seems to freshen nappies up a lot.

I wash all my nappies (including pockets) at 60c and haven't found any problems.

I do a 30c rinse without washing powder, followed by a 60c wash with one tablet of bio powder. That's usually sufficient to stop smells. If the nappies ever do come out honky, I'll do a maintenance wash of the machine (lots of soda crystals) and strip the nappies. To strip I do the 30c wash as normal, but then wash at 60c with a full load of detergent and then rinse and rinse until there are no bubbles left. That normally sorts it out.

Up till now I have washed everything at 60 all toghther, am just now switching to 40!

Have the outers been OK?

We still wash all our nappies at 60 degrees and it's not harmed any of them and we've never had any issues with smelly nappies.

We need to ensure a full rinse as the only place Bella seems to have sensitive skin is on her her bum and lady parts.

Perhaps I'll try at 60 for a while and see how they go.