hf1

Can't get rid of detergent residue

My avatar
kilou
Clothie
Clothie

Can't get rid of detergent residue

Postby kilou » Sun Oct 18, 2020 3:15 pm

Hi,

I'm using cloth nappies (cotton prefolds, fleece liners + PUL covers) for my girl since 2.5 months (she is now 3 months old, exclusively breastfed). I'm very happy with that and have had almost 0 leaks. However I have an issue with my wash routine obviously as I got ammonia smell right after she peed in the diaper. My routine is as follows:

1) I wash every day and use a dry pail
2) I do a 30°C cycle without detergent first (1h) to remove most of the pee/poo
3) I wash at either 40°C or 60°C depending on what other item I need to wash. This is a full cycle with extra rinses (rinse plus button). I uses 1 dose (or then 1/2 dose) of non-bio Soapix powder detergent made for cloth nappies.
4) I hang dry the prefolds

After washing the nappies, I did soak one in a cup of warm water and saw some detergent residue getting out of the fabric. So I guess that means detergent build-up could have caused the ammonia smell due to urine not being properly washed out of the fabric. First time, I "stripped" the nappy using Bambino Mio Mio Fresh powder and then started using half a dose of detergent (I'm using Soapix detergent, see www.soapix.fr, specifically made for cloth diapers and supposed to be "ultra-rinsible"). However even with half the dose the ammonia smell came back after a few days. Then I thought my washing machine had a problem. Granted, it is an old machine from 1998 but I've checked everything and it seems to work perfectly. The drain pump works (drum is always dry at the end of the cycle) and there is enough water for the rinse cycle (I always use rinse plus). I also dismantled all the hoses inside and washed everything thoroughly, even using bleach. Still getting detergent residue :( This weekend, I did strip again the prefold using Mio Fresh, then did a full wash and honestly I made something like 10 extra rinses :shock: : still getting detergent residue!! I can't understand how that's even possible! I also borrowed a friend's washing machine and tried to wash the nappies with my detergent: even after extra rinses, I still get detergent residue! I also tried another detergent (bio this time), used half the dose but still get detergent residue in the rinse water!! I mean cloth nappies work excellent and it is also fun to do. But this detergent residue thing and poor rinse is a real pain that is almost pushing me on starting again with disposable. I mean there is obviously something wrong but I cannot find what's the problem, and doing 20 extra rinses everyday is just not possible and not environmentally friendly at all! I still have to try the dishwasher tablet method to strip the prefolds one more time but stripping is not a fix for my wash routine. So what should I do? It doesn't seem to be a washing machine problem, I can't really further cut the dose as there won't be an powder left. Any advice on how I should proceed to find out what's the issue and how to fix it? Thanks a lot!!

PS: my water is not particulary hard. It is between 7° and 14°F. I have also experienced with using Calgon but still get the same issues. The cloths are also pretty stiff after having been washed.

My avatar
emmavmorgan
Sucker for Cloth Nappies
Sucker for Cloth Nappies

Re: Can't get rid of detergent residue

Postby emmavmorgan » Mon Oct 19, 2020 5:54 am

:wave: morning :wave: try soaking them in a bucket with some cold water and a slug big slug of white vinegar then wash them on cold with no powder keep rinsing (you can put more vinegar in the conditioner bit of the soap draw during rinsing) until you see no more bubbles. I always found that normal persil or Ariel powder worked better than anything else but only using half of what you would use on a normal wash. Saying that I have had a bottom in cloth for nearly 10 years :shock: :giggle: things may have changed :hohoho:
I’m sure the other ladies will be here with some more ideas.

My avatar
autumnalgirl
Cloth Nappy Passionata
Cloth Nappy Passionata

Re: Can't get rid of detergent residue

Postby autumnalgirl » Mon Oct 19, 2020 7:24 pm

Another vote for Ariel here.
My wash routine used to be: rinse, wash at 60, followed by an extra rinse. Minimal powder. Line dried. That worked for all of mine.

My avatar
kilou
Clothie
Clothie

Re: Can't get rid of detergent residue

Postby kilou » Tue Oct 20, 2020 2:21 pm

Thanks @emmavmorgan and @autumnalgirl for your replies and suggestions! It is true I do most of my washed at 40°C and only maybe one load per week at 60°C. I made need to switch using only 60°C for the diapers and wash every other day to have a big enough load. May try to use Ariel powder as well.

I also tried to soak the prefolds in vinegar overnight but the ammonia smeel is still here. Today I've bought some washing soda and I think I'll try the stripping instructions from https://fluffloveuniversity.com/troubleshooting/solving-stinky-diaper-problems/how-to-strip-your-cloth-diapers/ followed by a bleach soak + 2-3 wash with hot water only.


Return to Washing Cloth Nappies