Help me- stinky nappies

Help!

When I wash my nappies (I use Ariel Bio) I do the following:

1. 25 min cold rinse
2. 1hr cold rinse
3. 60C intensive wash with super rinse
4. Rinse, rinse and rinse (I do 30C wash cycles as rinses so I get plenty of water in to get detergent out)

I have tried stripping the nappies with a full dose of Ariel bio powder and millions of full wash cycles with no powder as rinses and they still stink when he wees in them I wash my nappies every other day and when I take them out of the nappy bin and put them in the washing machine the ammonia burns your eyes and nose.

It's really stressing me out as we are going away a couple of times in the next couple of months and I don't want Findlay's nappies making the car stink of ammonia when we are away especially when we go to the Netherlands in May as we'll be away for 4 days with no washing facilities.

Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease help me!!! I have heard things about white vinegar and soda crystals but I don't know what to do with them and I don't want to kill my lovely bamboo fitteds or their elastic.

If anyone solves my problem for me I will be forever grateful to you

Okay, firstly are you sure it's the nappies smelling and not his wee? Sometimes this can be the fault.

If not, you can use white vinegar in the wash, but a lot of people don't recommend it as it can cause problems with nappies> However, I have never had this problem and I use vinegar in my nappy washes maybe once every 3 months.

To do this I use the normal amount of detergent and fill the conditioner part of the drawer with vinegar then put it on for a cold prewash, then a long 60 degree wash then a short 40 degree wash. When the nappies come out, there is no stink left.

Alternatively, you can soak the nappies overnight in a solution of 50% vinegar and 50% water, but make sure nothing with PUL in it goes in as vinegar really doesn't agree with PUL. I've never used this method, so cannot comment on how well it works.

I've also never used soda crystals or bicarbonate of soda.

Okay, firstly are you sure it's the nappies smelling and not his wee?

No, I'm not sure which of the two it is but I am hoping it is the nappies. The smelly nappies only started after his milk was changed after his surgeries and his nappies suddenly went from being fine to being very stinky so I then started washing on 60C at every wash (I was usually washing at 40C before) but it's made no difference. The hospital checked for a urine infection at the end of December when I was concerned about the smell when I changed him but nothing grew in the sample and his dietician then said it was probably down to the protein level in the specialist milk he has although I'm not quite sure why that would make his wee smell

I am just praying it is the nappies and not his wee as at least if its the nappies I should be able to sort them whereas there's nothing I can do if it is his wee and I'll just be doomed to stinky nappies which at home is just very irritating but it's really embarrassing if I'm out as I don't want people thinking that cloth stinks

Is there any way to tell whether it is the wee or the nappies that stink??

I would usually say try strip washing them, but as you've already done that, then I'm not sure. TBH, it was you saying that they stank even after stripping which prompted me to ask.

I've been scouting around the internet for smelly urine and a link to protein, and although I think there may be one, most of what I was reading was too technical for me to understand properly. It's certainly a possibility.

In your position, I would use the vinegar method to strip the nappies again and if this doesn't work I would get him checked out again as it would seem to suggest it was his wee instead.

I was getting massive prbs with Archies nappies stinking and in the end the only thing that killed the stench was some fabric conditioner (can't remember who recommended it to me now)

The nappies smelt lovely after that (I had stripped them too) and the absorbancy wasn't affected at all.

don't forget that using wool make the ammonia smell worse...

Oh I didn't know that about wool Steph, is it due to the evaporation? I have got a brand new nappy arriving in the next few days so will see if that stinks after he's worn it as if it does then it confirms it is his wee and not the nappy. Really hoping it's the nappies and that he doesn't have toxic wee.

I find teething makes the wee smell worse.

I think the way to tell if it's the nappies or the wee is to smell the nappies after you've washed them. If it's the nappies they'll still pong.

Oh no!!!! I have just sniffed the lot of nappies that are drying at the moment and they smell of absolutely nothing at all which means he must have toxic wee from his milk