I love and adore my reusables but..............................................

[TrinityRhino]

my kitchen(where the washer is) seems to faintly smell of wee all the time and so does dd2

What am I doing wrong??
I have tots bots(nippa), fleece liners and wacky wraps.

I am dry pailing them.

I am washing them at 40 degrees

Should I be washing them at 60 degrees?
Is there something(i was thinking tea tree oil) I could add to the wash?
Is there something I could add to the bucket(tea tree again, I 've heard) but still be essentially dry pailing.

I am using non bio tablets for washing and no softener. I don't use softener because it aggravates the littluns excema.

What do you wonderfully experienced lot think??

I've always done mine at 60 degrees and no wee smell so maybe that's worth a try?

I wash mine in bio, but ds doesn't have excema, not sure if that would make a difference.

I have to make sure I clean out the rubber seal after each wash to clear out any remaining water/floaty bits (puke)

And every so often I put them on a 90 degree wash. In fact I think I have only done that once! I sometimes sprinkle lavender oil into the bucket too.

I think you can add vinegar to the final rinse - gets rid of the smell (but doesn't make them smell of vinegar!)

Oh yes I generally wash at 60 too

right so doing them at 60 seems to be the norm then, I'l try that for a start, thanks guys

How much powder are you using?

If you use a lot then it could result in detergent build up in the nappy and that can make them stink.

I would run the next nappy load through on 60 degrees with no powder and see how you go. You could also try adding a capful of white vinegar to the conditioner draw, again this will neutralise the smell.

When you use tablets you only need to use about half a tablet at the most. I switched to liquid or powder because I find it a lot easier and I don't seem to get build up any more.

You can use oils but I never have so can't advise.

HTH

I generally wash at 40 with an occasional splurge at 60. But I always put a generous slug of vinegar and about 4 drops of lavender oil in the conditioner tray. Oh, and I spray the nappy sack with teatree oil before using it (I got a huuuuuge bottle on the internet, and decant it into a spray bottle)

Hi
I dry pail and add tea tree oil to pail and also to a wash. I generally wash on 40 degrees but once a week will do a 60 degree wash on them aswell.

Sorry, cross posted with just about everyone there .

Yeah do them at 60 half of the time. You can also add tea tree to the wash although some people don't like the smell. I do.

Be careful if you're using bio - twice when I washed our nappies in biological powder dd2 got the most appalling nappy rash.

I always wash at 60 degrees, and use non-bio liquid, as it is easier to use half a dose than splitting tablets up. I 'dry' pail with a few drops of lavender oil in a splash of water in the bottom of the bucket. The only time I've ever had a problem with smelly kitchen/nappies was when I tried using white vinegar in the wash - the nappies always smelt acidy, so I stopped quick sharpish!

right vinegar aswell then

and whoops I have been using 2 tablets as it says on the packet

right gonna try vinegar in the rinse bit, 1/2 a tablet, 60 degree wash and tea tree in the bucket. Thanks

try a cold prewash to get rid of the wee.

Do you do a maintenance wash on your machine? If you live in a hard water area, the detergent gets trapped in the drum and needs washing out occasionally, so do a 90 degree wash with nothing in it but white vinegar (a good descaler) maybe once a month, that should make a difference to all your washing.

Try to avoid washes hotter than 60 if possible. Especially with velcro or aplix nappies as it ruins the hooks. It can damage the pile on nappy fabrics too, especially bamboo nappies.

Also, avoid bio if you can because it damages nappy wraps and can make them less waterproof.

Excellent advice from MWS re cleansing your machine. We had just this problem for ages and in the end the machine packed up and we bought a new one - no more smells! Looking back, a good ol' clean of the washer would have done wonders, I'm sure.

Emma

you need to add white wine vinegar to the wash where you would normally use softener and also to the nappy bucket.

also do a prewash and extra rinse.

try wet pailing with tea tree oil?
It is sloppy and messy, but dilutes the wee.
white malt vinegar (a small cup full) in conditioner drawer neutralises the ammonia. (in the wee)

Never try to cleanse the machine with washing up liquid though - discovered it makes many bubbles

Agree with all the others, build up - give them a couple of non-powder washes, and then cut down to half, or even just 1/4 of it.

My routine is quite complicated - I put nappies and liners in on half load setting at 60 and let it run for about 15 mins. Then I switch the machine to drain, open the door and fill up with other items and usually run it at about 50. Use non-bio powder and everything comes out lovley and clean. I do always make sure nappies aren't too yukky and will give the liners a good rinse by hand if they are so think its Ok and very green to mix them with other clothes.

Also a good tip is to use a laundry bag with drawstring to line your nappy bucket so you can just lift the whole thing out and shove it in the machine.

I have a long system, but a whole seperate load each time... I do a rinse cycle to get off anything left from the liners, then a 40-60 cycle (vary) with prewash, added water, and I think "heavy soil", then an extra rinse cycle at the end.

Probably uses a amount of water and electric, but it seems to get them clean and non-smelling.

I agree that a prewash sluices the nappies before the actual wash.

I set the prewash but usually don?t add anything. Sometimes I add a dash of normal non-bio, and when my nappies have smelt a bit funny I have put chemical sanitiser in the prewash (napisan or the like).

Mostly I wash on 40, but do 60 every now and then. And manufacturers don?t recommended the boil wash anyway.

Agree agree agree with what most people have said, reduce the washing powder drastically because it gets stinky when the baby does its first pee on the nappy.
Also the pre-rinse is a great idea.
A lot of machines now are ultra-conservative with water and the wee doesn't all get washed out.
I found reducing the number of nappies washed made quite a difference to the smell.
Also with a larger load I found the pre-rinse then a regular wash helped. Also try adding a couple of pint glasses of water through the soap dispenser drawer before putting the machine on.
Hope you get it sorted out.

Adding a bit of bicarb to the washing machine drawer or sprinkled in the nappy bucket may help to eliminate the wee smell too, as bicarb will re-balance the ph levels.