will soaking nappies in plain water shorten the life span?

[vnmum]

i have posted on here before about stale smelling nappies and i tried everyones suggestions and low and behold after a few uses ive got a stale urine smell again so im thinking of soaking in just plain water as ive heard that sanitisers ruin elastic, but will saoking in just water damage the nappies in the longterm? i am wanting to use them for a 2nd DC.

maybe my DS just does smelly wee or something, i dont know. the only thing i did differently this time was that i left it an extra day between washes and they seem to be smelling since then. even my fleece wraps that were in the bucket stink. i do a rinse first then wash with ariel non bio liquid tab at 40 then do a super rinse with white vinegar. i live in germany so dont have access to all the products you have in the uk. even if i wanted sanitiser id have to order it online as i havent found any over here, even in the shops that sell cloth nappies

Try washing at 90 with no powder if they're allredy cleana nd all you want is to get rid of the smell

Do you rinse them when you take them off him? I rinse mine once a day (in the evening when I've got no little helpers ). This makes a big difference to powder build up and the general nappy bucket smell. I then dry pail between the rinse and washing. I wouldn't wash them with tablets (do you put them in at the start of the wash?) - I find powder or liquid in the drawer best, then they're not in the drum during the pre-rinse.

Can't remember your original thread so sorry if repeating advice here.... maybe the washing tablets are too heavily dosed for your nappy wash? You only need a small amount of washing powder to wash nappies in otherwise they become overloaded with detergent which can make them smell of wee. I would try washing at 60 instead of 40 with a small amount of powder in the drawer (90 is a bit high for most nappies I would think) and forget about soaking all together.

People often suggest a one off wash in bio powder (with extra rinse) in these situations too

Didn't see the original thread either, so probably repeating....

I soak in water with teatree or lavender essential oil, I change the water daily and wash every 2 days on a 60 (I suppose that depends on the type of nappies/wraps you use)with non bio liquid.

I always try to dry on line as sun is a natural bleach.

The water (and nappies) will smell gross if you do not change it! Have tried drypailing, just not for me.

thanks everyone,
i soaked in water yesterday and washed the nappies this morning at 60 with an extra rinse before and after. the smell seems to have gone this time so dont know if thats the soaking or the 60 wash.

i use bamboo nappies so cant wash at 90.

i use the liqui tabs as that is all i could get at the time, the shop didnt have any liquid in a bottle and i switched to liquid instead of powder as i figured it would rinse out easier to avoid the powder build up incase that was causing the smell.

i have to say that i didnt find the soaking any more of a hassle than dry pailing but i have the facilities to do this at the moment (washer in cellar with drains in floor for pouring water away)but if i move then i may not find it as easy.

would dry pailing and wash at 60 all the time do for the smell aswell as im happy to wash at 60 instead of 40 but would have to check what temp my wraps can be washed at

Glad you got them sorted.

I always wash my nappies at 60 and dry pail - we don't have any problems with smells.

I think most wraps can be washed at 60 but it may shorten their lifespan - I normally throw mine in with the other laundry and wash at 40 rather than putting them in with the nappies (unless they are really pooey that is)

No saoking in water won't shorten the life, well no more than not soaking and then leaving for a long period of time, because in theory the ammonia will eat away at the nappy, soooooo as long as you don't leave for any longer than 24 hours without changing the water they should be fine.

Glad to see you have got the problem sorted out. I have always washed my nappies as 60c and have never had a smell problem.