Help! My nappies stink of eye watering, nostril burning amonia!!

[hippopowell]

This problem has got progressively worse. At first the wool wraps that I use at night now look like they are burnt. They have changed colour from a cream to light brown & very dark brown, with no change to how I care for them.No change in performance so I didn't think that much of it, just odd. Then I noticed suds in the first cold rinse I did when washing so thought detergent build up. So have been changing powders. Now the amonia smell hits you when you walk in dd room without going near her, let alone take her out of her sleepingbag. It has, I think, effectively burnt her skin, & given her the most horrid nappy rash that only a trip to the doctors & antibacterial cream would solve.My washing routine now is
cold rinse
wash at 60 in half amount of powder
wash again at 60 with washing soda & rinse with vinegar
another rinse
This routine can't go on for obvious reasons. It has cut down the smell but not got rid completly. The final straw this morning was some more blister patches on DD bits, which looks like the start of the nappy rash/burn again.
Sorry so long, but I really need help
thanks

Rather than changing powders wash them, dry them then put them through a fairly hot cycle with no powder or soda at all just a glug of white vinegar in the conditioning drawer. I do this with DS's when his get a bit strong, I also try to increase his fluid intake and change more frequently durring the day as sometimes it is because he hasn't drank enough iyswim.

what does the white vinegar mummyhill as I have the same problem?

Soapnuts

No powder, so no residue or ammonia

The white vinegar helps to strip them I think, and also neutralise? I could be talking cr*p though. It softens them I know that!!

Deffo strips not sure about neutralising, jjust know it works well for us!!

My rudimentary science would suggest the acid in vinegar would neutralise the alkali in ammonia.

I had this problem a lot, where the night nappies burnt dd so badly her skin peeled. I found that my washing machine was washing everything in cold water, because the heating element was knackered and the rinse cycle wasn't working properly either. After spending a small fortune on a new machine things have been much better and dd hasnt had any burns. I gave the nappies that could stand it a 90 wash and several rinses and the others went on a 4 washes without soap to clear the soap and bacteria. I was shocked to see how much soap build up was in the nappies. It could be your machine, maybe you need to change the cycle that you use or do a couple of extra rinses rather than doing an extra full wash which takes ages? Its probably worth stripping the nappies completely on the hottest wash that they can stand (my bamboozles stood up to a 90 and fuzzis a 60) and then giving a few good rinses.

I have changed to liquid rather than powder, (use only a 1/4 of the amount they recommend) as it seems to rinse out better. I also do a cold rinse with the vinegar at the start of the wash. We have had no problems since.

To clear up the sore bum I used a silk liner soaked in camomile and honey tea overnight, it was amazing and cleared up most of the burnt skin in just one night.

Good luck, I hope the sore bottom is better soonx

I can recomend kamilosan for nappy rash/urine burns.

Thanks so much for all the help. I will try & strip them in vinegar on a hot wash. I have bamboozles so have been reluctant to go hotter than 60, but if needs must & all. How much vinegar should I use to strip really well? I will try & get some soapnuts as well, they sound great.