Incontinence pants stink...what am I doing wrong?

[StinkyP]

So I have mild-moderate leakage, controllable with 'normal' incontinence pads. I get fed up of using pads so have bought some modi bodi incontinence pants which I loved at first...so nice to just pull on some pants and not need to worry about pads etc. However I have had them a few months and now they smell within a couple of hours of me putting them on. If I wear them for a full day I am pretty rank by the end and I am seriously concerned that people will be noticing. I realise urine smells, but the pants odour is even ranker than that. So what is going on? Am I meant to change them multiple times a day? Disinfect them between use? Or were my expectations just too high? Im pretty disappointed. 😞

I'd soak in napisan

How do you wash them? Temperature, what detergent, do you presoak, etc.

The smell is caused by bacteria then I assume you aren’t killing it off in between wears. SO Clean your washing machine then, 15 min wash them with a capful of dettol then again with your normal washing powder and dry them till they are really dry.

You need to wash them on 40 degrees, even though it says to cold wash them

Apart from the practical side, which is pretty as above - sanitise in a bucket and then wash on a hot wash/consider going back to disposable products, as there is no way that the 'reduce to 20 Celsius' recommendations were made with incontinence in mind - have you been seen by a specialist clinic recently? It's possible that there could be treatments for this, especially if it may have worsened to the point at which it can't be managed through clothing choice alone.

I do wonder sometimes if the normalising of incontinence products is actually doing people a disservice - would somebody experiencing it now automatically think beyond 'it's just one of those things, isn't it - the adverts show that it's a really common thing', rather than 'I'll make an appointment with the GP and ask for referral'?

I'd put washing soda crystals in the wash if it won't degrade them

I think you will be having the same issue that is often experienced with reusable nappies; over time you get a build up of detergent and ammonia in the fabric that does the soaking up and that will smell if it gets even slightly damp (and smells terrible).

For nappies I would triple wash them:
Once at 60° no detergent
Twice at 40° no detergent
That should clear it.

Also use less detergent or an extra rinse cycle from now on. Also never use the "quick wash " function for them as it doesn't get the detergent out properly

they (and reusable period wear) need a cold rinse first before washing.
then wash as normal with whatever you need to wash with bio powder.

liquid detergent or non bio just doesn't cut it.

@NeverDropYourMooncup I have sought help. I had a transvaginal sling op 12 years ago which was great....but as I've hit menopause the problem has returned, albeit not as bad as it was. Pretty depressing really given Im mid 50s and assume it will only get worse.
Thanks for all the other thoughts...funnily enough I did have the same problem with reusable nappies when my DCs were little, never resolved it in fact, so maybe we're just a smelly family 😳

Don't be using fabric Conditioner, since I've stopped using it on dhs work clothes and the house towels they no longer get that musty smell.

I would treat them like cloth nappies - strip wash them outside on the line in heavy rain for a few days to shift the build up.

I read about this just yesterday by chance, and the answer was to wash them in white vinegar.

I would try a long, hot wash with plenty of bio powder (like 60°C). I also wonder how long you leave them before washing- if it’s more than a couple of days sat in the basket it might be worth giving them a quick wash after a couple of days before doing a good long 40°C wash with bio powder for their main wash. I find the instructions on these things are invariably fairly terrible and frequently not satisfactory for the jobs they say the underwear is suitable for.

I had this issue with some of their period pants OP. I spray them with laundry stain remover every 4-5 washes which totally removes the smell.

I have had this problem. There is stuff on their website on deep cleaning. It says rub liquid detergent into the pants, rinse them and then put on a cold wash with white vinegar or eucalyptus oil.

If you hang them right way out they won’t dry properly because they are made to hold the water in.