Whenever I ask cloth diapering parents what their biggest struggle is, the answer is generally a nighttime diaper solution or a good wash routine. When I started using cloth diapers, I went into it really naive and just assumed it would be easy. Eventually, my diapers began to stink. That led me to start researching to figure out how to get rid of the smell as soon as one of the kids would pee in them. If you are running into that problem, the first question you should ask yourself is what is your water type. That answer will steer you in the right direction to fixing the problem. To determine your water type, you can contact your local water supply company and ask, or, spend a couple of dollars and buy a test strip.
The results will be one of these:
- 0-60 mg /L………Soft water
- 61-120 mg /L…..Moderately hard water
- 121-180 mg /L….Hard Water
- 181+……………..Extremely hard water
If you have hard water, you could have fresh smelling diapers without too much trouble. Here are some things you can do, but first, I suggest an overnight soak in detergent and then rinsing until all of the soap is out. That will give you a fresh start with your diapers and you will know if your tweaks are fixing the problem or not.
Try adding a water softener like Calgon or RLR. This is relatively cheap, but because you have to add it to every load, over time, that cost will add up.
Put a water softener in your house. We have looked into this. It’s kind of spendy, but would save you money on soaps throughout the house.
Use a detergent designed to work with hard water. This is going to be the most cost effective way to fix the problem. You will be using detergent anyways, so there are no added costs. We use Molly’s Suds Cloth Diaper Laundry Powder.
How effective your wash routine will be depends on five factors:
Water
Action
Time
Chemicals
Heat
If you have stinky diapers, adjusting one or more of the factors will have you unplugging your nose in no time.
What are your tips for washing cloth diapers in hard water?
Fortunately, my cloth journey has been pretty struggle free this far. I guess my impatience with having to prep new diapers when I receive fluffy mail is the biggest hurdle, lol. I just recently started using Molly’s Suds though, and I love it!
worst problem has been shredded diapers. they come out of the wash looking like they’ve been through a mill or an industrial fan accident.
Oh my!
I have not tried Molly’s Suds, but would love to! My biggest struggle with cloth diapers was remembering to put them in the wash before the stash gets to low. 🙂
I haven’t had any trouble with washing diapers other than my hemp inserts take forever to dry. I have not tried Molly’s Suds.
worst problem is getting the stains out and I have not tried Molly’s suds
I have not used Molly’s Suds before. I would like to win so I can try them out! THANKS! =)
[…] to win a Molly’s Suds package from Our Piece of […]
[…] Molly’s Suds Detergent & Dryer Balls from Our Piece of Earth (ends 1/24) GT […]
The biggest challenge I have is using enough detergent to really get my diapers clean without having to run them through 4 extra rinses.
My biggest problem is the length of my wash routine. I can get all my soap rinsed out and the diapers are clean, but it just takes too long with my washer.
I have not had one because I have not cloth diapered yet, I am hoping to win some giveaways and try out products (our baby is coming the end of February!). I would love to win this to save me from those experiences!
My biggest laundry struggle is figuring out the right detergent for my HE washing machine. I have never tried molly suds
I have struggled to find the RIGHT detergent! I hope this one is it!
Stinkies were my biggest problem. I’ve never tried Molly Suds.
No struggles yet since I haven’t started cloth diapering yet. My first is due in May.
in the beginning my biggest issue was my wash routine. I found out in the end I just wasn’t using enough detergent!!
Washing/ stink and stains. I have not tried molly’s suds but would love to
Getting the pee smell out and keeping my inserts white have been my largest problem with washing cloth diapers.
My biggest struggle is finding the time (I like to hang the diapers up outside to dry) and no, I haven’t tried Molly’s Suds yet but I’d love to!
I hate having stains on the diapers in winter when I’m not able to sun them (but I’m too lazy to do anything about it!), I would love to try Molly’s suds.
We have hard water, so smells tend to linger slightly. :/
Getting out stains!!
Knowing if my diapers are truly *clean* is my biggest struggle. I have no tried Molly’s Suds but would love to!
i have been cloth diapering for 3 years now and i haven’t had any struggles yet besides, if i leave the diapers too long, then they smell. but whats the struggle? just wash. ha. i love cloth diapering. zero issues. i have not tried mollys suds yet. but i do use WAHM detergents because i love to support wahm’s.
My biggest challenge is dealing with night time messes!
I’ve never had any issues and never used Molly’s suds. My sister, on the other hand, has to strip her diapers weekly! The ammonia stink is almost unbearable.
[…] *Molly’s Suds Detergent & Dryer Balls from Our Piece of Earth (ends 1/24) GT […]
We have hard water in our well and finding the right wash routine has been the most difficult in our first month using cloth. We’ve even battled some ammonia. But switching detergents and doing extra hot washes has seemed to help. We’ve not tried Molly Suds but would love to try it if it works with hard water!
Laura B recently posted…Buttons Diapers Wet Bag Giveaway ~ Ends 2/7
I hadd ammonia issues with my older toddler. No, I have not tried Molly’s suds, but would love too!
I’m just starting to build my stash, so I haven’t actually laundered anything!
I’ve not tried Molly’s Suds. My biggest problem has been ammonia buildup