What should one do if cloth nappies smell bad?

Unfortunately, we all encounter this at some point during the cloth diaper journey. Cloth diapers don't smell good. You notice the odor during diaper changes or when you open the bag where the dirty diapers are stored. You might think it's hopeless, but no, it's not! It can definitely be salvaged.

Review these steps if your cloth nappies have started to smell bad:

• Storage
• Deep clean
• The washing routine

Storage

Start by reviewing the storage. Diapers should be stored in a well-ventilated and dry space. Rinsing the diapers (especially the inserts) after use and letting them air-dry before washing is a good idea. You don't necessarily need to rinse them; just let them air-dry. Many people use a drying rack from IKEA.Here at Green Poppy, we hang the inserts over the edge of the laundry basket.

Deep clean

Do a deep cleaning. I recommend this guide from Blöjupproret on deep cleaning cloth diapers. In short, it involves soaking all inserts and diapers for an extended period in water mixed with, for example, Vanish. PUL is colorfast and won't lose color. What can bleach are other colored items, such as prefold diapers or the seams on inserts if they are a different color than white. You mix 2 tablespoons of Vanish powder with 4 liters of warm water (at least 40 degrees Celsius) and let the inserts and diapers soak for 4 hours. Then rinse with a rinse cycle in the washing machine. When you remove the diapers from the water with Vanish, check if the water is dirty? Is the water murky, dark? Repeat this procedure until the water is clean.

Do the diapers smell like ammonia? If so, it's recommended to clean the diapers with bleach to kill the ammonia. If the diapers smell like ammonia (strong and caustic), you should NOT use them before they are cleaned, as this can cause burns on the baby's skin. This information is also available on Blöjupproret. Soak all inserts and diapers in a bath of water and bleach. Use 45 ml of bleach for every 4 liters of water. Cover the diapers with this solution for about 30 minutes and then wash them at 60 degrees with extra rinses until the smell of bleach is no longer present.

Smelly wool

Regarding wool that has started to smell bad, you can boil the wool. You can also boil all inserts and diapers. When boiling wool, it's important not to stir it, as it can shrink! Instead, let it boil in a large pot undisturbed, then drain the water and gently squeeze out the excess water; it's important not to wring the wool garment.

If you want to both deep clean and wash with bleach, we recommend doing the deep cleaning first, then washing with bleach.

Review washing routine

Sometimes you need to review your washing routine. It's important not to overdose the amount of detergent you use, but rather to use a little less than for other laundry. The inserts are thick and absorbent and can soak up a lot of detergent. This means they won't get completely clean and can therefore start to smell when contaminated with urine. 

Sometimes you may need to add an extra pre-wash and/or rinse to your laundry routine. Read more here About how best to wash cloth nappies!

YouTube channel

Still unsure about how cloth nappies work? Feel free to take a look at our YouTube series where we go into depth about how cloth nappies work! You can also find short tips and clips on our Social media.