Stink, Stains, Problems of every kind...

This will be our troubleshooting area. Here are some common complaints, and what to do about them.

Leaky diapers.
Leaks are caused by a couple of different things. If the diaper still absorbs, but leaks poo out of the legs- you have a fit issue. Either fasten the thighs tighter, or buy a smaller size.
If your diaper is leaking pee out of the legs- you have build-up and need to strip. *Hint, many PF folds will leak BF poo onto the cover. Thats normal and not a problem.
If your diaper seems to leak from the front, or "wick", try putting them in the dryer on hot for 5 minutes. This will reactivate the PUL. If that doesnt work, it could be that your diaper is just too old. If it is farely new, contact the manufacturer. Some are guaranteed.

Stink
If your diapers smell fresh out of the wash (before being dried), wash them again on warm or hot. Sometimes you need a little more soap, sometimes you're using too much. You just need to experiment. The amount of soap you need will vary from city to city based on your water.
If your diapers smell of ammonia the second they are peed on- cut out the vinegar from your wash. In my experience, vinegar causes more problems than it fixes. Strip the diapers, and stop using vinegar (Simple Green does much better).
If your diapers smell when they get peed on, just a light foul (non urine, and non ammonia) odor, you need to strip.
If your diaper pail stinks, use a drop or two of Tea Tree Oil on a piece of cloth in your pail or liner.
If your hemp has a very sharp, horrible smell when wet, strip them. Hemp stink is almost painful. In my experience, hemp almost always has a light odor, especially if you are using it at night. However- bad odor is a sign of build-up and not getting thoroughly cleaned. Strip.

Stains
I have never met a stain that lemon juice and sun wont kill.
Its normal for inserts to stain, even if your pockets didn't. Pockets are usually lined with a material thats hard to stain (fleece or suede cloth). Inserts are microfiber or hemp, and will stain. You can bleach your inserts occasionally to get them sparkling white. You can also sun them.
You can also pre-treat the diaper before washing, by putting some of the laundry soap directly on the stain. You can also pre-treat with Simple Green.




***Stripping
Not as fun as it sounds. Stripping just removes any detergent build up, and also any remaining urine or poo smell.
Run a hot wash with two to three squirts of regular Dawn dish soap (you can use whatever you have in the house. I'm told blue Dawn works best, and its about $1.50 for a small bottle). Rinse until you see no bubbles during agitation. Depending on your water, this could be 2 rinses, it could be eight. Just be diligent about checking.
Dry as normal. If your diapers still stink- you didnt do it properly and still have build-up left.

***Sunning
Sunning will remove stains.
Start by wetting your diapers. They dont need to be dripping, just wet. Lay in sun for a couple of hours. Wash.
If that didnt work, wet your diapers. Spray/ squirt a little lemon juice on the stain (only on white). Lay in sun again. Wash.
I'm told you can actually tape a diaper to a big sunny window if you dont have anywhere to lay it.



The best way to solve these problems, is to avoid them. I have found that a couple of squirts of Simple Green in the wash will deter both stains and stink. It also works on stains in clothing.