Ammonia smell?

Do you have a horrific smell in the bedroom in the mornings as your baby wakes up? Is there anything that can be done if the nappies start smelling of ammonia? Read on…

Ammonia Smell on Nappies

I started having this problem recently and started researching about it if anything could be done and this is what I found:

If the nappies start smelling of ammonia there are several factors to consider:

You may be using too much detergent. Cloth nappies are made to absorb and they do a great job! But they will also absorb the detergent from the washing process. If you are using too much detergent, it is possible that it is not all being rinsed out during the washing process as modern washing machines might sometimes use too little water to be energy efficient!
On the flip side, if you are not using enough detergent this could result in extra stinky nappies since you may not be getting your nappies clean enough.

You may need to start using white vinegar. Vinegar brings pH levels down, killing more germs and balancing the pH back to a more neutral level. However, vinegar works best with hard water; if you have soft water the vinegar may react with minerals in the water and cause an acrid odor in your nappies – especially noticeable every time your child urinates in them!

You could also try using a different detergent (I found that Ecover washing powder made my nappies smell! Now I use ‘Simply Pure Eco Smart’ washing tabs and the nappies don’t smell as bad.

How do you know which of the above is the culprit?
Here are a few tests to try:

First, to test if detergent build-up is the cause of your stinky nappies, wash as you normally would at 40 or 60 degrees. Then run a short wash cycle with no detergent. Open the lid (or look through the glass if you have a front loading machine) and see if there are suds forming. If so, you do have a detergent build up that needs to be rinsed away. You will need to  STRIP your nappies.

How to strip nappies?

If no suds form, then you may need to use more detergent, pre-rinse your nappies before washing.  Adding vinegar, if you have hard water, is another way to get your diapers cleaner.

If no suds form and you are using vinegar this could be the cause. Vinegar works best with hard water; if you have soft water the vinegar may react with minerals in the water and cause an acrid odor in your nappies – especially noticeable every time your child urinates in them! Even hard water may have trace minerals.

To strip your nappies just wash your nappies as you always do, either in 40 or 60 degrees. Then ’boil’ wash in hot water (90 degrees) with NO detergent. You may need to do this 2-3 times, drying in between cycles.