I might have to transition back to disposables from cloth.

[KechoDrips]

Washing day makes the laundry room (connected to the kitchen) smell too much for my pregnant wife. Her sense of smell is normally much better than mine but during pregnancy, it goes to whole new levels of sensitivity. I don't think cloth will work out long-term which sucks because I would've loved the cost savings. I will pay the extra though to keep the wife happy. It would be different if we had a basement or somewhere else for the washing machine to be.

 

[slimjiminy]

Yes, “happy wife, happy life” especially during pregnancy!

When I tried night time cloth diapers, my wife was worried about the washing machine. Then she worried about any lingering smell it might leave. Then there was the spin cycle where I often needed to balance the load. Drying was also long and I wasn't going to hang them outside. My wife finally pushed for me to use disposables. I've used TENA (NA) Supers ever since.

 

[AlwaysPissed]

Washing day makes the laundry room (connected to the kitchen) smell too much for my pregnant wife. Her sense of smell is normally much better than mine but during pregnancy, it goes to whole new levels of sensitivity. I don't think cloth will work out long-term which sucks because I would've loved the cost savings. I will pay the extra though to keep the wife happy. It would be different if we had a basement or somewhere else for the washing machine to be.

I don't know where you live, but if you are near a major city, you will have the option of a diaper service. Could that work for your wife and keep the costs down? Once you have a newborn in the house, that diaper scent will be coming from multiple sources. Using that service for both of you might be an option...

 

[EcoIncon]

Washing day makes the laundry room (connected to the kitchen) smell too much for my pregnant wife. Her sense of smell is normally much better than mine but during pregnancy, it goes to whole new levels of sensitivity. I don't think cloth will work out long-term which sucks because I would've loved the cost savings. I will pay the extra though to keep the wife happy. It would be different if we had a basement or somewhere else for the washing machine to be.

Could you just wash a load every day? Or consider doing a quick rinse and spin at night and then wash every other day? I do and it almost completely eliminates the smell. Sure it puts a dent in the savings with cloth but not by much.

 

[foxkits]

This in the laundry room will cure the problem it fixed our bathroom smells. It runs on two double AAs
Batteries. You can set the time time it sprays.

 

[greatlake5]

I don't wear cloth diapers everyday. I only use cloth (Ecoable pocket diaper) when I'm doing something athletic (tennis, golf and softball). My cleaning lady washes them and to be honest they don't smell terrible. Why? I use chlorophyll (internal deodorants). I suggest trying them for you. Not only that I wet, I'm also have F-IC. The odor might not smell like a bouquet of roses but certainly they don't stink like...poop.

 

[Edgewater]

Washing a weeks worth of diapers on a single day would clearly have a smell to it.
I wash daily and either dry outside on a clothesline or in the dryer.

 

[KechoDrips]

Could you just wash a load every day? Or consider doing a quick rinse and spin at night and then wash every other day? I do and it almost completely eliminates the smell. Sure it puts a dent in the savings with cloth but not by much.

It really sucks that we have to pay for our water or I would. I was trying to keep the costs down and rinsing or washing daily would be a lot. It would be different if it was more than one night diaper and the load were a bit bigger.

 

[KechoDrips]

I don't know where you live, but if you are near a major city, you will have the option of a diaper service. Could that work for your wife and keep the costs down? Once you have a newborn in the house, that diaper scent will be coming from multiple sources. Using that service for both of you might be an option...

We already have a 2 year old, but he is in disposables and they do a great job of containing smell. Poopy diapers are another thing but diaper genies are really good.

No diaper service, we are not in a city.

 

[KechoDrips]

This in the laundry room will cure the problem it fixed our bathroom smells. It runs on two double AAs
Batteries. You can set the time time it sprays.

We thought about it but it doesn't remove the smell, just tries to cover it up. We have used air wicks and other items before for cat litter and trust me, my wife can smell through it all. She has the nose of a hound dog.

 

[KechoDrips]

Washing a weeks worth of diapers on a single day would clearly have a smell to it.
I wash daily and either dry outside on a clothesline or in the dryer.

I was only doing 3 days, so the longest that a diaper would sit in the pail was 2 days and 2 nights and then when I woke up on the third morning, I would bung everything into the washer. You can smell it a bit on day 2 but there is a large spike in smell when I go to wash it. Even though the washing machine is doing its job of removing the smell from the diapers themselves, it is unleashing a lot of the smell into the air while it is doing it. Washing everyday might help with this but with having to pay for water, it would significantly curb the savings while increasing the hassle.

Maybe my washing machine is just really old? It is a top loader so there is no seal around the lid and I imagine a side loading washing machine would not smell.

I am also using a simple trash can for storage, and inside the trash can, I am storing the cloth diaper in a wet/dry storage bag made for storing cloth diapers. I am also using "Munchkin Nursery Freshners" in the diaper pail to try and reduce smell. I am going to try and fit a seal to the lid to see if I can reduce the chance of any smell getting out. I may also try to get some really cheap trash bags to put the diapers in rather than using the wet/dry bag as that bag doesn't prevent smell or liquids very well.

 

[KechoDrips]

I don't wear cloth diapers everyday. I only use cloth (Ecoable pocket diaper) when I'm doing something athletic (tennis, golf and softball). My cleaning lady washes them and to be honest they don't smell terrible. Why? I use chlorophyll (internal deodorants). I suggest trying them for you. Not only that I wet, I'm also have F-IC. The odor might not smell like a bouquet of roses but certainly they don't stink like...poop.

I have tried taking chlorophyll recently and haven't seen a huge difference. What brand do you use and how many mg/day do you take?

 

[Edgewater]

I was only doing 3 days, so the longest that a diaper would sit in the pail was 2 days and 2 nights and then when I woke up on the third morning, I would bung everything into the washer. You can smell it a bit on day 2 but there is a large spike in smell when I go to wash it. Even though the washing machine is doing its job of removing the smell from the diapers themselves, it is unleashing a lot of the smell into the air while it is doing it. Washing everyday might help with this but with having to pay for water, it would significantly curb the savings while increasing the hassle.

Maybe my washing machine is just really old? It is a top loader so there is no seal around the lid and I imagine a side loading washing machine would not smell.

I am also using a simple trash can for storage, and inside the trash can, I am storing the cloth diaper in a wet/dry storage bag made for storing cloth diapers. I am also using "Munchkin Nursery Freshners" in the diaper pail to try and reduce smell. I am going to try and fit a seal to the lid to see if I can reduce the chance of any smell getting out. I may also try to get some really cheap trash bags to put the diapers in rather than using the wet/dry bag as that bag doesn't prevent smell or liquids very well.

Side load washers have they own disadvantages and developing a smell from mold development is one of them. I have enough diapers everyday for a medium size wash and maybe our costs for water is much less than yours. So with the acceptance of the small costs in utilities, supplies and time, I do not see the additional cost as vast.

You maybe getting tied of washing diapers and that is understandable.

 

[daylight]

@KechoDrips , Switching to disposables until after your child is born might provide some immediate relief for the smell.

If you wish to continue using cloth diapers, I found a wet bucket with water and vinegar (vs dry bag) helps in both between washes and the initial quick wash (pre-wash) cycle. Second, you can save water by rinsing the wet diapers while you take a shower. I leave them on the shower's floor whilst washing.

 

[daylight]

Side load washers have they own disadvantages

Washers these decades require periodic cleaning. Using tablets or vinegar helps a lot with the smell. Another helpful trick is to leave the washer's door ajar to let it air out.

I feel this stems from the HE (low-water) use and how hard your water is. Washers these days use a load sensing methods to save on water and I've found that washing on the bulk or towel setting makes a big difference. Also, the additional weight of wet diapers trips the sensor to think the load is bigger than it is.