{"id":3519,"date":"2019-06-22T17:41:20","date_gmt":"2019-06-22T16:41:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/?p=3519"},"modified":"2026-03-26T11:41:45","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T11:41:45","slug":"smelly-washable-nappies-troubleshooter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/2019\/06\/22\/smelly-washable-nappies-troubleshooter\/","title":{"rendered":"Smelly Washable Nappies &#8211; Troubleshooter"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"et_pb_section_0 et_pb_section et_section_regular et_block_section\"><div class=\"et_pb_row_0 et_pb_row et_block_row\"><div class=\"et_pb_column_0 et_pb_column et_pb_column_4_4 et-last-child et_block_column et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough\"><div class=\"et_pb_text_0 et_pb_text et_pb_bg_layout_light et_pb_module et_block_module\"><div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><p><strong>Nappies a bit whiffy after a wash?<\/strong> Or smelling strongly when they\u2019re wet?<\/p>\n<p>You can get your nice nappies back again by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.babaandboo.com\/pages\/how-to-strip-wash-your-reusable-nappies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">giving them a deep clean <\/a>(sometimes called a strip wash). They won\u2019t smell anything like as horrible as the one-use disposable nappies that sit in bins for up to a week complete with poo though!\u00a0 Occasionally we hear of people trying a deep clean and the nappies still coming out smelly. If this happens, clean your machine - run it on empty with no detergent on 90 degrees and watch the bubbles appear from the depths of your machine!<\/p>\n<p>Once your nappies are as clean as a whistle, use this checklist to stop the stinks sneaking back up on you.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>How often do you wash<\/strong>? Try not to leave your nappies for more than three days between washes - leaving them for longer can cause stinks to build up.\u00a0 You should tip or spray the poo down the toilet first.<\/li>\n<li><strong>How much powder do you use<\/strong>?\u00a0 There\u2019s an unfortunate myth about using small doses of washing powder for dirty nappies. Use a full dose that\u2019s appropriate to the size of your load.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Check your wash cycle. <\/strong>Nappies love a long, watery wash. Eco washes and short cycles are out; long cotton washes and \u2018aqua plus\u2019 (extra water) settings are your friends.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Increase the temperature of your was<\/strong>h. If you\u2019re washing at 40, try washing at 60 \u2013 even if just once.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Try a different detergent or use an Eco Egg<\/strong>. Some people don\u2019t get great results with liquids, so if you\u2019re using a laundry liquid it is worth trying a powder and vice versa. Some parents struggle to get nappies clean with an eco egg, so if this case it is also worth trying a powder. Using bio or non-bio is personal preference (some nappy manufacturers do not recommend using bio, so please check their guidelines if you have a mixed \u2018stash\u2019).<\/li>\n<li><strong>A bit of a build-up?<\/strong> \u2018Build-up\u2019 of detergent isn\u2019t as common as many people think, but it can occasionally be linked to stinks and smells. Check your washing machine at the end of the rinse cycle. If there are still bubbles then give your machine a clean (see above). If, on the next wash, there are still bubbles at the end of the rinse cycle then gradually reduce the amount of powder you use until there are no bubbles at the end of the rinse cycle. You could do an extra rinse at the end of the wash - but getting the right amount of powder equals less water usage and less hassle.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Your barrier cream has caused a barrier. <\/strong>Build-up can also be caused by barrier creams - if you use a nappy cream then always use a liner, and ideally use a \u2018cloth friendly\u2019 cream.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"et_pb_text_1 et_pb_text et_pb_bg_layout_light et_pb_module et_block_module\"><div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><p>Adapted by Cheryl Hadland, from Jane Shaw at\u00a0babaandboo.com February 07, 2019<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3522,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[78,83,87,85,88],"class_list":["post-3519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-gallery","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-real-nappy-advice","tag-real-nappy-training","tag-reusable-nappies","tag-sustainable-nappies","tag-washing-real-nappies","post_format-post-format-gallery"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3519"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3519\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13741,"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3519\/revisions\/13741"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}