With repeated use and the wrong detergents or diaper creams, cloth diapers can occasionally develop a buildup that when combined with urine creates a strong ammonia odor when your child has a wet diaper. This is very unpleasant and can sometimes even cause irritation. This article highlights how this issue can be remedied fairly simply with a few hours and the right combination of washing ingredients and water temperature.

Buildup on cloth diapers can occur because of a number of factors. Before you begin stripping your diapers, you should ask yourself three questions:

1) What sort of detergent do I use?

Conventional store-bought detergents often use synthetic ingredients and scents, enzymes and optical brighteners that can over time contribute to cloth diaper buildup. Even using the wrong natural detergent can create buildup problems if certain types of surfactants are used in the formulations.

2) What sort of diaper cream, if any, have I used on my child?

Diaper creams that contain zinc oxide cause detergent to buildup and this can contribute not only to stinky diapers, but also to decreased absorbency. If, in addition to stinky diapers, you notice that the diapers don’t absorb as well as they once did, diaper creams may be the cause of the buildup.

3) What type of water do I have?

Hard, mineral-heavy water is often a cause of cloth diaper buildup. The minerals in the water prevent the detergent from washing clean from the diapers. Very hard water is the reason I've had to strip my diapers. Mineral deposits buildup on the diapers and don't allow even good natural detergent to rinse away. If I experience buildup, I know its time to add more salt to my water softener.

There are two ways you can strip diapers - either Dawn detergent which is a degreaser or with a water softening agent like Calgon Water Softener powder or liquid or RLR Laundry Treatment powder (RLR is the best. It's biodegradable and earth friendly but it’s hard to find in stores. I get mine from Ebay). You'd want to use a degreaser if your issue is diaper cream buildup. If your issue is hard water, then you’ll want to use Calgon or RLR.

For the degreaser method of stripping diapers, run the dipes through a cold rinse then turn up your water heater so that your water is extra hot. Add a couple of squirts of Dawn to the wash and run it through a regular cycle. Do several hot water rinses if your washer allows that (or cold if it doesn't) until you don't see any bubbles in the rinse water. **You should only try the Dawn stripping method in a conventional, top-loading washing machine vs. a High Efficiency washer, which could be a disaster of the Brady-bunch variety with all the sudsing.** When I had a front-loader, I still used the degreasing method, but in the bathtub, soaking and swirling the diapers in very hot water with a few squirts of Dawn before rinsing and wringing the diapers out. I then took them down to the laundry room and did several hot water rinses.

With the water softener method, you will also want to do a cold rinse first. Then once you’ve turned your water heater up, add the RLR Laundry Treatment or Calgon to the regular hot cycle and run it through. Do numerous hot water rinses until you don't see any more bubbles in the final cycle. The softener does not suds so if you see bubbles in the rinse you still have detergent coming off the diapers. It is important to do the hot regular cycle as that gets a lot of buildup off the diapers and as many rinses as it takes to get the sudsing to stop. When I RLR'ed my diapers it was shocking how much sudsing there was. I think I had to do ten rinses total to get the sudsing to disappear.

Occasionally you can add Calgon softener as a preventive measure when you run a load of diapers through. If you order the RLR from Ebay, it's about $14 for a 6 months supply (one packet per month) so you can strip your diapers and still have five packets left for monthly maintenance.

To avoid future diaper buildup, use a detergent specifically formulated for cloth diapers like Country Save or Charlie’s. Maggie’s or a similar brand of soap nuts are also a safe bet for cloth diapers because they contain only one all-natural ingredient called saponin, the active cleansing constituent in soap. Do not use fabric softener in the wash or dryer. This exposes the diapers to waxes and all sorts of synthetic ingredients that can turn into a build-up nightmare. Also, if you have hard water, avoid using vinegar in the final rinse cycle as this can contribute further to mineral buildup. For further buildup prevention, use a cloth wipe or paper liner in the diaper as barrier if you want to use zinc diaper cream. Cream up your sweetum's little rump and then put a wipe in between her bum and the diaper. You could also try a non-zinc diaper rash cream like LuSa Organics Booty Balm - an all time favorite in my home. We use it for not only diaper rash, but for soothing dry skin and relaxing after-bath baby massage.

A word of caution: don't use bleach to strip the diapers. I've read in places that you can use a method that employs bleach to strip, but it's hard on the diapers and more importantly hard on your little child's bum. In my opinion, bleach sort of defeats the whole natural bit of cloth diapering. I bought diapers off of Craigslist that had been bleached and it took forever to get the smell out. Boo.

Like me, you will do a little dance the first time you change your child’s wet diaper after you’ve gone through the stripping process and it no longer smells like ammonia. Good luck and happy diapering!