Cloth diaper pails: need a real answer about smell

[kastinkerbell]

Here's the deal: my husband and I live in an apartment. The building has 14 units and 1 washer/1 drier, we pay by the load. After the first couple of months we will both be working full time--a schedule that makes it a challenge to stay on top of our current laundry needs. The closest laundromat is nearly a mile away and my husband doesn't drive.

Comments

[taraemily]

After 2 days our pail stinks, the smell of stale wee is not a nice one, lol.

[kastinkerbell]

See...that's what I was thinking. The ammonia (to say nothing of the fecal bacteria) would be pretty bad.

[taraemily]

Yeah it's absolutely foul. I wash every 2nd to try and save water as we're on water restrictions and I wouldn't leave them any longer than that.

[whosits]

Breastfed poop isn't as bad as formula poop, but poop is still poop.

[mela_chan]

My mom used to use the toilet to rinse the diapers (hold them by a corner and flush) to get most of the mess out, and then she stored them in a 5 gallon pail with a lid and a mixture of water, bleach, and detergent. There wasn't much smell, and there were times when a week went by between full washings.

[kastinkerbell]

Hrm. I wonder if that's an option with this service. I'd have to put it all in a bag in the entryway for pick up, so that would involve some amount of wringing out. I'll have to see if they are ok with me adding bleach/detergent to the mix. They apparently will not take any diaper that has been home laundered, not sure if that applies if it's only been "presoaked."

[mela_chan]

If nothing else, rinsing using the toilet probably helped the most, since it removed most of the waste from the diaper. And a sealed bucket would help contain the smell.

[zombriii]

No bleach. It breaks down the diapers. But you can add a few drops of tea tree oil to help with the smell.

[girlx512]

My diaper service is okay with multiple smaller bags inside of the large bag they provide for pick up each week. Is it possible for you to do the same? Empty the diaper pail a few times each week, seal them up, and combine them all for pick up?

[boker_tov]

This is probably the best thing you could do after rinsing them off. I would avoid using any detergents or bleach on them at all if the company won't take them after being home laundered.

[kastinkerbell]

That's an interesting solution! I hadn't thought of that one and I will definitely ask them. What do you use for the smaller bags?

[girlx512]

Just regular kitchen garbage bags that fit in our cheap-o diaper pails :)

[kastinkerbell]

What kind of garbage can? A kitchen sized one?

[sbunny2u]

We use an extra large wet bag lining a 5 gallon bucket with a lid. As long as the lid is on, there is no smell. And we frequently go 4-7 days between washing. The worst smell comes from the poopy diapers. You could try to separate the pees and poopies, so you only have to open the poop lid infrequently (once out of the newborn stage).

[kastinkerbell]

That's a good idea. I think they did say they would deliver two bags for a small extra charge so it would be easy to keep them separate. That might make a big difference.