For those who use cloth diapers, you might have had an experience (or two) with the dreaded ammonia problem. So far, I have been lucky to avoid it, but I found this info posted by another cloth diapering mama and thought I would share in case it helps someone.
Rinse, Rinse, Rinse! Use lots of water. That is the best way to get rid of ammonia. It is a by product of urine but needs water to break it down further and release it from the diaper.
I use a wet pail, and I know that isn't really practical for everyone, but it has worked really well for us. I've never had any ammonia issues.
Here's some info on what ammonia is and how it occurs:
The kidneys secrete NH3 to neutralize excess acid. It is quickly converted to urea, which is much less toxic, particularly less basic. This urea is a major component of the dry weight of urine. As a urine soaked diaper dries out, the urea breaks down back into ammonia and other by-products and the ammonia becomes trapped in the diaper as it attaches to the fibers. It is a base and is very caustic to the skin, especially when it is concentrated in a night-time diaper. Most of the chemical reactions resulting in ammonia occur in the absence of oxygen and a warm environment over an extended period of time, i.e. a night-time diaper that is usually on the child for 10+ hours, non-breathable covers with PUL or similar material and warmth from the child's own body head. Night-time diapers that do not get rinsed well and then are repeatedly used (adding to the ammonia build-up) can lead to rashes and ammonia burns.
Ammonium compounds should never be allowed to come in contact with bases, i.e. bleach (unless in an intended and contained reaction), as dangerous quantities of ammonia gas could be released. Caution should be used that the chemical is never mixed into any liquid containing bleach, or a poisonous gas may result. Mixing with chlorine-containing products or strong oxidants, such as household bleach, can lead to hazardous compounds such as chloramines.
The reason why bleach works to remove ammonia from diapers is this: Chloramine can be removed from tap water by treatment with superchlorination (10 ppm or more of free chlorine, such as from a dose of [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_hypochlorite"]sodium hypochlorite bleach[/URL]; also known as clorox or household bleach, or pool sanitizer) while maintaining a pH of about 7 (such as from a dose of hydrochloric acid). [B]Hypochlorous acid[/B] from the free chlorine [B]strips the ammonia from the chloramine[/B][B], and the ammonia outgasses from the surface of the bulk water[/B]. This process takes about 24 hours for normal tap water concentrations of a few ppm of chloramine.
Residual free chlorine can then be removed by exposure to bright sunlight for about 4 hours. This completes the process of removing the ammonia.
I found this on Howstuffworks.com -
Remove Ammonia Spots and Stains From:
Cotton, Linen
Flush area with cool water until all trace of ammonia is gone. Launder as soon as possible. The acid treatment recommended for other fabrics cannot be used on cotton or linen, as they may be permanently damaged by acids.
Remove Ammonia Spots and Stains From:
Felt
With a sponge dipped in cool water and wrung out, gently brush (the method of using a stiff-bristled brush to gently remove dried stains and spots) in the direction of the nap. If any stain remains, neutralize it with a few drops of lemon juice, white vinegar, or 10% acetic acid solution. Sponge thoroughly with cool water. Since felt is composed mainly of wool fibers, an ammonia stain may damage it permanently.
I found this on a cloth diapering site, and unlike most of what I have found on ammonia on other cloth diapering sites, this seems to be very accurate, practical and helpful information.
Ammonia can be caused in two ways:
1. Chemical formation because urine contains urea ((NH2)2CO). The body really wants to get rid of ammonia (NH4+), but ammonia is toxic, so it is converted to urea in the liver. Over time and with sufficient heat, urea will convert back to ammonia in your diapers;
and
2. Biological formation due to bacterial buildup in the diapers. Often older babies have more ammonia problems, probably because they have started solids and have more bacteria in their intestines and therefore in their feces.
You can do a few things to keep ammonia at bay.
1. Keep an open pail. Many of the reactions that turn urea back into ammonia are anaerobic (don't use oxygen), so keeping the lid off will keep a higher concentration of oxygen circulating around your diapers.
2. Wash frequently with vinegar in the pre-rinse. Ammonia is basic and vinegar is an acid. An acid plus a base makes a salt and water. Usually the salt is water soluble, which makes it easier to get rid of in your wash.
3. Keep your diaper pail somewhere cool. Reaction rates double for every 10 degrees celcius rise in temperature. Therefore, if your house goes from 20 degrees in the winter to 30 degrees in the summer, you will get ammonia problems twice as often in the summer.
4. Don't use baking soda unless you want to have to use more vinegar. Baking soda is a base, so you will need more vinegar to neutralize both the baking soda and the ammonia.
5. Use enough soap in the wash to actually get your diapers clean. Getting rid of the bacteria (soap doesn't usually kill bacteria, just interacts with their ability to adhere to the fabric), will keep your ammonia problems at bay.
6. After your cold prerinse/soak, wash in the hottest water you can to completely dissolve the ammonia salts that are present in the diapers.
This was the response to a question from another mama:
"What type of soap you use probably won't affect things much. Some people find that Bac Out seems to get rid of their problems. It has no caustic ingredients (no bases), so it will not contribute to the problem anyway. Your cheapest method will probably be to find cheap vinegar in bulk and a laundry detergent that you can buy locally that has no dyes, brighteners or enzymes.
I just use normal, cheap white vinegar. I buy it in 4 L (I think that's about a gallon?) jugs and go through 1 every 2 weeks.
4 L divided by 14 days means that I use approximately 1 1/3 cups per load. I have a front loader, so keep that in mind.
I add it to the cold pre-rinse I do before washing."
Best wishes!
