Diaper Dilema

I can say that 4 out of my 5 boys has had a cloth diaper on their bottom. I have seen cloth diapers evolve from pins and outer covers to the amazing contraptions they are today.

So, my dilema? We have cloth diapered our youngest child for most of his 19 months but all of a sudden he started getting horrible, blistering diaper rash. We tried everything, even using products that were not cloth diaper recommended, and damaged quite a few diapers in the process. I have almost given up on cloth diapering and gone to disposables, which I can't stand. But what I can't stand more is seeing his poor little bottom look like he had sat in a dirty diaper for days. It was really THAT bad! He would go from being clear to completely broken out in a rash in a matter of hours. We were even setting a timer and changing him every 2 hours unless poopy (that was immediate). Still no improvement. I am completely frustrated. If it weren't for my couponing, I would be more frustrated. Couponing has allowed me to buy diapers at about 50% less than normal, sometimes more.

I have tried stripping the diapers countless ways. I've used vinegar, oxygen bleach, ammonia (yep, broke down and tried it too), baking soda, borax, you name it. Our water has high manganese content so I can't use products others might use due to oxidization of the element (it causes our whites to look yellow and red/brown stains everywhere). Needless to say, I am at a loss for ideas.

So, until I figure this out I am using disposables and looking for all the good diaper deals I can find.