Before they give birth, new mommies usually ask themselves various questions regarding the best ways to manage all the aspects of their newborn baby’s life. Every mother needs to be sure she offers her baby the best treatment, starting with how she interacts with her infant to how she takes care of him. A not insignificant aspect at all refers to the baby’s laundry. Everybody knows that newborns are sensitive and they have highly delicate skin. Therefore all their clothes must be made from a soft fabric and perfectly washed.
Tips for cleaning your baby’s clothes the right way
Washing
- Washing your infant’s new clothes before he wears them is an absolute necessity. This helps prevent rashes and remove residues, chemicals with which they are usually treated. These can be: hormone disrupting nonylphenol ethoxylates and phthalates, reproductive and immune toxins in the perfluorochemicals family, antimony – a material similar to arsenic, and organotins – which can damage immune and nervous system. Even if they appear to be in small amounts, precaution is best. Dust that may also lead to your baby’s soft skin irritation.
- Always read the garment label before washing any piece of clothing for the first time. Some baby clothes require special attention when cleaning them. For example, baby sleepwear – they are required by law to be flame-resistant and some detergents and bleach will obstruct this characteristic. You must pay attention to water temperature. Check out if they require to be washed by hand or be careful not to wash out the color of the material.
Detergents and Softeners
- Choose the right type of detergent. Use a perfume free detergent to wash your baby’s clothes. It is also best to contain zero dyes, phosphates, optical brighteners, SLS, or parabens. Here are a few examples (we have been using these since our baby daughter was born): Dreft Stage 1 Newborn HE Baby Laundry Detergent, Dropps Baby Laundry Detergent, Dapple Baby Laundry Detergent – Fragrance Free, or All Ultra Free Clear Liquid Laundry Detergent – for the entire family.
- Replace the fabric softener with Eco Dryer Balls or Pure Essential Oils. Fabric softener usually reduces the effectiveness of the flame resistance on baby sleepwear. It can also irritate your infant’s skin. You can efficiently replace fabric softener with one of these 100% organic, natural products: Wool Eco Dryer Balls By Friendsheep – 100% Organic, Handmade, Fair Trade, No Lint – Best All Natural Fabric Softener, or Woolzies Best quality, great value 100% Pure Lavender Essential Oil.
- Don’t use bleach on stains. Try to treat stains while they are fresh. Scrape off as much as you can, then get the stained clothing into cold water as fast as possible. If the stain still remains, soak the clothing in detergent and cold water for at least half an hour. Then wash in warm water, rinse and repeat the process. However, if you use a stain remover, make sure it is high quality (for ex. Puracy 100% Natural Laundry Stain Remover – Six Enzyme Formula – THE BEST Spot & Odor Eliminator – SAFELY Pre-Treat Hundreds of Fabric Stains – Free & Clear). Make sure you rinse it very, very well.
- Wash the baby’s clothes separately from the rest of the family’s. You will surely have enough baby laundry to fill the washing machine.
So, how do you wash your baby’s clothes? What kind of washing products do you use? Do you have any tips to share regarding baby laundry?
