If you are a new parent, you will find yourself washing more of your baby’s clothes than your own. In this guide, you’ll learn the right way to do your baby’s laundry.
Yes, there is a wrong way to wash your baby’s clothes, and that’s thinking that baby clothes can be washed in the same way adult clothes should be washed. If you’re not sure how to wash your baby’s clothes properly, here is a brief guide for you:
1. Know the proper way of machine washing baby clothes
Your baby will wear a lot of clothes throughout the day and that doesn’t count the clothes that they soil when they make a mess. Before you pop them in the washing machine or send them to professional laundry services, here are some things you need to be aware of:
- Detergent. Wash clothes using a mild detergent specially made for baby clothes. Avoid using detergents with bleach, fabric softener, and perfumes. You don’t want their sensitive skin to be irritated by these chemicals.
- Care labels. Make sure none of your baby’s clothes requires special washing treatment.
- Stains. It’s best to remove the stains by hand before putting them in the washer.
- Load size. Make sure you don’t overload the machine even if it’s tempting to wash everything at once.
- Spin cycle. Protect your baby’s clothes from wear and tear by selecting a gentle or ‘handwash’ cycle on the washing machine.
2. Treat stains
Treating stains gets a whole discussion on its own because many parents struggle with it on a daily basis. Before you put stained baby clothes in the washing machine, here is how to pre-treat them:
- Urine. Dilute a teaspoon of ammonia in a cup of water. Dab the area with the mixture to remove the stains before laundering it as usual.
- Milk. Milk contains fat and protein that can leave nasty yellow stains on your baby’s clothes. To remove them, soak the item in cold water before washing in liquid detergent.
- Fruits and vegetables. Did your baby get a bit too messy when eating his pureed apples? Remove that stain by soaking in cold water before washing as usual. If the stain is stubborn, pre-wash before laundering.
- Baby oil. For baby oil, use a pre-wash stain remover and then wash in hot water (but check the label first).
3. Learn how to handwash
Instead of washing baby clothes in the machine, it is highly recommended that you handwash them to protect the delicate fabric.
Step 1: Disinfect your hands
Step 2: Make sure the water is at the right temperature
Step 3: Soak clothes for 30 minutes in mild detergent and water
Step 4: Wash gently
Step 5: Soak the clothes for another 30 minutes before rinsing
Step 6: Rinse the clothes in warm water
Step 7: Allow them to dry under the sun
Now that you’ve mastered feeding your baby, changing their diapers, and putting them to sleep, it’s time that you master another parenting skill: washing baby clothes. Don’t worry, though. With these simple steps in mind, you can learn how to clean baby clothes properly in no time.
