baby's cloth

Babies produce a surprising amount of dirty laundry. Those cute clothes that your baby wears should be cleaned in a proper way.

Reason is all babies have soft and sensitive skin. We need to protect baby’s skin from rashes and other types of allergies.

Most times baby’s clothes need extra and repeated cleaning due to baby’s activities – spitting up food, staining with little dirty fingers and soiling them often.

How to take care of baby’s cloths laundering ?

See what grandma has to say:

1. Use mild detergent to wash baby’s sleepwear. Detergent should not contain strong chemicals that interfere with flame retardant chemicals. Because baby’s sleepwear and pajamas fabric may contain flame retardant that protects baby.

2. Do not use detergent that contain animal products – this is not good for fabric either.

3. Always chose detergents that are free of fragrances and perfumes. Use brands that does not contain harmful scents. Detergents should be allergen , fragrance and dye free.

4. To remove food stains from baby’s clothing -scrape the food using a soft cloth as much as possible. Wash using cold water as soon as possible. Don’t allow stain to dry off.

5. Soak the stained clothes in water for some time. Some stains can become permanent in hot water. Baby foods may be one it. Soak in detergent and cold water for at least half an hour, then wash in warm water, rinse and repeat.

6. In case you are using bleach make sure you wash and rinse thoroughly. Bleach residue may harm baby’s skin.

7. Wash diapers separately and do not mix clothes. Cloth diapers, which should be washed in hot water to improve sanitation.

8. To wash cloth diapers- soak in warm water. Rinse using bleach, vinegar and final rinse in baking soda, in hot water. This keeps the fabric soft.

9. Divide all articles of clothing into smaller loads of white, light, and dark colors.

10. Read washing instructions on the clothes. Baby-friendly detergents are made by most major brands, and are usually clearly labeled as being recommended for babies’ sensitive skin.

Some more instructions to clean based on types of stains on baby’s cloths

• Protein stains: This includes breast milk, formula, most food stains, and spit-up. Soak in plain water first, then use proper detergent and wash -launder as usual.
• Oily, Greasy Stains: This includes baby oil, creams and petroleum jelly, If fresh, remove any excess, and cover the area with cornstarch or talcum powder to absorb oil; scrape off after 10 to 15 minutes.
• Fruits and Vegetables: This includes juices, jams and berries. Flush with cool water; soak in a one-to-one mixture of rubbing alcohol and water. If the stain loosens, launder as usual
• Leaky Diapers: Diarrhea stains should be washed in the same way you would a protein stain. Remove poop and treat with stain remover and wash. For urine stains, rinse the clothing in cold water and toss it into the washing machine as soon as you can.

Image credit: Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay