How to Wash Baby Clothes
Read the instructions., Sort your baby clothing., Set your washing machine., Add detergent to the water.Babies have very sensitive skin, so be sure you use a detergent formulated for infants., Make your own detergent., Load your washing machine...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Read the instructions.
The fabric of your baby clothing might require special treatment for best washing, or may be washable with your normal laundry.Check the tag on each article of baby clothing and note washing temperatures, drying procedures, recommended detergents, and so on.
Pajamas and sleepwear are sometimes made of fire retardant material.
This material usually requires special cleaning to preserve its flame retardant properties, so be extra careful to check tags on sleepwear. -
Step 2: Sort your baby clothing.
Divide all articles of clothing into smaller loads of white, light, and dark colors.Keep any flame retardant garments separate to ensure you do not wash these with the regular laundry, as this can ruin the fire-resistant properties of those clothes.
If there are any differences in the temperatures at which you should wash the clothing, sort like temperature clothes into a separate pile.
You should always wash cloth diapers in a separate load, though you might consider washing these with towels to help balance the washing drum of your washer., Now that you've checked the tags on your baby clothing and know the recommended settings you should use, set both the temperature and washer cycle.Then turn your washer on and allow it to fill with water.
If garments don't have labels, wash these in warm water except for:
Cloth diapers, which should be washed in hot water to improve sanitation.Flame retardant garments, which should be washed in cold or warm water to preserve their flame retardant features., Strongly scented detergent, too, should be avoided, as these can be overpowering to very young children.
Measure the correct amount of detergent based on the size of the load according to tag and label directions.
Baby-friendly detergents are made by most major brands, and are usually clearly labeled as being recommended for babies' sensitive skin. , You can make your own baby-friendly detergent by combining 1 cup of castile soap flakes, 1/2 cup washing soda, and 1/2 cup borax.Add 1 cup of the mixture to your washer and you're ready to launder! It is not recommended that you use homemade detergent on flame retardant garments.
The oils used to formulate castile soap can break down the flame retardant fibers. , Scatter the load of clothes you are washing into your washer.
Submerge each garment into the water and make sure weight of the clothing is distributed equally throughout the washer.
Be careful to not overfill your washer., After you close the washer you will have to allow your baby clothes to run through the normal cycle.
This will take some time, usually somewhere around 30
- 45 minutes.
During this time, you might want to sort more laundry to prepare for the next load, read a book, or tackle some other chores around the house. , Any remaining soap in the fibers of your baby clothing can irritate your child's skin.
To be extra sure this does not happen to your child, you should set your washer to run the clothes through a second rinse cycle.If you are using homemade detergent, castile soap tends to leave more residue behind than store-bought detergent.
Add 1 tbsp. of white vinegar to the cycle to help with this.
If you are concerned your dryer might be too indelicate for your baby's clothing, you may want to consider allowing your clothes to hang dry on a clothesline. -
Step 3: Set your washing machine.
-
Step 4: Add detergent to the water.Babies have very sensitive skin
-
Step 5: so be sure you use a detergent formulated for infants.
-
Step 6: Make your own detergent.
-
Step 7: Load your washing machine.
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Step 8: Await the end of the cycle.
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Step 9: Rinse your baby clothes again.
Detailed Guide
The fabric of your baby clothing might require special treatment for best washing, or may be washable with your normal laundry.Check the tag on each article of baby clothing and note washing temperatures, drying procedures, recommended detergents, and so on.
Pajamas and sleepwear are sometimes made of fire retardant material.
This material usually requires special cleaning to preserve its flame retardant properties, so be extra careful to check tags on sleepwear.
Divide all articles of clothing into smaller loads of white, light, and dark colors.Keep any flame retardant garments separate to ensure you do not wash these with the regular laundry, as this can ruin the fire-resistant properties of those clothes.
If there are any differences in the temperatures at which you should wash the clothing, sort like temperature clothes into a separate pile.
You should always wash cloth diapers in a separate load, though you might consider washing these with towels to help balance the washing drum of your washer., Now that you've checked the tags on your baby clothing and know the recommended settings you should use, set both the temperature and washer cycle.Then turn your washer on and allow it to fill with water.
If garments don't have labels, wash these in warm water except for:
Cloth diapers, which should be washed in hot water to improve sanitation.Flame retardant garments, which should be washed in cold or warm water to preserve their flame retardant features., Strongly scented detergent, too, should be avoided, as these can be overpowering to very young children.
Measure the correct amount of detergent based on the size of the load according to tag and label directions.
Baby-friendly detergents are made by most major brands, and are usually clearly labeled as being recommended for babies' sensitive skin. , You can make your own baby-friendly detergent by combining 1 cup of castile soap flakes, 1/2 cup washing soda, and 1/2 cup borax.Add 1 cup of the mixture to your washer and you're ready to launder! It is not recommended that you use homemade detergent on flame retardant garments.
The oils used to formulate castile soap can break down the flame retardant fibers. , Scatter the load of clothes you are washing into your washer.
Submerge each garment into the water and make sure weight of the clothing is distributed equally throughout the washer.
Be careful to not overfill your washer., After you close the washer you will have to allow your baby clothes to run through the normal cycle.
This will take some time, usually somewhere around 30
- 45 minutes.
During this time, you might want to sort more laundry to prepare for the next load, read a book, or tackle some other chores around the house. , Any remaining soap in the fibers of your baby clothing can irritate your child's skin.
To be extra sure this does not happen to your child, you should set your washer to run the clothes through a second rinse cycle.If you are using homemade detergent, castile soap tends to leave more residue behind than store-bought detergent.
Add 1 tbsp. of white vinegar to the cycle to help with this.
If you are concerned your dryer might be too indelicate for your baby's clothing, you may want to consider allowing your clothes to hang dry on a clothesline.
About the Author
Margaret Stevens
Committed to making creative arts accessible and understandable for everyone.
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