How To Wash Infant Clothes In A Washing Machine?

Sort your infant garments and wash them separately in the washing machine using a gentle wash cycle and warm water settings. Additionally, It is preferable to use a mild detergent that has not been processed with chemical compounds.

Standard detergents or chemically processed solutions can be harsh and irritate your baby’s skin.

The best thing you can do is to simply opt for a detergent suitable for infants’ laundry. These types of detergents are mostly processed using natural compounds.

How to wash infant clothes in a washing machine?

Being a parent means you cannot escape from your little one’s mess, whether it’s during mealtime or playtime. They will keep you busy with the laundry stuff throughout the day.

Here’s a quick guide to washing baby clothes with care in a washing machine or by hand.

Washing baby clothes is a bit different than washing your own and if you don’t do it correctly, you could end up ruining them.

Let us look into the steps to wash your infants’ clothing with care.

Step 1: Sort your infant’s laundry

You should always wash your infant’s clothes by separating them from other types of laundry.

This prevents their delicate clothing from coming into contact with unwanted residues released from adult garments during the washing process.

Therefore, simply separate your baby’s clothes from the rest of your daily laundry.

You can further separate bright clothes from dark clothes and wash them separately.

Baby clothing usually includes sleepers, onesies, pants, shirts, dresses, sweaters, etc. that can be loaded together.

Tiny garments such as socks, feeding towels, gloves, etc. can be placed in a laundry bag along with their clothes for washing.

Note: Clothing for your baby and siblings of similar or closer ages can be washed together. For example, if you’ve been blessed with twins or triplets then their clothes can be combined for washing.

Step 2: Pretreat the stains

Before you start washing baby clothes, it is important to pretreat any stains on the clothing surfaces.

You can do this by presoaking the clothes in a mixture of water and mild detergent.

For stubborn stains, you can apply a small amount of mild detergent directly to the stain and let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse them with clean water before adding them to the washing machine.

Note: For dried stains, simply rub them using a soft-bristled brush to remove excess dried particles before the pretreatment.

Step 3: Follow the washing pre-requisites and caring information

1.) Detergent

You need to be very careful about the kind of laundry detergent that you use, as there’s no need for anything fancy or expensive. Regular baby laundry detergent should suffice.

You should avoid using laundry detergents that contain fragrances, optical brighteners, or other harsh chemicals.

Instead, look for laundry detergents that are specifically designed for baby clothes.

These detergents are gentle on your baby’s clothes and will not irritate their skin.

As an alternative, you can use plant-based detergents or simply a natural detergent.

Note: You may also want to consider using a fabric softener to keep your baby’s clothing soft and cuddly, but only if the care label recommends it.

2.) Wash bright or white infant clothes separately

Once you have separated the brights or the whites from the load to wash them separately, you can start washing the clothes at approximately 40°C temperature settings.

3.) Wash Colored fabrics separately

To wash your infant’s colored clothes, you will need to separate them from the whites.

This will help prevent any bleeding or color transfer.

Use cold or warm water for such fabric types because hot water can cause colors to bleed and shrink clothing.

4.) Caring info for washing mixed loads, i.e., whites and colors together

If you are washing a mixed load (i.e., whites and colorful baby clothes together), be sure to add a color catcher sheet.

This will help prevent any bleeding of colors from other items in the load.

Cold or warm water settings should be the ideal choice for mixed loads.

Step 4: Place the baby’s clothing in your washing machine

Once you have done the sorting and pretreatment, it’s time to load your infant’s garments to the washtub.

Don’t overstuff the washing machine, as this can lead to poor cleaning and potentially damage the delicate fabrics.

You can also use a laundry bag for tiny items such as baby socks or gloves.

Step 5: Select a gentle wash program using a cold water setting

Some washing machines include an infant-specific wash cycle, which is again a delicate cycle that can be used to wash your infant’s clothing.

A hand wash cycle or any other cycle designed for delicate garments should suffice.

Additionally, use a low spin speed and a short duration from the settings.

Lastly, the temperature of the water should be set to cold or warm.

Step 6: Rinse thoroughly

Set an extra rinse or repeat the rinse cycle to remove all traces of detergent and other chemicals from baby clothes after washing.

Step 7: The Drying Process

If you opt for machine drying, then simply use a delicate dry cycle with a low heat setting on your dryer. This will help prevent shrinkage and damage.

Always remove the clothes from the dryer as soon as possible so they don’t wrinkle and make sure that all of the moisture is removed from the fabric to prevent any bacteria or mold from growing.

With all that said, the best way to dry your infant’s clothing naturally is to use a clothesline or drying rack, and nothing magical.

If you’re using a clothesline, make sure to hang the clothes in a shaded area to prevent them from overexposure to the sun.

Alternatively, If it’s a drying rack, be sure to put it in a well-ventilated area so that the clothes can dry quickly.

Moreover, ensure that the clothesline or the rack is out of reach of any pets so they don’t get tangled up in the clothes or knock them over.

For the tiniest garments use a circular hanging rack that includes multiple clothespins.

Note: Check the care label of your infant’s clothing to ensure they are suitable for tumble drying.

How to hand wash an infant’s clothing?

Infant clothes are typically more delicate than other types of clothing, so you may want to wash them with utmost care.

Once you pre-treat the stains, if any, then it’s time to wash them by hand.

• Fill a sink or a container with warm water and add an infant’s specific laundry detergent or a natural detergent to it.
• Place the garments in the sink and submerge them in the solution for about 15 to 20 minutes.
• The soiled fabrics can also be gently scrubbed with a soft-bristled brush or over a washboard. Make sure to be very gentle with this step, or you can simply rub the fabrics together to loosen any dirt gently.
• Once the clothes are clean, submerge them in the sink along with the remaining clothes.
• Swish and swirl around the container for about a minute or so, and rinse them thoroughly with clean water.
• Squeeze out excess water from the garments and put them on air drying.
• Be sure to dry them thoroughly, even if they take longer to dry.

Final Thoughts

While washing an infant’s clothes, you need to remember that an infant’s skin is sensitive, therefore the detergent used should be mild and free from chemicals.

So, avoid using regular detergents containing chemicals or bleaching compounds.

In fact, choose a gentle laundry detergent that is designed for washing baby clothes.

Furthermore, it’s best to wash the clothes in warm temperature settings, and if you wish to opt for a hot water wash, I would say check the care label first.

After the garments are completely dried, you should store them separately from any other clothing in the household.

Frequently Asked Questions