Children's clothes are washed far more often than adult ones. That is exactly why washing decides whether a second child will ever wear them. A few simple rules double the life of a garment.
Everyday washing
- Thirty degrees for everyday items
- A dedicated baby detergent, ideally unscented
- No fabric softener, especially for baby clothes
- Colours and whites separately, particularly for the first few washes
- Zips and poppers closed so they do not damage anything else
Wash a new item before the first wear. That removes any trace of transport and storage.
Stains
There is one main rule: a stain comes out while it is wet and often never once it has dried.
- Fruit and juice: cold water straight away, then a normal wash
- Grease: washing up liquid directly on the stain, twenty minutes, then the machine
- Grass: lemon juice or surgical spirit on a cotton pad, then a wash
- Felt tip pen: surgical spirit on a pad, working from the back of the fabric outwards
Never dry an item that still has a stain on it. Heat sets the stain for good.
Drying
A tumble dryer stretches fabric and shrinks cotton. Hang things up if you can. Lay jumpers flat so the shoulders do not stretch. Do not leave coloured items in direct sun for long.
Storing at the end of a season
Wash, dry completely and sort by size. A fabric bag is better than a plastic box because it lets air through. Write the size on the outside so you do not have to open everything a year later.
Whatever no longer fits is in good condition and will be useful to someone. That is one of the reasons not to save money on good cotton. There is more about fabric in our cotton article.
A new season
When you open the box and half of it turns out to be too small, our size chart will help. New items are in the shop, sorted by season.
