Do You Have To Wash Baby Clothes Before Wearing Them?

As we all know, the skin of babies is way too soft and sensitive compared to adults. We sometimes can ignore washing the new clothes, but what about the newborn children? Is it really safe to wear the new clothes without even cleaning, or is washing the only way to go? 

Well, in a nutshell, washing baby clothes before they wear them isn’t a must as it won’t bring any major impact on the health of your little one. However, according to the research, our expert team suggests washing the clothes to get rid of skin allergies, rashes, and such minor problems.

But you can’t just pick any random detergent from your nearest shops, make sure you get hands on the one that’s child-friendly, and that should be packed with zero chemicals. Get it?

Okay, here, we’ve also added a couple of safety tips for you so that you can protect your baby from almost every type of skin issue. Stick with us for more information. 

Importance of Washing Baby Clothes Before Wearing Them

Many of you still might ask why wash baby clothes before they wear them or can you wash baby clothes before they wear them.

Surprisingly, washing the clothes won’t be necessary unless you’re thinking about irritation of the skin. Yes, it’s true that there is a chance of irritation to occur in some of the babies. But, in general, the reaction will appear to be mild.

Besides, the red, itchy, or bumpy patches of your baby’s skin will let you know about the reaction afterward you put on the clothes on them. So, it’s really up to you whether you pre-wash the clothes or not.

But listen, if you’re too conscious about the exposure of the bacteria, then you better wash and disinfect the clothes for your concern.

Although you can never be one hundred percent sure that the outfits are safe from transmitting infectious diseases or not, you can definitely eliminate the harmful residues by pre-washing them.

Do Hand-Me-Down Require Cleaning?

Frankly speaking, you know nothing about how long hand-me-downs were left inside the storage, right? So, do you have to wash new baby clothes even if they come from your friends? The answer is “yes.”

6 Effective Steps to Wash Off

If you have made up your mind and want to wash the clothes before your loving child wears them, you need to know how to do it in a proper way. Otherwise, you won’t be able to disinfect and clean the clothes.

Step-1: Preparing to Wash

Now, washing the clothes needs proper preparation, especially when you’re going to wash them off for the first time. As there might be a lot of harmful bacteria, be sure to consider the following facts before washing;

• Try to soak the clothes using lukewarm water to kill the germs and bacteria.
• Don’t use any regular detergent or soap, instead, try the ones made especially for babies.
• Before washing, make sure to read the washing instructions thoroughly.
• Don’t wash your baby’s clothes with other clothes so that germs won’t get a chance to transfer.
• After washing, soak it with lukewarm water once again to kill all the allergens from the detergent.
• Finally, make the clothes dry under the sunshine since it can be the best disinfector naturally.

Step-2: Cleaning and Disinfecting Yourself

As most of the mothers wash their newborn child’s clothes by hand rather than using the washing machine, it’s important to wash their hands before they start the work.

There is no doubt that washing clothes by hand are way better than washing with a machine. And guess what? Your hand might be a source of germs, and so you must disinfect and sanitize them properly before you start the real action.

Step-3: Checking the Water Temperature

Don’t try to wash the clothes with high-temperature water. Instead, you should check whether the temperature is decreasing the quality or not.

Moreover, if the water is extremely hot, your hands might burn accidentally.

Step-4: Choosing a Special Detergent

Listen, the skin of your baby is very much sensitive and different from the adults. So, you can’t use any regular detergent to wash the clothes. It can cause allergies, rash, or other such problems.

But, that doesn’t mean you have to purchase high-end detergents or the best one that costs a fortune! You just have to ensure that your detergent is user-friendly and contains no harmful chemicals at all.

Using a liquid detergent may not be a problem as there are no flakes like the solid detergent in them that cause skin irritation at times.  

But, if you still want to use a regular detergent, make sure you check if your child is uncomfortable or getting allergies or not after the wash. If you find it harmful, then you better change the detergent and switch for the best ones that are suitable for sensitive skin, clear?

Step-5: Soaking

Hands down, it’s a crucial step because many bacteria, as well as allergens, might appear before and after the wash. So, you have to soak the clothes using warm water for half an hour or so before washing.

Also, you should repeat the same thing after the wash in order to get rid of the allergens that come from the detergent. In this way, you can ensure the optimal result.  

Step-6: Drying

As we’ve mentioned before, Taking assistance from the sunlight is the best way to dry out the clothes to make sure all germs and bacteria are no more! So it’s better to dry them straight away by applying this method and make them bacteria-free for your little one.

Washing with a Machine

So, are you supposed to wash new baby clothes before wearing them with the help of a washing machine? Well, good to know, it can save your time and energy a lot, though we won’t recommend this method the first time.

Therefore, you should wash it by hand and then start cleaning it up with the machine. It’s better to soak your baby’s clothes in soapy water for about 30 minutes before washing them inside the machine.

After that, rinse the clothes to remove the soap from the fabric. If you want the soap to be fully removed, rinse it twice.

When you notice the soap is removed, start the rinse cycle only with water. For better safety, you can sometimes take advice from a pediatrician and follow his/her guidelines.  

Safety Tips of Washing and Drying the Clothes

You need to understand that there are some essential things you have to follow in order to ensure the better health of your newborn child. Check them all out right now:

• Consult any specialist if you find skin allergies. They can guide you to find the required items to wash the clothes for next time
• Always read the instructions carefully of the detergent or soap you’re going to use
• Avoid using any fabric softening liquid when you wash the clothes
• Don’t get your hands on any chemicals or such things for drying purposes
• Dry out the infants’ clothes under the sunshine
• Don’t buy or use chemical detergent
• You should separately wash the nappies of your babies from the clothes
• Avoid using products with stronger fragrances during the wash

In case you forget about following the safety tips above, there is a big chance of ending up with a number of skin problems, keep in mind!

Wrapping Up!

It doesn’t matter how busy you are and what you think about cleaning baby clothes, considering all the nooks and crannies, we think washing baby clothes before they wear them is always safe, especially if you want to keep your little one out of allergies and other skin issues.

And yes, using the correct detergent or soap is equally necessary when it comes to washing off. Stay far away from the one that equips toxic chemicals.