Your little bundle of joy deserves all the best things in this world – the coolest toys, the cutest clothes and the cleanest bedding. Babies have practically no immune system, so everything around them must be as clean as possible, but without using harsh chemicals and other possibly harmful substances, which can cause illness and skin irritations. Even though it seems like an impossible mission, there’s no need to panic. Here are some very useful tips which will help you wash baby bedding easily and properly.
Always use a natural detergent
You should be extremely careful when you choose a washing detergent for your baby’s clothes and bed linen. Don’t trust everything you read on labels, even products which are supposed to be safe for babies can have some harmful chemicals and fragrances in them. Babies have very sensitive skin, which can be irritated by almost everything out of the ordinary, so you need to be careful. Once you choose a suitable detergent, stick with it. If you have to make changes in detergents, observe your baby closely at first. If you notice even the slightest allergic reaction or irritation, this means that the detergent is not right for you and you should change it.
Hand-wash or use the gentle cycle
You need to be very careful when it comes to the washing method you choose for the baby bedding. Most beddings sold by Nordlife are made from 100% organic cotton, which means they are very high quality and hypoallergenic. It also means that if you want to keep their softness for longer, you will have to either hand-wash them or use the gentle cycle of the laundry machine (which is the better option). It’s also important to remember that the baby items need to be washed separately from the rest of the laundry.
Mind the temperature
Another tricky moment when washing baby bedding, is picking the right temperature. You should aim for warm or hot water, because it will help disinfect the bedding better. According to specialists, the perfect water temperature, which kills all bacteria is 60°C. But you should also consider the fact that cotton doesn’t take high water temperatures very well. Therefore, you should wash the bedding with warm water and iron it afterwards (the high temperature from the ironing is also proven to kill bacteria).
Pre-soak stains
Babies are cute little stain machines. They always find new ways to impress us with their staining abilities. If you have to wash built in stains from things like baby formula or baby food, it’s important to pre-soak the bedding in some warm water and detergent before washing it. The soaking will help dissolve the stains. This way you won’t have to do pointless scrubbing, which is not only useless, but can damage the soft fabric quickly.
The drying process
Once the baby bedding is washed, you should dry it properly. Dryers are not recommended, because they can damage the gentle cotton fabric. If you decide to use one, do it on the lowest setting and avoid using scented drying sheets, because they can cause skin irritations and allergies. Natural sunlight is the preferred method here, because the sun is a natural disinfectant. If you can dry the bedding outside, do it. Also, clean bedding that smells fresh from being outdoors will help soothe your baby to sleep more easily. To prevent mildew, make sure the sheets are completely dry before placing them in the crib.
Dealing with “accidents”
Bed wetting is very common when you have babies. One tested and completely safe remedy to deal with the smell and staining, is to use baking soda and vinegar. First you should spread the baking soda over the stain to blot the moisture, then soak the bedding in some warm water mixed with vinegar. Works perfectly.
About the expert
Jane is a full-time mom, a blogger and a digital marketer from Melbourne. She enjoys spending time with her family, going for long walks, cooking and finding new home and garden projects to work on. Writing is her passion from childhood which turned into a profession. During the day she works for a house cleaning company in Melbourne, which is strongly involved in the local community by participating in various events and fundraisers, and supporting the green and sustainable way of life.