The skin of a newborn baby is sensitive. Their skin gets easily irritated if they are using clothes that are not soft or safe for babies. The clothes of our baby must be smooth, clean, and safe for them to wear. Some parents are wondering if can you use fabric softener on baby clothes, because some fabric softeners have intense fragrance. It depends on the type of fabric softener you use and the clothes you are washing. You will need to make a lot of trials and errors when it comes to choosing the right products to wash your baby’s clothes because not all baby clothes react the same to a certain type of detergent or softener.
What’s the Purpose of a Fabric Softener?
The main purpose of a fabric softener is to make it easier for you to fold or hang your clothes. If you only use detergent, the clothes will end up being wrinkly. It will require you to iron them to get rid of the wrinkles and make the fabric soft. The downside of not using a fabric softener is it will take you some time to iron the clothes. Also, you will be using a lot of energy since some fabric requires high heat and constant ironing repetition to remove the wrinkles. But can you use fabric softener on baby clothes?
There are fabric softeners that are for baby clothes only. The ingredients are different from normal fabric softeners. Baby fabric softeners are milder and don’t have much scent at all. It simply means that there are fewer chemicals that are in the softener. Using an ordinary fabric softener on baby clothes may cause skin irritation since it contains more chemicals like the fragrance used to make the clothes smell good.
Preparing Clothes For Baby to Wear
If you have a stock on baby clothes set aside for your baby to wear, it is advisable to wash them a few days before they wear them. Also, washing baby clothes is different from washing your ordinary clothes. It requires a lot of cleaning so that the fabric will not cause any skin irritation on the baby’s skin.
- Wash the new clothes before wearing – If you bought new clothes for your baby, it is advisable to wash them before wearing them. It removes the dust and other particles in the fabric that may cause skin irritation that harms your baby’s skin. Also, it is to make sure that the clothes are safe to use before wearing them.
- Presoak the clothes and get rid of the stains before tossing them in the machine – Can you use fabric softener on baby clothes during presoaking? Yes, but you need to dilute the softener so that it will not destroy the quality of the clothes. If there are stains on the clothes, you need to get rid of it immediately before it turns to a permanent stain. Once you remove the stain, you can toss the clothes in the washing machine for general cleaning.
- Use detergent and a softener with no harsh chemicals – It can help clean the dirt from your baby’s clothes without any chemicals left on the fabric.
How to Choose Fabric Softeners on Baby’s Clothes?
If you want to figure out if can you use fabric softener on baby clothes, before purchasing any fabric softeners, you need to check the label. Every parent has their preference when it comes to using a certain type of laundry detergent and fabric softeners for their baby’s clothes. Here are the things you need to consider how to choose fabric softeners on baby’s clothes.
- Check the ingredients – Make sure that there are fewer ingredients in the fabric softeners. Fewer ingredients mean that it is safer to use on the clothes of your baby.
- Dermatologically tested – Find a fabric softener that dermatologists recommend because they tested and approved this type of fabric softener.
- Light to no fragrance – Fabric softeners are known for their capability to give your clothes a nice smell. But if you want to use a fabric softener on your baby’s clothes, you need to choose the one that has light to no fragrance. It might harm the skin of your child if the fabric conditioner.
- Non-dye formula – Non-dye formula keeps the vibrant color of the clothes while washing. There is a tendency that some fabric softeners ruin the color. Sometimes it transfers the color of one of the clothes to another.
- No harsh chemicals – Some fabric softeners contain harmful chemicals that can ruin the clothes or irritates the skin. Be sure to check for the contents of the softener, and it should not contain benzyl acetate, benzyl alcohol, ethanol, and limonene.
The best way to use a fabric softener on the clothes of your baby is to dilute it with water. It is advisable to do this rather than pouring a high-concentration of softener to the machine, especially if you are using a new brand. There are a lot of fabric softeners in the market that are for baby clothes. It would be best if you still were careful in choosing the fabric softener to be sure that your baby is wearing clean and safe clothes. Get more tips on baby clothes.
Conclusion
If you are still wondering if can you use fabric softener on baby clothes, you can test it on your clothes first before using on your baby’s clothes. It will help you identify whether the fabric softener is good for your baby’s clothes or not. Be sure to check the ingredients and the label of the fabric softener you choose so that there will be no harm on your baby’s skin and keep their clothes soft and comfortable to wear.