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No Shouting Required

Tackling Common Baby and Toddler Stains

By Alex Powell

Kids can change the way you think about laundry. Babies start their stain careers with spit-up and leaky diapers and in just a few months have progressed to fingerpaints, juice and grass. It's amazing how someone so small can damage so many clothes. Here are a few helpful hints for keeping Baby's wardrobe stain free.

You don't want to lose an entire outfit in an attempt to remove a tiny splotch of spit-up. So before you wash anything, look at the garment label. Every piece of clothing sold in the United States is required to have one. If it is not in the neck, check the side seams. The label will explain how to properly care for the item.

Keep in mind that there are literally thousands of stain treatments out there and very few guarantees as to how they will affect a particular piece of fabric. It's best to do a spot test when trying a new stain removal method to make sure it isn't going to damage your child's clothes.

You'll want to keep your baby safe as well. Unless your child has very sensitive skin, you'll likely be able to use a regular liquid laundry detergent (which will lift more stains and odors than baby detergent) starting at about 3 months. To be sure she'll tolerate the switch, wash one item in the regular detergent and let her wear it next to her skin. If there is any irritation, try again with a detergent that contains no dyes or perfumes. If she is still irritated by it, you may have to stick with baby detergent for a few more months.

Before even attempting to launder the item, scrape off as much of the stain as you can. If you're not at home, baby wipes are great for this task. In fact, they can often remove a small stain completely.

Next, you'll probably need to pre-treat the stain. Common pre-treating products include liquid laundry detergent or stain removal sticks or sprays. Old stains may require several hours of soaking or pre-treatment.

Want to see more?

• Keeping It Clean: Housekeeping During Pregnancy
• A Clean Sweep: Tips and Tricks for Quick Cleaning
• Moms Today
• Talk about it!

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