Because baby clothes tend to be more delicate, it’s best to wash these garments separately from the rest of your family’s laundry. Sort your laundry and create a “baby-only” pile to prepare for washing.

Before you begin pre-treating or washing your baby clothes, always consult each item’s laundry label to ensure you’re using the correct washing cycle and temperature. You may find that you need to further sort baby clothing based on fabric type.

Comfortable Little Girl Skirt Dress

To tackle tough baby clothing stains from spit-up, diaper blowouts or baby food, pretreat soiled clothing using detergent or a stain remover. Gently scrub the stain with a soft-bristled brush, like an old, clean toothbrush, to help break up the stain. 

Help protect your baby’s clothes from wear and tear by buttoning all buttons, closing all zippers and turning each garment inside out to protect the fabric and seams. Place small items like socks and bibs in a mesh laundry bag to prevent them from getting lost. Once your laundry is prepped, place the load inside the washing machine. 

Add a gentle, preferably fragrance-free detergent to your washer’s soap dispenser. Baby clothes can usually be washed using warm water on a “normal” or “gentle” wash cycle depending on the fabric. Some materials, like cotton, can be better maintained with cooler water temperatures, so be sure to consult your laundry care tag before selecting a wash temperature. If your machine allows, select an extra rinse cycle to ensure soap residue is completely washed away.

You can streamline the process of washing your baby’s clothing when you select washing machines with the Load & Go™ feature. This feature lets you skip the step of adding detergent before every wash by storing up 20–40 loads worth of detergent.²

Avoid using fabric softener, dryer sheets and bleach

There are times when the use of a fabric softener, dryer sheets or bleach is beneficial to a load of laundry, but it’s generally best to avoid using them when washing baby clothes. Newborns can be sensitive to the chemicals, dyes and scents that may be in these products. Fabric softener may also reduce the effectiveness of children’s flame-resistant clothing.

Once the wash cycle has completed, place your baby clothes in the dryer. Most baby clothes can be tumbled dry on a low setting to help prevent shrinking. If the garment care tag recommends air drying, or if you’re concerned about shrinkage, hang the item on a clothing line or a drying rack.