Your baby’s sheets are a hotbed for bacteria and odour ― get rid of stains and smells with these tips.
Babies smell wonderful… Until they pee, poop, vomit or spit up milk.
Incidentally, your baby’s bedding is a magnet for germs and umm…pong as the sheets are highly susceptible to bubba’s spit-ups and diaper leaks. That said, cleaning stains and fighting odour is part and parcel of your parenting duties. Try these methods to keep your baby’s sheets clean and fresh-smelling.
1. Air laundry in plenty of sunshine
After laundering, hanging your baby’s crib sheets or blankets out to dry on a sunny day is a great way to freshen bedding. Hang on a clothes line and give them a good shake. Turn the items every couple of hours to air them out on all sides. This not only gets rid of lingering smells, sunlight acts as a natural disinfectant.
2. Use baking soda and vinegar
Vinegar is a wonderful natural cleaning agent. Spritz it generously over your bedding with a spray bottle, then sprinkle baking soda over. Leave to dry for a couple of hours, vacuum up the residue before putting them in the wash. The vinegar-baking soda mixture absorbs unwanted odours, and can help in removing stains, too.
Vinegar is a wonderful natural cleaning agent. Spritz it generously over your bedding with a spray bottle, then sprinkle baking soda over.
3. Use lemon
Don’t those pure white or pastel sheets look lovely in your baby’s nursery?
Unfortunately, light-coloured fabrics yellow or get stained over time with extended use. Instead of using bleach, which is loaded with harsh chemicals, add the juice of half a lemon to your wash cycle. This freshens fabrics while eliminating stains.
4. Wash in hot water
Use the hottest water settings in your washing machine to zap any bed bugs, dust mites and mould spores that might have invaded your little one’s sheets. If your machine doesn’t have a hot water function, soak the sheets in a pail of hot water for 15 minutes before throwing them into the wash. To prevent mould from growing, make sure that the bedlinen is completely dry before using them again.
5. Use a fabric conditioner
Adding fabric conditioner to your baby’s bedding in the wash should keep it looking as good as new. Besides helping the fabric retain its colour, it’ll reduce static. Best yet, bubba will love sleeping on super-soft, comfy and fresh-smelling sheets. As the sheets come into direct contact with baby’s skin, make sure to choose a fabric conditioner that’s free from harsh chemicals and perfumes and therefore, safe for your baby.
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