How to Choose Laundry Detergents for Newborns?
From the first days of baby’s life parents try to create the most favorable atmosphere for their child. Due to anatomical peculiarities, delicate baby’s skin is very sensitive to household chemicals that contain irritating compounds. Using aggressive compounds can lead to decrease in immunity, insomnia, metabolic disorders. So young moms often have to decide which laundry detergent is better to choose for a newborn. This article contains information on what you should know to buy a good product and what you should pay attention to when reading composition.
Types of Agents
- Granular. Are classified according to the fabric types, volume, presence of additional washing elements and appropriation. They wash out dirt, but their particles can fly away and get on mucous, in respiratory tract.
- Gel and liquid. Are usually used for delicate textures, considered to be less harmful and wash out as well as the first ones.
- Capsules. Are produced in water-soluble package and aren’t designed for direct contact with human’s body. They contain one, two or more saturated components that dissolve in the washing machine’s drum one by one. Due to high concentration they perfectly deal with any type of dirt.
How to Choose Laundry Detergents for Newborns
The range of products in supermarket is pretty vast, and it may be hard to choose the safest one without special knowledge. According to CuteLittleDarling.com, when choosing laundry detergent for babies you should stick to the following rules:
- Don’t use adult analogues for kids’ clothes, especially during the first years of life. Products for babies contain natural and eco-friendly components and agents that don’t harm skin, which can’t be said about additives used in products for adults.
- Don’t just rely on the «Use from the first days of life» mark that is used by the majority of manufactures. It’s better to check a rating of good-quality and safe laundry detergents for babies and make a choice based on that information.
- Before purchase, carefully check the composition on the label: it shouldn’t contain enzymes, fragrance components, chloride, phosphor salt and chemical bleaching agents. These particles are poorly removed from the fabrics and can cause acute irritation or allergic reactions.
- Always check manufacture and expiration dates. Many products have 1-year use period.
- There’s no need in using fabric conditioners, it’s main task is to smoothen fabrics. But it happens due to special components that stuck in fibers.
- When choosing volume, pay attention to big packages – by purchasing them, you can save up to 30%.
How to Choose Liquid Laundry Detergent for Babies
It should meet all the mentioned above requirements, as well as the ecology and quality regulations, and also have a nice smell.
This type of products has its advantages:
- Dissolves quickly
- Doesn’t leave spots and marks
- Works even in low temperatures
- Doesn’t get foamy
Useful Tips
While the baby is still very little, you’ll have to wash his clothes very often, so take into account these tips for correct, safe and efficient washing:
- At first, check the instructions and use the exact amount of product as its specified on the label. Use measuring cup, don’t define the amount «by eye». There is a misbelief that the more chemicals you add, the better stains will be washed out. Using this method, you will only cause an accumulation of a huge amount of harmful particles in fibers that are washed out poorly and can cause unexpected reactions on baby’s body. At the same time, too little amount of product may not fulfill its task.
- If you are washing by hands, it’s necessary to carefully rinse clothes, changing water a few times, to wash off harmful particles to a maximum extent.
- You can add rubber or tennis balls into the drum, it will allow to use less amount of detergent. Thanks to such manipulations, detergent gets a few times foamier, providing effective cleaning. Also you can buy special balls that provide a mechanical pressure on laundry. There are several variants for different types of material: with «pimples» on the surface for thick, coarse textures; smooth – for delicate fibers (for example, silk).
- We don’t recommend to wash kids’ clothes with clothes of adults.
- Check whether the detergent is designed for your clothes. The requirements are specified on the inside of a piece. For example, kids’ clothes are mostly made of cotton (from 80 to 100%). It should be washed under 60 degrees, apart from white fibers and using special washing products for colored fibers.
Which Components Shouldn’t Be in the Composition
- Phosphor salts and phosphoric esters smooth liquid a lot, but enhance harmful properties of surface-active materials, weaken body’s protective functions and immune system.
- SAWs higher than the permissible levels. Usage of more than 15% of anionic surfaсtants and more than 5% of NAEI is impermissible, as they build up and can harm immune system. The result can be dermatitis, eczema and other skin diseases.
- Chloride is a toxic and cancer-inducing element that has a negative effect on respiratory tract.
- Phosphonates get dissolved poorly and stay on the fabrics, provoking dermatological problems.
- Optical brighteners are designed to create an illusion of polar white fibers, but in reality are ultraviolet colorants. There are also chloride brighteners (very aggressive, damage fabric’s fibers) and oxygen (eat into skin). They are all very strong oxidizers.
- Fragrance components are used for giving a nice smell, but get preserved and accumulated on human’s body.
Which Additives Should Be There
- Cation and non-ioniques SAW – have a reduced impact on human bodies and the environment.
- Peroxy carbonate (harmless brightener) and sodium disilicate (instead of phosphates and hydrogen zeolites).
- Natural ingredients (for example, soda), soap solutions.
When Can You Switch to Detergents for Adults?
Specialists don’t specify any certain age: it varies from 1 to 5 years and depends on the child’s peculiarities. For example, if the child has allergies, the only choice is to use less harmful products.
Is There Any Need in Boiling?
This process is very familiar to our mothers and grandmothers, but has no reason in the modern reality. This procedure can be performed with laundry that is used by people sick with infectious diseases for antiseptic reasons. But usually, modern washing products also perform this task well, as they have active substances that allow to wash out even old and corroded stains.
Babies’ clothes get dirty quickly, but there’s no need to complicate the washing procedure with boiling. If the fabric is very dirty, you can presoak it in warm water with lemon juice. Alcohol wipe will help clean marks from sharpies.
About Author
