Babies are born with extremely gentle, sensitive skin, which makes keeping their clothes soft for as long as possible so important.

But it’s not always that simple. When faced with food stains, blowouts, and everything in between, keeping the clothes in their original, delicate condition can be difficult. Fabric softener and heavy-duty detergents can be a useful match against harsh stains, but these cleaning solutions are typically filled with chemicals that can be harmful to your baby’s sensitive skin. Understanding how to soften clothes without fabric softener should be an option for all moms.

Thankfully, there are ways to revive the clothing so that it remains soft to touch on the baby’s skin. Here’s how to keep clothes soft and fluffy for your little one:

1. Tackle Stains Quickly

As soon as you notice a stain on your baby’s clothes, remove the clothing item and soak it in warm water. Taking fast action helps to get rid of the stain quickly and can also remove bacteria before you start the washing process.

2. Use Mild Detergent

Before you start a cycle of baby clothing, make sure you’re not using the same detergent for baby as the rest of the family. Mild detergent is designed to keep cotton soft and clean clothing without added stain removers, dyes, or perfumes that can be harsh on your baby’s sensitive skin. There’s also fabric softener for baby clothes available if you want to go the extra mile.

3. Separate Different Types of Fabric

Just as you separate your clothing on laundry day, your baby’s clothes should be separated by different fabric types. This ensures that the soft cotton clothes won’t be damaged by a heavier fabric during the washing cycle.

4. Hang Dry Clothes

The dryer may be more timely when it comes to drying clothes, but hang-drying your baby garments in the sunlight can save their integrity and keep them soft. This is also a great way to eliminate germs and bacteria — the sun’s UV rays are effective in removing the leftover germs from the wash cycle.

5. Take Care of the Laundry Basket

If you’ve made all of these moves to achieve soft baby clothes but you still find yourself feeling less than satisfied with the laundry, take a look at your laundry basket! Often overlooked, your laundry basket may be the reason for your baby clothes’ lackluster appearance. A compromised basket with pointy edges can be damaging to clothing, so be sure to replace it when necessary.

Taking care of your baby’s clothing starts with buying quality items! Shop our products today to find soft and stylish options for your little one.