Stain-free baby clothes

[flower01]

I need help with the laundry. Before my baby, if I ever spilled anything on my clothes I would immediately go wash it out or at least dab it with a cloth and then do laundry as normal. I never used any stain sticks or anything like that. But, I'm getting frustrated that stains are not coming out of my baby's clothes. Of course we use bibs, but that doesn't prevent food getting on clothing and my 1yo is a snacker. I can't immediately remove a shirt and scrub it, so I need advice. I use Biokleen detergent, and just tried my mom's non-natural detergent (can't remember brand) and things that I never thought would stain do. I've been pretreating stains with a stain remover, but that really isn't helping either.

[Norasmomma]

In a word OXYCLEAN, I swear by it, I actually have to go soak a load of DD's clothes in the utility sink and get the stains out. I have saved so much stuff, it really is amazing.

[Caneel]

Oxygen bleach (the active ingredient in the brand name Oxyclean). I ordering it in bulk from Oxyboost.com Natural Choices. I am amazed how well it works. For a super soak, I use a bit of soap powder (I use Charlies) and a scoop of oxyboost.

It gets out old stains too.

[JTA Mom]

Also, Zout (not Shout) works really really well for Stain removal. It's an enzyme one, and it gets out all sorts of stains. I was ds's clothes once a week and I don't treat them until before I put them in the washer, and the clothes come out stain free. Even cherry stains have come out! (Ok that one I put the Zout on once we came home, but I left it on there until laundry day, which was 4 days away!)

Oh, and oxiclean is wonderful! You can either presoak or just throw in a quarter cup or so into the wash. Works just as well, unless the stains have been there for a really long time, like a month. If they are long time ago "set" in stains, soak them. I've saved really badly stained 20 year old baby clothes by soaking them 3 times in oxiclean. Everything came out.


Ami

[flower01]

So what is your method? Do you soak everything in the oxyclean on the day you do laundry and then wash right away. Or do you use the oxyclean to remove the stain right away and wash later?

And can it get old stains out?

[Norasmomma]

Well I do a couple ways, right now I have my load of DD's stained up clothes in the sink. I will sometimes make a paste and put on the bad stains, i.e. marinara sauce on the white shirt from a week ago. I used an old nail brush and scrubbed the Oxyclean paste on the stain, and then threw it in with the other clothes I have soaking. Also using hot water helps it penetrate. You do, however, have to be careful, sometimes it will bleach colors *slightly*. I left it on one of my shirts and it dried, when I washed the shirt the stain came out and so did some of the color. I loved the stuff so much I have given it in gift baskets to new mommas, it helped me save DD clothes and mine(from her spit up). Oh and yes it can take out old stains.

[Caneel]

I am not good at treating stains when they happed so when I sort laundry, I set aside the pieces that need to be soaked. I have a dedicated bucket for overnight soaking. Keep whites with whites and like colors with like colors because I noticed some clothes will throw off color while soaking.

I just mix up a batch of soak at night, put the clothes in and throw them in the washer the next morning.

oxygen bleach got stains out of my great grandmother's table cloth that both my mom and aunt tried to get out for years. I also had great success with baby clothes that had be stored for over a year. Prior to donating them, I treated all the stained pieces and everything came out.

[angrypixiemama]

Oxyclean Baby works wonders, but even better that that is the sun. I never believed it until I tried it, but washing things and hanging them out to dry in the sun really gets the stains out. I just got some spaghetti stains out of a white shirt of DD's by sunbleaching.