Before the baby clothes are worn, make sure that they have been washed. Though most new parents are aware of the fact that baby clothes ought to be washed before they are worn by baby, many do not heed the warning as well as they should. It may be unlikely for your baby to be seriously harmed by new, unwashed clothes, but there is a risk of skin irritation and allergy which will make baby feel uncomfortable and can easily be avoided. Babies can be sensitive to sizing, a finish that is put on new clothes in an attempt to keep them looking nice while in the store. These same clothes may also have been exposed to dirt, dust, bugs or rodents through the shipping process, and there is no way to tell what could be making contact with baby’s skin.

A special detergent is not required for baby clothes. Many companies have produced extra-gentle detergents that are targeted toward baby clothes, but those soaps are not necessary. If you are interested in eliminating any risk of skin allergies, you may want to use a dye-free, scent-free detergent, including Tide Free and All Free & Clear, but again, this is not a necessary step, especially if your baby does not appear to be bothered by clothes laundered in the detergent your family normally uses. For the sake of baby clothes, there is no real need to purchase a completely different soap.

It is important to always keep up with laundry for baby clothes, as babies tend to go through several outfits in a single day. The first option keeping a handle on the baby clothes laundry is to make sure that the baby has enough clothes that he or she will be able to change outfits several times a day, while still having enough clothing for several more days. If you have a smaller budget and a schedule that allows for more laundry loads during the week, you may opt to buy fewer outfits and simply have them washed more often throughout the week.

Many of the things that come in contact with baby’s clothing are difficult to remove, making it important to pre-treat stains if you're interested in removing them completely. Simply taking a little bit of extra time to work on the stains before putting them in the wash may seriously improve your success rate, and keep baby’s clothes looking like new for considerably longer. For clothing that has been allowed to sit for a while, it is worth trying a paste-type pre-treatment, as these treatments can sit on the fabric for up to a week, and will usually get the more stubborn stains out. A spray-on stain treatment or laundry additive should work just fine for most other, newer stains.

For stains that are not responding to the basic stain fighting treatments, a more aggressive approach is necessary. A paste made of Oxy-Clean and spray stain remover has been a popular concoction among many moms. The paste is added to the clothes, then the clothes are added to a mixture of boiling hot water and Oxy-Clean, along with Era detergent in order to pre-treat the stains, and Zout stain remover afterward.

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