Caring for baby’s clothes naturally with Kleen Free enzyme cleaner…

When purchasing clothing for babies, every mother knows: buy big.  Babies grow so fast that they might only wear certain sizes for a few months before they are grown out of them.  I always buy my boys clothes in the next size up.  When wearing natural fibers such as cotton, buying a little big helps account for some shrinkage.  Also, rolling up sleeves and pant legs a little means that the garment's use is extended for you when you roll them down again after a growth spurt. 

Now, if you shop for kids clothes at American Apparel online (or in store if you live on the west coast) you might think you are buying big, only to realize when you receive your gear that they look small already without even being washed yet!  American Apparel runs almost 2 sizes small on some of their cuts, especially after washing.  I just bought my 4 year old, who wears a size 4 in most clothing, an AP size 6 that looks really small to me.   I discovered American Apparel on my recent week long research project to find out where our clothing is made and by whom and do they enjoy basic human rights?  As for American Apparel, their garments are made in downtown Los Angeles, by mostly Guatemalan immigrants, and yes.

Having to buy clothing for the kids is new to me as we've enjoyed immaculate hand-me-downs for the past 4 years.  I learned something valuable from this experience too, kids are messy!  The clothing I received was all well cared for and stain free.  My girlfriend told me that these clothes had been through at least two children already, some of them many more and yet they were all still very clean.  Because of this, I developed an erroneous observation, and very bad habit:  I never bothered to put a bib on my first child!  Now many of those shirts and pants are dotted with avocado bits, speckled with blueberry juice and mushed with banana mash.  Now, the next child to inherit them will always look like he's already had his breakfast.  Luckily the next mom can't complain because she's me, and the next baby is my second son. 

My second son is now the fourth and sometimes the sixth child to wear this round of hand-me-downs and I'm getting better at taking care of the clothing that I inherit as well as the clothing that I buy new.  Trust me, once you've spent a week researching the ethics of a company, waiting for calls back from their P.R. rep, explaining to your husband why they cost so much more, checking ebay and craigslist for used versions and finally deciding on sizes and colors before ordering online... you begin to take better care of your "investments."

Children's clothing is transient.  Your baby may wear a garment for about 3 months, then it will be "new" again to a succession of other children until it has become unwearable by someone's standards and gets thrown out.  This could literally be 10 or more kids!  This past year I passed on my baby's very elaborate newborn organic layette, it's already finding it's third home and in excellent condition. 

So, I'll tell you my secret: enzyme cleaner.  I use Kleen-Free Enzyme cleaner in a spray bottle on every spill and spot they get.  This stuff is a must in any house with kids or pets.  It comes in various size bottles but the gallon is the most economical as it is highly concentrated.  It takes me almost 9 months to get through a gallon using it for everyday cleaning and laundry.  It's an enzyme the "eats" protein.  They sell it for lice, bedbugs and other tiny-crawly things, but we use it for food stains and all household cleaning.  The gallon is about $70 with shipping and worth every penny. 

My eco-tip for the day is: Take good care of your children's clothing as these garments will have a long and adventerous life with many children in many homes when your little ones have outgrown them.  After all, re-use is one of the 3 R's!

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