Question by James and Railey’s Mama: washing 100% cotton baby clothes?
How can I dry 100% cotton new baby clothes (or any new clothes for that matter) without them shrinking? If possible, I don’t want to have to hang dry them, but I don’t want them to shrink. I am washing them for our baby that i due in March. They are all of her new clothes. Any tips on drying them besides hang drying?
And after they have been washed and hung dry once, can I dry them without them shrinking?
Best answer:
Answer by malwilhist
Most clothes nowdays are shrink resistant. It’s fine to throw them in the dryer–once you have a baby you’re never going to take time to hang dry baby clothes. Don’t buy a lot of newborn size clothes and if you got them as gifts, exchange them for the next size up. Many babies are never in newborn size at all. You could end up having a tiny baby or a huge baby–you won’t know until she is born. It’s the hot water in combination with the hot dryer that shrinks clothes. If you wash them in cold water and throw them in the dryer at regular or low settings, they won’t shrink at all.
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Most dryers have a air dry cycle.
As long as you wash in cold water (it has been proven that cold water washes just as well as hot unless you need to sanitize) and dry on medium heat, the clothes should be fine. (Cold water washing prevents stains from setting allowing you to re-treat the area and rewash it). Too, you want to make sure you pretreat baby stains with the detergent that you use to wash them as it works better than Shout or Spray and wash (I prefer ALL with stain lifter).
dry them on the lowest cycle and they wom’t shrink as much they are going to shrink alittle why did you not get one size bigger then you would of not had this problem next time buy her 1 size bigger if your going to buy her cotton.