Handmade clothing is made to be worn, but children sometimes really like to put it to the test!
Here are some tips on how to wash and care for your handmade clothing; to keep it looking it’s best and help make your children’s clothing last that bit longer!
Let’s start off with my favourite one – it’s pretty basic, but it always makes me laugh as it drove my mother mad when clothing was put in the wash inside out, BUT, it's actually the best way to wash them!
How to wash handmade clothes? Wash them Inside out!
Why though? Well, it’s all to do with the fibres in the fabric. When it’s being tumbled around in the washing machine all your lovely garments are rubbing against each other; constantly moving around. This helps to clean the clothing, but the constant rubbing causes the fibres to be roughed up and can cause breakages. You may have heard this being called “wash wear”, you may even see on some of your items the surface looks almost furry with little hairs sticking up – that’s where the fibres have broken. This can affect the look, feel and colour of the garment – making it look older and faded more quickly. When it is washed inside out, it has less contact with other clothing and there is less abrasion which will help protect the fibres and therefore the print and colours of the fabric. The downside is; you will need to turn everything the right way round after – but hold onto that thought, because being inside out after washing will also come in handy later.
Should I separate colours when washing? An oldie but a goodie!
Yes! Try to wash similar colours together - now I know you haven’t come to read this standard bit of advice, so I won’t spend very long on it. When fabric is made; dyes are used for the colouring – much of the “loose” dye comes out in the finishing process of fabric printing, however, some does remain. That first wash will see some of that dye come out and over time the fabrics can lose more colour. So by separating out your washes it helps to stop that dye coming off one garment and sticking to another! I like to try and do a darks, lights and brights wash. My pet peeve though (and one I am guilty of as a clothing maker) is when an item has a dark and a light colour on it – what wash should it go in!? I go with “what is the majority on the item?” and then I whack a colour catcher in the wash with them! My go to colour catchers are Dylon Colour Catchers.
Separating out your washes can also help stop you overloading your washing machine. By not overloading the wash cycle you will reduce the amount of rubbing and abrasion and therefore wash wear on the clothing.
How can I prevent stains on my children’s clothing?
Stains happen. It’s something we need to accept as parents and guardians – their clothing will get stains on them no matter how hard we try. If you can get to that stain as soon as possible you are going to have much more luck getting it out. One thing to consider is the temperature of the water you are using – hot water can set some stains in (such as blood, berry juices, milk and egg) and it will be much, much harder to remove them. Try to always use cold water when attempting to remove a stain if you aren’t sure whether hot or cold water would work best – it’s the safest starting point. Putting the stain under cold running water can do wonders for stains such as strawberry juice - start with that, and then move on to stain removers or you may be able to just put on a normal wash. One stain remover I have had a lot of success with is the Elbow Grease soap bar. Stains may take a couple of goes to get out – it’s best to check them as soon as you have washed it and if it needs more work; do it straight away. The stain really digs its heels in and doesn’t want to budge after it’s been dried.
When it came to meal times; if my children are wearing any Mumma & Cubs bits or new clothes in general, I have a “go to” T-shirt they can pop over the top when eating. It doesn't matter if this old T-Shirt gets stained and I'm a much more relaxed mum round the dinner table! There are also some brilliant cover all bibs you can get now, but if your child is getting older and doesn’t fancy wearing a bib – an old T-shirt can do wonders! Let's be honest too - sometimes us adults can do with a one as well!
Can I tumble dry my children’s clothes?
Listen when I say this – “Step away from the tumble dryer”
I get it – you’ve realised you haven’t washed your little one’s favourite Mumma & Cubs dungarees and they want to wear them tomorrow! You don’t want a meltdown. You whack them on a quick wash and now you’re standing at the tumble dryer door, you know the label says do not tumble dry but, surely… once won’t hurt?!
It WILL! Don’t do it – step away!
When heating it causes the cotton fibres to contract and tighten and this will mean the item will shrink. You may also find the shape is distorted and this is a result of the washing process. The water relaxes the fibres making them more likely to change shape and then the higher heat contracts the fibres again fixing them in this distorted shape. This is also why washing on a hot wash can shrink your clothing, but it’s the tumble dryer that is the main culprit for shrinkage especially on natural fibres such as cotton!
If you have succumbed to the call of the dryer, you may be able to reverse it a little bit by manually stretching the item after it has been soaked in water. However, it is very easy to damage the fibres doing this or to stretch it unevenly and you end up with wonky seams etc.
My favourite way to dry clothing, if I’m doing a late evening wash for the next day, is put the clothing on an extra spin cycle to get as much water out as possible. I then hang the item up in the airing cupboard making sure there is space all around it to get maximum airing! So far, I’ve always had dry clothing in the morning and I make sure to get it out straight away to avoid over drying it!
Tips for Safe and Effective Ironing
Here’s where your diligence in washing inside out comes in handy. When ironing, it is again good practice to iron inside out/ on the reverse. So, you are already set for ironing – if you choose to! Secondly, have your iron on a low heat setting – it helps to preserve the fabric fibres and if you do need to press the “right” side of the fabric (I.e. the printed side) it reduces the chances of the discolouration.
Another tip is about the steam function. Quite often you end up leaving the water in the iron because we’ve all got busy lives, but that does mean when you go to use the steam function – quite often you get the limescale spurt out when you press the button. This isn’t ideal! My tip is to keep a bottle that has a very fine mist spray on it handy so you can give your items a spritz and then iron as normal. Make sure you do not saturate the fabric as this can damage it, but a light spray to dampen can really help to get out those persistent creases.
If, like me, you like to do as little ironing as possible one important way to help decrease (de-crease haha get it?!) the number of creases you get is by unloading the washing machine as soon as possible. I know it is boring and I am also regularly a member of the “It’s been in here over a day and I’m going to have to wash it again” club – but it does genuinely help!
A "quick" guide to fastenings - get it?!
As a rule, try to ensure all fastenings are done up to stop snagging on other clothing, this includes zips, snaps etc. One that is especially important to do up is Velcro –as it is very likely to snag on other clothing in the wash and cause damage. Items such as bras I also put them in a delicates bag so that the clasps don’t snag on the clothing either.
An exception to this rule would be buttons – I make sure buttons are undone as the tumbling around can put stress on the threads that are holding them on - causing them to break down sooner.
Also keep an eye out for fastenings when ironing – plastic snaps can melt if you place an iron directly on top of them!
How should I store my baby and toddler clothes?
This will sound obvious but making sure clothing is fully dry before storing is important – you don’t want that musty smell creeping in to your clothing.
Next up, is ensuring they are stored out of direct light; open rails have become quite fashionable and can be useful to pop your clothing on for the next day, but if they are used as permanent hanging space; do make sure these are not positioned in daily direct sunlight. The trusty Kalax unit can also be handy for folded clothing but the same applies here; if the shelves are open fronted make sure they are not in direct sunlight.
Why? This will cause fading to the beautiful colours of your items and reduce their lifespan!
Third up we have ensuring you have the right sized hangers for the clothing – too big and you may end up with lumps in the fabric where the hanger has been poking it. Too small and they’ll end up falling off and getting snagged on other clothing or in door hinges.
I’ll be sharing some top tips on wardrobe organisation too which all helps to stop it becoming over-crowded which can cause damage – so do check back for that!
Why handmade cotton clothing benefits from gentle care
Handmade clothing is made to be worn and enjoyed so it’s important to know how to look after it properly. The fabrics I use are chosen because they are safe and comfortable for the people you cherish most. Not only that, but the fun designs you love to see are breathable too due to the fibres being cotton or cotton blends and I firmly believe they are worth looking after properly; gently.
Cotton fibres are natural fibres which means they can be more sensitive to heat and friction compared to synthetic ones; such as polyester. With gentle washing, air drying and lower ironing temperatures you can help to preserve the fibres, colour and shape of your favourite hand made items. Caring for handmade garments doesn’t need to be complicated or hard, just a few simple steps which can actually benefit all of your wardrobe – not just handmade.
Looking after your handmade kids clothing helps keep it looking beautiful for longer, and keeps your little one wearing it for longer too! After they’ve worn them day in, day out and eventually outgrown them - you’ll be able to pass these items onto siblings or friends or if you prefer, selling as second hand is a good option too.
Taking a little extra care helps keep those special pieces looking beautiful for longer and saves you having to splash out on replacements.