Cleaning White Onesies

Updated on July 12, 2008
A.B. asks from Framingham, MA
30 answers

Hi,

Was wondering if anyone has any suggestions of a non-toxic cleaners for clothes. I'm looking to clean my newborns onesies after accidents. I think bleach is too harsh and am looking for a chemical-free detergent.

Thanks for your help!!

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S.S.

answers from Burlington on

I soaked my sons clothes in Oxy clean. For tougher stains, I would make a paste and scrub the stain. It works great.

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A.G.

answers from Lewiston on

with my older two I just soaked and washed them with the cloth diapers in DREFT. baking soda works well too i would mix about a 1/4 load of dreft 1/4 cup of baking soda and water in my diaper pail just to cover the diapers and clothes. then washed with DREFT.

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E.B.

answers from Boston on

Hi A.:

Try mixing a paste from peroxide and baking soda and place directly on the stain. Wash as usual.
If the stain resists, put some lemon juice on the stain and let the garment sit in the sun for a while. The sun works wonders!

Good luck!
E.

More Answers

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S.L.

answers from Springfield on

Hi A.,

in addition to the other great suggestions about non-chlorine bleach (oxobrite, ecover etc.) and borax (which I use along with non-chlorine bleach, allowing me to minimize the amount of detergent I put in) and line-drying, I recommend doing an extra rinse on all baby clothes and diapers. A lot of washers have this as an automatic option, but you can run a second rinse manually by turning back the dial. For anyone who is seeing their baby react with rashes, this is a must.

Also, what I do is throw my line-dried cloth diapers into the dryer for 5 minutes. It softens them right up and you can add a natural product dryer sheet (or a clean sock knotted up laced with your favorite essential oil scents) to soften further if desired.

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S.C.

answers from Boston on

Hi A..
A mixture of baking soda and white vinegar have saved my laundry. Usually I'll just add a half cup of baking soda and cup of viengar to the load with Tide, but on stains I'll make a paste with them and use a toothbrush to apply and let it soak for a day or so. I've learned that if that doesn't get it out nothing else will. Good luck!

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A.M.

answers from Hartford on

Hi A.--

I have a few suggestions.
1. Pre-treat with Oxiclean Spray or vinegar directly on the stain for 5 minutes, then soak in cold water.
2. I use Woolite to clean all of my children's clothes and always have--adding Oxiclean powder to the wash.
3. Add 1 cup vinegar to the wash.
4. Add 1/2 cup vinegar to wherever you put fabric softener--even with the fabric softener; sometimes vinegar can make the cloth a little stiff.

When my little one has accidents, I always follow all of the above steps, and I have never had a stain refuse to come out!

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H.A.

answers from Hartford on

oxo brite. it's miraculous. okay for colors too. it's a non-chlorine bleach- cleans w/ oxygen. can get it at health food stores, trader joe's....gets blood out so well too.

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K.Q.

answers from Boston on

The only thing I found that REALLY worked is Oxy Clean. The kind that is in the pump (and looks a little like Windex; not the powder). Wonderful stuff... I also use Method free and clear which is biodegradable, phosphate-free and not animal tested, and there's no dyes or perfumes so safe for baby.

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V.J.

answers from Boston on

oxo brite from earth friendly products (whole foods and a lot of other natural stores) i promise you this works!
just soak things in a scoopful and very hot water. I usually did it overnight. It even takes old stains out but you'll need repeated soaks. you can also add a scoopful or two to the machine and it helps get things cleaner.
I love this stuff I wish everyone knew about it!
works for grease, poop, blood, wine, food lots of stuff thats gross on our clothes!

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N.V.

answers from Boston on

Definitely hang dry them outside - I was shocked when I put my stained cloth diapers outside and the stains were COMPLETELY gone.

Try it out!

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D.P.

answers from Boston on

My baby had explosive poops at least once a day until she started on solids. My mom is an artist and turned me on to a fabulous stain remover, designed by and for artists, that works great on everything, including baby poop stains. It's called Kiss Off and comes in a stick form. You just spot treat and then wash regularly. It's worked for me on every stain. Kiss Off is only available in art supply stores but it's worth the trek. http://www.kissoff.com/where.html

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D.T.

answers from Boston on

Hi,

I use a natural detergent, Ecover, for all of our clothes - including our baby's. I usually use a stain stick (seventh generation) and then throw them in the wash - all of her poop stains have come out.

I use cloth diapers and had heard that drying them in the sun will bleach them out - and I couldn't believe how well it works! I swear it is like magic. But the downside is they don't feel as soft as if they were dried in the dryer - so I only dry the stained ones outside. - as an aside, we've been using more disposables lately because of some skin problems and she has had more leaks with the disposables than with the cloth diapers.

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A.M.

answers from Boston on

If they are all white ones, you can try hydrogen peroxide.
It works great to get red stains out of white things too. For stain removal you will need to dilute the mixture with water.

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C.B.

answers from Boston on

use Dreft!!! they sell it at babies r us, target, walmart, etc. It's the best for newborn/babies/toddlers clothes - heck if i could - i'd use it on my clothes! excellent for infant skin - no irritation or anything. I swear by it! Have fun!

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J.M.

answers from Boston on

Hi A.,

I've always used Dreft. If you're not able to wash the onsies right away, I just pre-treat them with a few sprays of Shout stain remover and then wash as normal and the stains have always come out for me.

I've also heard that a capful of white vinegar helps too =)

Good luck!

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J.T.

answers from Boston on

I always found spraying the stain with dreft stain remove then letting it sit for a bit..rinse then sray again before I wash worked the best. Most all of my sons onsies were passed along to friends they were in such good condition. Good Luck

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E.M.

answers from Boston on

Hi A.,
try using vinegar to brighten the whites - put it in your rinse water (I use it instead of fabric softener).

I have found that if you put detergent on the stains right away and rub in then when you wash the stains come right out. I also don't like toxic detergent - only use Seventh Generation, etc.
However, for my now 2 year old, I will use Zout stain remover - we use it a lot!! I would be interested to hear what other moms recommend to you! I would not have used this product with my newborn, either! My mom says the vinegar helps the detergent rinse out of the clothes better.

Good LUck!
E.

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C.R.

answers from Boston on

Hi A.: I use Oxi Brite (I buy it at Trader Joe's but it can be found elsewhere as well). It's great for getting out stains. I just soak soiled onesies/clothes and then I wash them w/ a regular baby load. I've had great success. Good luck.

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S.C.

answers from Hartford on

Baby Oxi-Clean spray works great! I only could find it at BabiesRUs. I would spray that one the stains, plus I would add the baby Oxi-clean powder to the wash and the stains would come out! I never had to throw out an outfit or onesie when my son was little! I give the stuff now in baby shower gifts!

E.T.

answers from Boston on

Hi A., Yes, absolutely! Shaklee offers non-toxic laundry detergents, fabric softeners, dryer sheets and most importantly for your situation - a whitener/brightener/laundry booster called "Nature Bright". I successfully used it a few weeks ago to remove terrible stains when my 3-month-old grandbaby had an 'explosion' in her diaper -- it went up her back and right through everything to even stain the little infant insert in her car seat. It also got all over the dressing table cover as well as my sleeves from carrying her. After stripping and cleaning her, I took everything to the laundry room and pre-treated all with my Shaklee liquid detergent. Then I threw everything in the washer and put detergent in the detergent receptacle, mixed up Nature Bright & water and then poured that in on top of the detergent in the receptacle, and chose to add some Shaklee liquid fabric softener (diluted with water) to the proper receptacle for that. Then I closed the door and started the washer. Everything came out as white as snow! My daughter-in-law was stunned, as she said the Dreft she had been using does not get out those stains or the stains from spitting up breast milk. She was very impressed, as was I. If you would like to order, simply go to my web site www.emilytaft.com , click into "Home Care" on the left-hand menu, then click into "laundry" and browse through the products. The products are concentrated so last longer than most, as you have to dilute some of them and just use less of others. Please contact me with any questions - ____@____.com ###-###-####. You can also save more money by choosing to become a member (just like Sam's, Costco, BJ's, etc)for $19.95 and pay wholesale - just an option. Thanks for listening. Best wishes. E. Taft

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A.P.

answers from Portland on

Borax and sunlight are both mother nature's whiteners :)

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S.C.

answers from Bangor on

I use a fantastic line of non-toxic cleaners! Their laundry products are great & if ever there is a stain that I struggle with I add a boost of Sol-u-mel. Together these products have been an amazing addition to our home in keeping it clean & safe! Feel free to contact me directly for more information. S.

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S.G.

answers from Boston on

It sounds crazy, but after you wash the clothes, put them in the sun to dry. Make sure the stain is in direct sunlight. After about an hour, the stain is gone. It works on baby poo stains very well, and even on ones that have already been washed and dried. Just rewash and set in the sun. I couldn't believe it either!

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J.A.

answers from Boston on

Hi A.

If your newborn is bottle fed, likely his formula will be iron fortified. If he spits up with iron fortified formula, bleach will cause a permanent stain to form.

To get any organic (blood, pee, poop, food, grass, etc.) stain out pretreat first with an enzyme pretreator (shout) then wash in the warmest tempature the fabric will tolerate with your detergent of preference and use a cold water rinse. Check to see if the stain is out; if it is you can throw it into the dryer; if not, do not dry as the heat will set the stain.

If the stain does not come out with the first wash soak in a solution of oxyclean diluted in warm water. sometimes you have to soak up to 24 hours, but virtually every time the stain will be removed. Oxyclean also brightens whites beautifully and is not irritating like bleach when the clothing is washed after the soak.

J. L.

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J.H.

answers from Boston on

I just got Allen's Naturally detergent for cloth diapers, which is all natural and supposed to be really good!

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H.S.

answers from Boston on

I didn't read through all your responses, but you can get stubborn stains out of the clothes by exposing them to direct sunlight.
I would wash the stuff first and then put it out in the sun. It is amazing how well that works!

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E.S.

answers from Boston on

Baby Oxiclean--it's gets everything out!

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D.B.

answers from Boston on

Baby Oxy is my favorite. Explosive diapers that have leaked onto onsies just don't seem to get clean without it. I've used it even when my children were first born. It didn't bother their skin at all.

Baby Oxy can be found at Babies R' Us, Wal-Mart, Target etc.

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T.M.

answers from Lewiston on

I use a product called Pre-spot it is all natural and works wonders. It is from a company called Melaleuca. If you would like more information on this company and how you can become a member then just send me an email and I will get right back with you.

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G.S.

answers from Boston on

Use an asprin in your washer instead of bleach. Cheap and great

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