Yes, this is a babywearing problem. Anything within a five metre radius of my kids will end up covered in mud, mashed banana, puke, poo, glitter, glue, dog hair (don’t know how that happens as we don’t have a dog)… That includes baby carriers. Which means they need washing. But how best to look after these vitally important parenting tools so they look their best and last longer?

Water temperature

Don’t wash your carrier in hot water if you can help it. Some slings, even popular commercially made carriers, are made from fabric that hasn’t been pre-washed. This means colours could run in hot water, or the fabric could shrink. So stick to cold or tepid water.

Machine or hand wash?

If you’re unsure, hand wash. My personal rule is, machine wash everything. If it can’t survive the first trip through the machine, it won’t be used again (because I don’t have time to hand wash). But I’m not a total laundry cowboy. Put your sling or carrier in a pillow case. I like those cot pillow cases that are totally useless (because babies don’t use pillows anyway) and put snaps in the end with a hand snap-setter to make a big laundry bag for slings. This stops the straps tangling in the wash, keeps long wraps from wrapping themselves around the agitator in a top-loader, and helps stop the rings on a ring sling from clanking against the side of the machine. Also vitally important for soft structured carriers, as plastic clips could break if they smack against the side of the washing machine during the process. Some people just pop a sock over the rings on their ring sling, but the sock doesn’t stay on when I do this.

Soaps and detergents

If you’re washing in cold water, soaps and detergents are more important in getting things clean than when washing in hot water. I personally like to use soap nuts, so I put the soap nuts bag in a bucket of hot water to start the saponin release while I load the machine and fill it with cold water. If you’re washing a wool blend wrap, you may want to use a wool wash. Otherwise, just use a small amount of your usual laundry detergent.

If there’s a greasy stain like massage oil, try spraying the stains with a little dishwashing detergent in a spray bottle full of water. Rub the detergent into the stains to emulsify them, then wash as normal. For mashed banana, rub a little tea tree oil into the stain to break it down. I’ve not had any success with spag bog sauce, but Shannon Lush (author of Spotless) recommends wiping the stain with white vinegar and hanging in the sun to fade the stain.

I prefer to skip the fabric softener, as it adds perfumes that can irritate sensitive newborns. You could add a drop or two of lavender oil instead, if you just want a nice fragrance. I also don’t add white vinegar, sometimes used as a natural fabric softener, because it can be just as destructive to the look of delicate fabrics (like silk or linen) as commercial fabric softeners.

When it comes to drying, flat in the shade is the best way to do it. This helps prevent straps dragging in the mud, long wraps from stretching where they’ve been hung over the washing line, and avoiding the dryer will avoid the fabric shrinking. Once dry, have a good look at the stitching on weight-bearing seams before using the carrier again - just in case.

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