To re-wash all my baby clothes knowing that they will all smell again soon?

[washingonawednesday]

1st baby so new nursary furniture that smells like wood. Washed all baby clothes, blankets, ect a few weeks ago and put them away, but now they all smell like wood from the furniture. Mat leave starts on Monday (36 weeks so hopfully a month before baby arrives), so I have time to play with.

Should I re-wash everything now, knowing full well that by the time the baby arrives it will smell like wood again, wash it all in a few weeks and run the risk of baby arriving into world and having to be wrapped in a teatowel as all baby items are wet/still drying, or do you have a baby suitable way of stopping a wardrobe and drawers smelling of wood ( can you use drawer liners, hanging things to keep them smelling fresh or not too much fragrance too near to tiny baby things?)

Or am I mental for even considering this? I just expected my teeny baby to smell like comfort softner, not the hardboard section of B&Q!

DH thinks I am mental and should lump it!

Can't you just air the clothes - even on the line outside on a dry day - before the baby wears them. If you wash them again, they are only going to start smelling again IMO.

Don't know what to say about wood smells. Apart from if the furniture is in a different room can you open all the doors and drawers etc. and then get the windows open as much as possible so they can air more too? Maybe someone else will come along with a good idea.

You've got too much time on your hands! Use your pre-baby mat leave for something enjoyable.

I quite like the fresh wood smell

Once they're on the baby they will smell like milk/sick anyway. Small babies rarely smell like comfort

I don't like the smell of comfort baby softener, so I really don't get it :). I'm not sure if it's good for baby's skin, either.

Why not wash them and store them somewhere else away from the smelly wood, at least until baby arrives?

It's going to smell a lot worse than wood, pet! Also, comfort softener is probably not a good thing as it has been linked to infantile eczema. Fairy non bio is good though. I bet if you stuck a lavender bag or two in there it'd be ok and lavender is a natural antiseptic so it can't hurt. Or just give the stuff a good airing before use. With a first baby, we all obsess over every detail and want it to be perfect, partly for our darling baby and partly to show the world what wonderful mummies we are. It will never be perfect so aim a little lower, go for adequate (Libby Purvis has a good book about being a Good Enough Mother)or you'll drive yourself insane!

put 2 unopened soap bars in the draws, the clothes will then smell of soap bars

Have you tried washing the inside of your cupboards/drawers with some hot water and a squirt of washing up liquid? It might help to get rid of some of the smell, especially if you leave all the doors/drawers open to let it all dry.

Thanks, these are great ideas! I particularly like the idea of unopened bars of soap as I love that smell.

Any other good ideas for removing the new wood smell from furniture in a (not yet born) babies room?

Take the clothes out and air them on a dry day. Pack them away for a week while you open drawers and doors of new furniture, crack window and let the stuff outgas.

Is it really wood, or are you smelling formaldehyde from particle board, varnish, etc?

It's best not to use softener on the baby's clothes. If you think about it, softener clings to the fabric in order to smooth it out and make it smell nice, so those chemicals will be against your baby's skin.

That wood smell is very annoying in new furniture, I hate it! Apart from varnishing every single surface of the furniture (which is really going a bit far) there's very little you can do to get rid of it, it'll just wear off over time. As for preventing the smell from getting on clothes, you can get plastic drawer liners that aren't fragranced, which basically cover the inside of the drawer. You could also wallpaper the inside of the wardrobe, which is quicker than varnishing and actually looks quite lovely.

BTW I am currently 35 weeks, and I haven't washed a single thing!

Lavender bags.
Smells great and when your baby is grown and gone the scent of lavender will take you right back to those first few days.

I put little bowls of baby powder in my DSs wardrobe etc. when faced with a similar dilemma. Worked a treat. Oh how I remember those days of attention to detail! Good luck!