Washing old baby clothes?

[tacosplease]

I'm pregnant with my first and have been given a load of baby clothes from a friend - really useful since money is quite tight!

The clothes have been in bags in the loft for about five years, so will need a wash before use.

I normally wash clothes with Ariel bio 3-in-1 pods - is it ok to use these for baby clothes or should I buy a non-bio detergent like Fairy?

Thanks!

I probably wouldn't use bio on baby clothes, fairy non bio is what I have always used on my wee one and it's lovely. Smells lovely too!

Non bio for baby clothes

I always washed all my baby clothes in Bio pods. Babies were all fine!

Whatever non bio detergent is good. I'm using at the moment Sainsbury's one and it fab, and costs less than half than the big brands.

I'll also put them at 60 degrees. Or you can add some dettol for the washing.

Don't use bio or scented fabric conditioner; a gentle soap powder like fairy and a sensitive skin fab cond will be fine. It's nice when people give you baby clothes especially if they've been stored safely, I remember being given some lovely things and I also passed stuff on to others. Not only clothes but bigger items if you're lucky!

Great, thanks everyone. I will invest in some non-bio!

For what it's worth, NHS reckons bio is fine:

www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/what-you-need-for-baby/

Bio is fine! I'm not sure what everyone is scared of.

Well a lot of people are allergic to the enzymes in biological washing powders and makes them itchy.
Also, non biological works better at lower temperatures.
So it's not a case if being "scared of" anything @BigusBumus but more one of common sense.

People are more likely to be allergic to the perfumes than the enzymes. I used non bio for a few washes but then switched back to bio as thats what we always used before. No skin issues

Plus I always use fabric softener too

Unless you or baby's dad have a family history of sensitive skin I would stick with bio. Which? says, "Biological powders, laundry liquids and capsules contain enzymes that help break down proteins, fat and starch. This helps remove stains, such as chocolate or burger grease. Bio detergents containing enzymes are generally more effective at stain removal than non-bios". Given babies' propensity for creating stains, bio seems the better option.

They also add in the same article, "Many people think non-biological washing powders and detergents are kinder to their skin, because they don't contain enzymes. However, there is little scientific evidence to suggest that enzymes can cause skin irritation". And then they go on to quote the NHS advice linked above.

If you have always found bio works for your skin and clothes, there's no reason to switch to non-bio.

It doesn't matter if you didn't have skin issues. It's just that more people have skin issues with bio than non bio.

The sun works wonders for stains :)

I always used bio. It gets stains out better at lower temperatures. No one in my house has reacted to it (despite reacting to various other things). Make sure it’s all rinsed well, you really can get away with about half the recommended amount of powder, which makes rinsing far more predictable.