How can I get the most wear out of baby’s clothes?

At Rent-a-Romper, our community is at the heart of what we do. Taking care of our clothing helps ensure we can continue sharing great pieces from family to family, and it cuts our overall consumption and saves on water and energy usage. 

There are so many things we can do to care for our clothing. Learn about some of our favorite (and easy - for busy parents!) ways to make our clothes last longer. 

This one is very easy, because this is our job! Did you know that at Rent-a-Romper we track every item with our barcode labels? We want to know how many times we can use an item, how long the life of the item is, and why we end up retiring an item. This helps us when we plan our inventory to make sure we are getting items that last and can be enjoyed by our community time after time. So if you are renting with us, check this one off. :) And if not, explore our memberships now. 

While eating or if you know your little one is prone to drooling, take the simple step of putting on a bib. We love the toxic free, silicone bibs for meal-time which can be easily rinsed or even washed in the dishwasher and simple bandana bibs for everyday drooling or when you are on the go. It is an easy step that can save some of your favorite outfits from the inevitable yogurt spill. 

For stain and odor removal, the first—and most important—thing is to act fast! The longer the wait, the harder stains are to remove. Brush off any residue, blot excess liquid and immediately soak the item in cold water. We love these family friendly stain removers and keep them both at home and with us as we travel: Soul Shine Soap Company Stain Stick, Miss Mouth’s Messy Eater Stain Treater and Miss Mouth's Messy Eater Stain Treater Wipes.

Washing your items in cold water not only saves energy, but also preserves the color and shape of clothing. For baby items in particular, we know how much a little bit of shrinking can affect how long an item will fit our growing kiddo. Along with cold water, make sure to read the detergent labels and only use the minimum amount of detergent. Too much detergent can make the clothing dull and stiff.

If it is not too cold or wet outside, the sun does a great job of drying your clothes and saves on your electricity bill. You can also use a drying rack inside - just place it near a window to get the benefits from sunlight on the clothing. If you don’t have time to wait (and we know what that is like), then try to use the delicate setting on your dryer to give your clothing a more gentle finish. 

If you are ready for new items or your clothing needs a bit more TLC, then make sure to send it back to us through your regular swap process. We will do our best to extend the life of the clothing. If you have additional items that you would like to make sure continue to be loved, visit our website to learn more.