How to Wash Your Woven Wrap

It is best to follow care instructions provided by the manufacturer and you can scroll down to find specific recommendations from each manufacturer.

General washing instructions:

If your wrap is a blend, use the washing instructions for the more delicate of the fibers.  For example, a cotton/wool wrap should follow instructions for washing wool.

Dryer balls are wonderful for softening wraps in the dryer, but do not use Bleach, Fabric Softener, or Dryer Sheets with your wraps.

Wraps should be washed with a gentle liquid detergent free of optical brighteners or softeners. Soap nuts are my favorite choice for wraps or for cloth diapers, which also require gentle detergents.  Here are some non-toxic detergents that are recommended:

• Soap Nuts or Soap Nut Liquid
• Allens Naturally Laundry Detergent Liquid
• Attitude
• Bio-Kleen Laundry Liquid
• Bio-Vert
• Charlie’s Soap Liquid
• Eco-Max Liquid
• Ecos Free & Clear
• Honest Company Liquid Detergent
• Mountain Green
• Planet Liquid
• Vaska
• Wonderwash

Loop your wrap over a series of hangers hung on your shower curtain rod to hang dry indoors.

Wash 100% cotton wraps COLD on the gentle cycle.  Hang dry to be safe, though many cotton wraps can be tumble dried on low. Cotton may shrink if washed on hot or dried in the dryer, but if you are not too worried about losing a couple of inches you may prefer the ease of tumble drying.  Steam iron using the cotton setting.

Wash linen wraps the same as cotton.  Hang dry or tumble dry low.  Linen can become stiff after drying so benefits from steam ironing before the wrap dries completely, when it is still slightly damp.  Ironing linen helps prevent creases and also helps to soften it up dramatically.

Wash hemp wraps in warm or hot water on gentle cycle and tumble dry low.  Hemp is a strong fiber that can take abuse and does not need to be babied.  However, drying on high heat may cause it to shrink.  Steam iron.

Wash bamboo wraps in cold water using the gentle cycle.  Do not soak bamboo wraps or leave in water for longer than 40 minutes.  Lay flat to dry rather than hanging.

Handwash wool wraps in lukewarm water using wool wash.  The most popular method is not difficult or time consuming (see photo tutorial below):

• dissolve a dime size amount of wool wash or baby shampoo in a bathtub filled with lukewarm water
• add your wool wrap and swish through the water
• let soak for 30 minutes while you nurse the baby/make dinner/homeschool older child/check facebook
• remove your wrap so you can refill the tub with clean lukewarm water
• rinse wrap by gently swishing through clean water

Wool wraps should be laid flat to dry.  Extreme temperature changes (either hot or cold) and agitation can felt your wool wrap and make it unsafe for use, which is why these wraps should be washed by hand unless otherwise specified by the manufacturer. Do not wring wool or put it through a spin cycle.  To remove excess water you may roll your wrap up in towels and press it to let the towels absorb the water from the wool.  Hanging can distort the wrap, so lay flat rather than hanging to dry.

Wool should only be washed with a wool wash and should not be treated with lanolin.  Woolite is not recommended for wool wraps but these brands are recommended:

• Ecover Delicate
• Eucalan
• Kookaburra
• Unicorn Fibre Wash

Handwash silk wraps in lukewarm water using a gentle detergent specified for delicates, silk, or wool (see photo tutorial below). Roll in towels to remove excess water. Hang to dry but do not leave in direct sunlight for long as that can fade the colors of the silk.  Can be ironed on the silk setting (low heat).

 Easy Instructions for Washing Your Wool Wrap
from Alysia Ladybirds Lynn

To help you interpret washing instructions on a sewn-in tag:

Girasol washing instructions:

Our carriers are all made from fabric that may be washed in the machine at 60°C (140°F) . Baby carriers and slings shrink a little after the first wash – the lengths stated refer to the lengths after washing.  All Girasol baby carriers  may be ironed and occasionally – if haste is required – even dried in tumble-driers.

Storchenwiege washing instructions:

Your Storchenwiege wrap can be washed in the machine on gentle or regular cycle with like colors. Use mild detergent sparingly. If you have hard water you might want to use a water softener. Please do not use fabric softener ever, it ruins the fabric.

It is not recommended for drying in a dryer and it is not guaranteed for drying in the dryer. It might shrink a little. They do dry quite quickly just line dried.

Wrapsody Breeze washing instructions:

Our 100% cotton Breeze carriers can be machine washed and dried. As the carriers are long and can tangle in your machines, it is best to first place the carrier inside a pillowcase or mesh sweater bag before washing. Do not use bleach. Feel free to utilize the soap you would use on any of your baby products, provided the soap does not contain bleach. Generally, a cold or warm wash is ideal. Line dry or dry on medium heat.

FIRST WASH

Due to the saturation of our beautiful hand-dyed fabrics, the first few times you wash your carrier, it should be washed separate from other items, as unbonded dye may remain in the fibers. Is is a good idea to do this with our WrapDuO (stretchy water wrap) as well. Removing any excess dye will not cause your carrier to fade. There are commercially available “color catcher” sheets that you may wish to use in your first wash — to be honest, I cannot find any compelling discussion of the science of these sheets, but many folks swear by them.

You can wash as normal in warm water and check the rinse water until you see it is clear.

AVOID FADING

Avoid fading the vibrant colors in your hand-dyed wrap. Do not dry it in direct sunlight, or if you do dry in direct sunlight, do not leave it longer than necessary. Additionally, be aware that storing your wrap in sunlight, such as in a sunny spot of your car or in a sunny window, can cause the colors to fade over time.

Wrapsody Wrap DuO (water wrap) care instructions:

Our WrapDuO wraps are made from a high-tech, 100% polyester sports knit. You can machine wash these wraps in cold or, occasionally, warm water and tumble dry on low or air dry.

The fabrics are knit in order to wick moisture away from your skin and your baby’s without chemical additives. Fabric softener or detergent residue can interfere with this process, so to maximize the high-tech nature of this wrap, use a light detergent that will rinse clean and no fabric softener or dryer sheets.

In a top-loading washer with an agitator, or when you are washing the wrap with other items, first secure the wrap in a mesh sweater bag or pillowcase to avoid tangling, stretching, and straining the fabric of the wrap.

Lenny Lamb wrap washing instructions:

WOVEN WRAPS & RING SLINGS

• 100% COTTON

Machine wash at a max. temperature 30°C using detergents for delicate fabrics. Do not bleach. Do not dry clean. Do not tumble dry. Iron medium (max. 150°C). Drip dry.

• 100% LINEN

Hand wash with detergents for delicate fabrics. Wash cold (max. 30°C). Do not bleach. Do not dry clean. Do not tumble dry. Iron medium (max. 150°C). Drip dry.

• COTTON + BAMBOO VISCOSE & COTTON + LINEN

Hand wash with detergents for delicate fabrics. Wash cold (max. 30°C). Do not bleach. Do not dry clean. Do not tumble dry. Iron cool (max. 110°C). Drip dry.

• COTTON + OTHER BLENDS (wool, silk, cashmere, metallised yarn)

Hand wash with detergents for delicate fabrics. Wash cold (max. 30°C). Do not bleach. Do not dry clean. Do not tumble dry. Iron cool (max. 110°C). Dry flat.

EllaRoo washing instructions:

Machine wash cold, gentle cycle. Hang in a well-ventilated area to dry.
The Wrap is not pre-washed. Extra dye will bleed from the fabric the first few times it is washed. Wash separately,and rinse thoroughly. Do not let soak.

Didymos washing instructions:

PREWASH

DIDYMOS Baby Wraps and Slings are manufactured without any textile glaze or other chemical ingredients. We only use organic cotton (cultivated in accordance with strict organic standards) and ecologically sound, absolutely metal free, skin friendly dyes. There is no need to wash your wrap or sling before using it unless you want the wrap fabric to be softer right from the start

SHRINKAGE

Natural, untreated cotton shrinks a bit during the first wash. Therefore, your new DIDYMOS has additional fabric length to guarantee that your wrap or sling has the correct length after washing.

Natibaby washing instructions:

*there is some debate about Natibaby’s instructions to use powdered detergent as they are the only one who prefers powders and it is believed that the powder could weaken fibers over time.  It is generally accepted by babywearers that it is better to use liquid laundry detergent that does not contain any fabric softener, and it is assumed that all of the liquid detergent available where Natibaby is located does contain softeners, hence the powder recommendation.

1)      First, each sling/wrap should be washed at 30 C (cold), 40 C (warm) or 60 C (hot), depending on maximum allowed washing temperature for a specific sling/wrap. You should not try on or use the sling/wrap before first washing. This is because, your sling/wrap must shrink to its designed length and its designed weaving density. Adequate weaving density is the condition for sling/wrap safety and durability. Shrinking occurs only during the first washing. If shrinking would keep occurring later then probably a mistake during washing of the sling/wrap happened.

2)      Sling/wrap should be washed in small amount of washing powder for babies. Using laundry liquid makes fiber too slippery, which, in some slings and wraps, may cause the threads to move during tying and tightening.

3)      Try to avoid washing the sling/wrap together with clothes with zippers or other sharp elements, as those may catch on the sling/wrap or pill the sling’s/wrap’s material.

4)      To avoid pilling of the sling/wrap, we suggest that you rather have a full load of your washing machine. This will protect your sling/wrap from milling about too much and rubbing against other clothes or slings/wraps during washing.

5)      It is worth to pay some attention to sweaters, fleece or jackets worn on top of your sling/wrap. Sharp edges of your zipper, heavy duty thread used in the inner side of your jacket (especially for pockets) may pill your sling/wrap in those places.

You can find the following symbols on the labels:

100% cotton

•  Temperature: 60 °C (hot wash)
•   Tumble Dry
•   Do Not Bleach
•  Iron with medium heat (110 °C – 150 °C)
•  Do Not Dry Clean

Cotton / natural bamboo or bamboo viscose

Bamboo viscose cannot be drenched too long. The maximum time of drenching and rinsing exceed 40-50 minutes.

•   Hand Wash
•   Temperature: 30 °C (cold wash)
•    Do Not Tumble Dry
•   Do Not Bleach
•  Iron with medium heat (110 °C – 150 °C)
•   Do Not Dry Clean

Linen / bamboo viscose

•  Hand Wash
•   Temperature: 30 °C (cold wash)
•    Do Not Tumble Dry
•   Do Not Bleach
•  Iron with medium heat (110 °C – 150 °C)
•   Do Not Dry Clean

Cotton / linen

•   Temperature: 40 °C (warm wash)
•   Tumble Dry
•   Do Not Bleach
•  Iron with medium heat (110 °C – 150 °C)
•   Do Not Dry Clean

Cotton / wool or cashmere

•  Hand Wash
•   Temperature: 30 °C (cold wash)
•    Do Not Tumble Dry
•   Do Not Bleach
•  Iron with medium heat(not to exceed 110 °C)
•   Do Not Dry Clean

The most common damage of a sling/wrap with wool occurs in the process of unintended felting Wool felting is caused by three factors:

1)      Higher temperature.

Because of this, you should wash your wool blend sling/wrap in a temperature not higher than 30 degrees (cold wash).

2)      Operation of detergents with alkaline or acid reaction.

This is the reaction of, among others, washing powders and laundry liquids. Amounts usually used for washing are not dangerous to the sling/wrap, but, of course, it is better to use small amounts of those detergents.

It is more appropriate to use detergents of alkaline reaction then acid reaction, as the acid environment causes the wool to crush. Therefore, please avoid using e.g. citric acid to remove stains.

3)      The textile’s mechanical mashing process.

Wool blend sling/wrap may felt if you wash it in a low (cold) temperature, but with small load of your washing machine. The sling/wrap has a lot of space then, which makes it “mill about and mash”. In general, we rather suggest to hand wash the wool blend sling/wrap, but we know that many parents take the risk and wash them in a washing machine on a “hand wash” cycle with good results. If you decide to venture this method, please remember to have full load of your washing machine by adding other clothes and/or slings and wraps.

Cotton / silk or silk with ramie

•  Special cycle for fine fabrics
•   Temperature: 30 °C (cold wash)
•    Do Not Tumble Dry
•   Do Not Bleach
•  Iron with medium heat (110 °C – 150 °C)
•   Do Not Dry Clean

Silk is sensitive to sunlight and this is why silk blend slings and wraps should be dried in shade and stored in dark place.