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As a mom of three daughters — 10, 8 and 3 — hand-me-downs are just a fact of life. Not only does it save so much money, but using the same clothes for multiple kids helps us live a more sustainable lifestyle and makes me feel better as a parent about reducing our carbon footprint. It may be a small thing, but it still matters.
Now that it's back-to-school season, I'm taking out that overfilled plastic tub from the back of the closet to find appropriately sized clothes for my youngest that I've saved from her older sisters throughout the years. But here's the thing with saving all those clothes: While having a big age gap between my oldest and youngest is actually pretty amazing in so many ways, keeping clothes clean for over half a decade has been a challenge.
Moms of multiples know what I mean — you take out that box of clothes you've been saving over the years and start going through them only to realize half of them have nasty stains on them that our exhausted eyes must've not seen the first time around. It doesn't help matters that my middle child is one that loves to use all her clothes as a napkin and is the messiest eater this side of the sun.
Now that I've learned that lesson the hard way with saved baby clothes, this time around I'm extra vigilant about pre-treating stains and spills to ensure they're able to be saved for my youngest a few years down the road.
These pink shorts have already been through three other kids.
Cousins and friends, the hand-me-down train never ends and clearly they've been played hard in. Luckily, OxiClean™ Color Boost™ Brightener + Stain Remover Liquid swooped in to save the day. Being the tired mom I am, I didn't even bother to pre-treat the stain (which is also an option), but chose to follow the directions to add it in with my laundry detergent, which really couldn't be easier.
One load later, and voila!
I mean, seriously, these 7-year-old shorts look practically brand new!
Because I love a good before-and-after, here's a close-up:
And that wasn't just any fresh stain — that was a years-old stain. I mean, I would be lying if I didn't say I was impressed.
Next up was tackling a white dress with mysterious stains all over the front.
My guess is a combination of food and a mysterious art project gone awry — you know, the usual.
Since my 8-year-old will still be wearing it until she outgrows it and I want to keep it relatively stain-free for my toddler one day, I decided to use OxiClean™ Versatile Stain Remover™ Free. This is a powder that's dye- and fragrance-free which is great for those with scent sensitivities (i.e. the 8-year-old). You simply add the powder to the washing machine drum before putting the soiled clothes in and it works in tandem with the detergent to get clothes extra clean.
Spoiler alert: It totally worked.
Here's an additional life hack: It's also great as a carpet stain remover — and especially versatile if you have both little kids who make lots of stains and dogs who sometimes have accidents. Trust me, I should know.
Thanks to all this laundry boosting power, my youngest now has what feels like a practically new back-to-school wardrobe without breaking the bank — and that’s a major parenting win.
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