Taking good care of kids' clothes - How to?

[TheLittleRoo]

I would like to buy nicer brands of clothing for my DD5 and DS2 so that I can *possibly* sell them on Ebay when they outgrow them. What I'm noticing is a lot of wash fade and wear, like tiny holes near seams (like if you put a safety pin through knit fabric?).

Can anyone recommend tips for preserving the life and quality of fabric for kids' clothes? Is there a great laundry detergent that is gentle on color and fabric? What is good for stain treatment? Even if the items never make it to Ebay, I'd like them to look good longer, you know? I use Tide w/ Bleach liquid on my whites and lights, and Tide Mtn Spring on my darks and brights. I think I use a Shout stainstick solid on spots/stains and Oxyclean on really weird set in stains. Is there something better than some of these products? Maybe I shouldn't use the dryer on any of their clothes?

Is the trick to selling kids clothes on Ebay, such as buying enough clothes that your child only wears it 2-3 times before the season changes? That seems anti-budgeting! I don't know how all these moms sell EUC boys clothing on Ebay - - my son is a wrecking ball!

Thanks for any advice!!

 

[loriannh]

I was a major Ebayer when my kids were younger. I worked at Gymboree so they wore 99% Gymboree bought at discount. I could often sell an outfit for as much or more than I paid for it -- after getting a season's wear out of it. But also keep in mind that my kids were allowed to wear the clothes...sometimes things weren't worth selling when we were done but often they were.

First, brand is very important. Check out Ebay and see what brands are selling well. Gymboree is good but not as good as it once was. Hanna Andersson has EXCELLENT resale value. GAP does okay depending on what you have.

I don't use a dryer on any clothes except for jeans, pjs, underwear, etc.. Everything else is linedried after being tumbled for a few minutes to get out wrinkles. Dark colors keep their color much better if they aren't put in the dryer.

It makes a huge difference. I have a friend who would often buy the same exact clothes for her kids as I did. There was a huge difference in how they looked when they were outgrown -- hers were out of shape, smaller and usually dingy (I think they just throw their clothes in the washer all together regardless of color).

HTH -

Lori
Mom to Zac (15) and triplets Noah, Karissa & Jazmine (8)

 

[KTSMOM]

I can tell you that Clorox 2 works well on clothes. I use that and Zout stain remover on all my DD's clothes and the stains come out wonderfully and the clothes still look bright and colorful. If you do use Clorox 2 make sure you don't use a detergent that has bleach in it.

 

[gillenkl]

I started buying gymboree because of the comfort and quality. I just do the basics - Darks in cold water and Whites in warm - I use mostly Tide and I hang everything to dry.

 

[Desnik]

I buy only Gymboree for DD(8.5) You can't beat the way they wash!! No fading, or pilling. We've never had anything fall apart. We wash them in cold water and hang dry most of the clothes. I always sell them on Ebay once she outgrows them and I do very well. I can make just as much as I paid sometimes! Especially the jeans and more popular lines. I once sold a baggie full on hair clips from Gymboree and it sold for almost $30!!!

 

[runwad]

I don't resale my stuff but pass then down to neices and I can't stress enough not putting the stuff in the dryer. I too damp dry then line dry. I also wash in cold on the gentle setting. My sisters love getting our hand-me-downs because they still look new and this is going thru 2 girls of my own first.

 

[lovetoscrap]

another vote for note putting them in the dryer--that is the worst for fading and weakning the fabric--and always wash darks in cold water and lights in warm or cold--but never use hot on anything but towels and socks and underwear!

 

[MayMom]

Another vote for Zout - I have a bottle in each of my kids closets and the minute that they take off their clothes, I look for stains and spray them before they go in the dryer. My DS6 is so well-trained, I caught him spraying a stain not too long ago. I can only find Zout at Target though. I buy 3-4 at a time......

 

[fakereadhed]

My tips:
Always snap up the snaps and buttons
Always wash inside out
Use dryer sheets vs. liquid to retain color/avoid pilling

I always use the dryer- I don't have time or space to mess around with hanging things. If they shrink a little, spritz with wrinkle releaser and give them a tug.

ITA with the quality of the items. It pays to buy less quantity of good quality clothes and wash them more, than to buy lots of lesser quality stuff.

 

[mrsboz]

We are another vote for not using the dryer. My son had outgrown six football shirts. They run from $30 - $40 each. I gave them to my nephew. My sister said how come these look so good? She said that his were all worn and the letters are all off. The dryer does a number on clothes.

 

[TheLittleRoo]

I never dry DD's Gymboree, but I do confess to drying DS2's Gymbo in the dryer.... Are you guys ironing the clothes to get the air dry wrinkles out or tossing them in with damp clothes for 5 mins to get the wrinkles out? I LOATHE ironing...

Clorox 2 is for stain removal? Oxyclean removes almost all my stains, but I wonder if its "cleaning power" is also removing some of the color and fabric strength??

I've noticed Gap clothes don't do too well on Ebay. And yep, Gymbo seems to be losing some of it's resale prowess from a few years back. I buy DD5 a lot of Oilily clothing because it REALLY retains its value, especially since I buy it NWT on Ebay or EUC to start with and then baby the heck out of the clothes when DD wears them!! Talk about pampered clothing...she's got a closet full of it! Heaven help DH if he takes her to the park in Oilily!

Boys clothes really seem to tank on Ebay, at least Gap and Gymbo. What else is there that resells well? I don't mind paying more for it, if I can resell it for 50-75% of what I paid for it.

Thanks for all the great advice! I just bought some Kirkland's laundry detergent today -- it got a consumer reports best buy (better than Tide!) so I'm curious to see if it outcleans my Tide.

 

[wdwfamilyinIL]

I don't use ebay, but have good luck with rummages. To start with I don't by clothes from Walmart/Kmart stores unless they are just going to play in them. I have three boys, and Old Navy is great. The denim holds up well. I only use ALL, beats Tide anyday and its cheaper. I also dry my clothes, but I don't let them sit in the dryer until they are bone dry. Use liquid fabric softner, if you use an equal amount of water in the holder on the washer then you don't get the residue on the clothes. Use shout for stains, for new clothes I always wash them with the shout color fast sheets. I have clothes that my three year old wears that my 8 year old wore, and you can't tell, and majority of time its those same clothes I resell.

 

[shirleyb]

JMO, but if the only reason you are planning to pay extra for clothes is for re-sale purposes, that sounds counterproductive. If the Gymboree clothes etc really where that well, maybe you should just buy them used in the first place?

If however, you're planning to buy the more expensive name brand clothes for other reasons, then I have no good tips for laudry, as I seem to stink at doing laundry!!! I always have stains I can't remove.

 

[MickeyP]

Anyone ever hear of putting vinegar in the water, or something like that? The lady at Penney's told me to do this and the navy pants won't look worn after a washing. It sounded weird but if people have heard of it here, I would reconsider.

 

[TheLittleRoo]

Yes, I have heard of using vinegar in the water with colors that run. I used to do this with my son's dark rugby shirts that (stupidly) came with those white collars, you know the kind?? It did work, but it got old having to treat those shirt differently, so we don't bother with them anymore.

Vinegar, as you may know, is what sets the color on the Easter egg dyes. Whatever properties it possesses, it does set colors.

As for the buying to resell, I've found that the only way to stay ahead of the resell curve on Ebay is to buy new Gymbo lines and sell them one season later. If you buy last years' stuff to wear this winter, and then try to sell it next winter, you won't do very well with your prices. On the other hand, if you buy new Gymbo on ebay or on sale at the store, and sell it next season, you can break even or come out ahead (believe it or not) when you sell. So, yes, it sounds counterproductive to pay more hoping it will sell, but that's why I've completely stopped buying Old Navy/ Gap/ Walmart/ Kohl's/ etc in favor of Oilily/ Gymboree/ designer labels. I can resell the brand name stuff, but not the other labels. I know that stuff is going to Goodwill when my kids outgrow it, whereas upscale can basically be "rented" (sold and resold, sometimes breaking even or losing very little). This is why I need the best advice about keeping colors brights, getting stains out, and keeping the fabric from fraying.

Thanks guys!