Before using your hope&plum carrier or drool pads for the first time, you need to wash them using the care instructions below.

This is very important! Many hands touch your carrier on its way to you, from weaving to printing to cutting to sewing to QC to boxing up; it takes a village to make your carrier or accessory.

Before you or your baby uses it, make sure it's clean and fresh.

• Always wash your carrier or accessory before you use for the first time.
• Only use detergents without optical brighteners. If preferred, you can also use a specialized delicate detergent for extra care.
• We recommend washing carriers in a wash bag/mesh bag or a pillowcase for added protection.
• Wash on a cool wash.
• Remove from the washer promptly; do not allow carriers to sit damp in the washing machine.

Machine Washing:

• Unbuckle all the buckles and unscrunch the seat. 
• Remove any added accessories.
• Place the Lark or Sprout and drool pads into a wash bag.
• Wash on a cool wash with detergent without optical brighteners.
• Do not allow it to sit damp in the washing machine.

Handwashing:

• Unbuckle the carrier and remove any accessories.
• Handwash in cool water using a detergent without optical brighteners.

Machine Washing:

• Unthread the fabric from the rings.
• Cover the rings with a ring wrap or with a pair of baby or sports socks secured with a hair tie. This prevents the rings from getting scratched when the washing machine agitates.
• Remove any added accessories.
• Place the carrier in a wash bag.
• Wash on a cool wash with detergent without optical brighteners.
• Remove from the washer promptly; do not allow it to sit damp in the washing machine.

Handwashing:

• Unthread the fabric from the rings.
• Remove any accessories.
• Handwash in cool water using a detergent without optical brighteners.

Machine Washing:

• Untie the wrap.
• Place the carrier in a wash bag.
• Wash on a cool wash with detergent without optical brighteners.
• Remove from the washer promptly; do not leave it sitting damp in the washing machine.

Handwashing:

• Untie the wrap.
• Handwash in cool water using a detergent without optical brighteners.

Machine Washing:

• Place the accessory into a wash bag. This is recommended to protect any hardware.
• Wash on a cool wash with detergent without optical brighteners.
• Do not allow it to sit damp in the washing machine.

Handwashing:

• Handwash in cool water using a detergent without optical brighteners.

• Lay your carriers flat to dry. This prevents the fabric from stretching out.
• You can also use the clothes dryer on a low or no heat setting.
• Never dry your carriers in direct sunlight as this will fade the colors or prints.
• Never dry in a tumble dryer on warm or high heat.

• Lay your accessories flat to dry. This prevents the fabric from stretching out and allows the item to maintain its shape.
• You can also use the clothes dryer on a low or no heat setting. DO NOT use the clothes dryer for drool pads.
• Never dry your accessories in direct sunlight as this will fade the colors or prints.
• Never dry in a clothes dryer on warm or high heat.

Your carrier or accessories can be ironed using the steam setting or steamed with a steamer. This will remove wrinkles and also soften the carrier up again.

After drying, your carrier will feel a bit stiffer than normal. You can bring it back to its typical softness by:

• Using your carrier! Your and your baby's body heat will remove any starchy feeling.
• Running through your dryer on a low or no heat setting for a short time. It helps to add towels or dryer balls.
• Use a steamer or iron with a steam function to steam your carrier or accessories. Make sure you allow it to fully dry again before storing.

Treat all stains as soon as possible to prevent them setting in.

• Rinse solid matter off as soon as possible.
• Use old-fashioned dish soap (e.g. Blue Dawn) and dab into the stained area.
• Wash following usual washing instructions for your carrier (outlined above), ensuring you’re washing on cold wash.
• Some people also have success using gentle stain removers (e.g. Buncha Farmers). Use all stain removers at your own risk.

If you can treat immediately:

• Boil water.
• While the water is boiling, gently blot the mark. Do not rub hard.
• Add a little old-fashioned dish soap (e.g. Blue Dawn) to the stain.
• Place the carrier in a bathtub, sink, or bucket with the stain area accessible. If possible, have the stained side facing downwards.
• Pour boiling water on the stain from as high up as you can reach. Be careful to avoid splashes.
• Wash following usual care instructions for your carrier, ensuring you’re washing on cold wash.

If the stain has sat for a while:

• Add a little old-fashioned dish soap (e.g. Blue Dawn) to the stain.
• Wash following usual care instructions for your carrier, ensuring you’re washing on cold wash.

Where possible, spot treat stains or marks as soon as they happen. Never use bleach as it can damage the carrier, or stain removers with optical brighteners as they will cause the carrier to fade.

Remove any solid matter and then treat stains and marks with old-fashioned dish soap (e.g. Blue Dawn) and cold water, dabbing gently to remove stain. Try not to rub or scrub aggressively as this can force the stain further into the fabric.

Some people also have success using gentle stain removers (e.g. Buncha Farmers). Use all stain removers at your own risk.

You should only use detergents without optical brighteners to wash your baby carriers.

When treating stains, we recommend old-fashioned dish soap (e.g. Blue Dawn) for most stain types.

Some people also have success using gentle stain removers (e.g. Buncha Farmers). Use all stain removers at your own risk.

Mold growth on natural fibers is not typical, but can happen when subjected to damp conditions continuously.

If your carrier develops mold, it is no longer safe to use. Prevention is very important.

To prevent mold, we recommend using drool pads on your carrier. Remove drool pads from your carrier if they are wet or damp. Never leave your carrier or drool pads in the car or other storage, including in a flat bottom bag, if they are wet or damp. Allow them to fully dry before storing.

Please do not follow the cloth diaper care guidelines to remove mold as these can compromise the integrity of fibers and will make the carrier unsafe to use.

"Breaking in" is a term used to describe getting garments or fabrics ready for use, like a new pair of leather shoes.

hope&plum carriers are already broken in when you get them out of the box and you can use them straight away (just wash them first!), but the more you use your carriers, the softer they'll get.

The best way to soften your carrier is to use it! But if you're impatient and want to speed this process up, here’s some tips and tricks to soften your carrier fast:

• Leave your carrier in a warm car out of direct sunlight for a few days.
• While you watch, let your kids play with or roll around with your carriers. The more they get beaten up, the softer they get. Make sure you supervise at all times.
• Wear a heavier child who is still within the weight limits of the carrier.
• Run your carrier through the tumble dryer on a low or no-heat setting along with some towels or dryer balls. For a ring slings or meh dais, make sure to cover the rings.
• Steam your carrier with an iron or steamer.
• Sleep or sit on top of your carrier. Sitting on it while driving is often effective.
• When it comes to ring slings, braiding and unbraiding or threading and unthreading the sling helps to break it in, an easy activity to do while watching TV!