Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TryTidepurclean #tidepurclean #ad

There’s still a bit of summer left in Seattle and we’re making the most of it. (Thanks in part to Tide purclean, which I’ll explain in a sec.) We’ve got two little kids and getting out of the house is good for the kids and for my sanity. When we’re out having fun I try not to stress about my kids’ clothes getting dirty… because they’re kids! And they should be worrying about having fun not keeping clean. So in this post I’m sharing our top Seattle outdoor places to bring the kids and some laundry tips for when you get home.

Top Outdoor Kid Spots in Seattle

Here are our family’s top 6 outdoor places to take the kids in Seattle.

Seattle Outdoor Spot #1 – Discovery Park

Discovery Park has a ton of walking trails to let the kids run wild on. We go on “hikes” to see gorgeous water views, lush greenery, and the occasional wildlife.

Seattle Outdoor Spot #2 – Woodland Park Zoo

As season pass holders, we go to the zoo a lot. Our top favorite animals to see are the bears, otters, gorillas, and butterflies.

Seattle Outdoor Spot #3 – Ballard Locks

“The Locks” as we call it is a popular Seattle tourist attraction and a spot we walk to frequently. It’s fun to watch boats come in the locks, see the water level rise, and watch the boats sail out the other end. There is also the salmon fish ladder there where we can watch salmon swim upstream.

Seattle Outdoor Spot #4 – Green Lake

With a 3-mile paved loop around the lake, this is the perfect spot for summer evening stroller walks. There is a kid wading pool, shallow lake spots for kids, open grassy areas, and a playground.

Seattle Outdoor Spot #5 – Salmon Bay Park

This park keeps us coming back. It has a good old-fashion merry-go-round, a zipline, swings, a sandbox, slides, grass areas, etc.

Seattle Outdoor Spot #6 – Golden Gardens

This beach is always packed for a reason. Golden Gardens is a great place to dig around in the sand and wade into the water.

How We Get Our Kids’ Clothes Clean

Like I said, we love spending time outside enjoying the summer weather. On these outdoor adventures, the kids almost always get dirty. They need a good bath, and their clothes need a good bath too.

Laundry Tip #1 – Tide purclean

If you are looking for a safe laundry detergent, try Tide purclean. We recently discovered Tide purclean, which is a plant-based detergent that has the cleaning power of Tide, at our local Fred Meyer store. It’s good for us and the earth – and good at getting our clothes clean. Win, win!

For a while, I had been meaning to look into natural detergents to use. I liked the idea of plant-based, especially for my kids’ clothes, but I was hesitant because I was worried our clothes wouldn’t get as clean. Then, I found Tide purclean at Fred Meyer and decided to give it a try because if I could get plant-based while still getting the cleaning power of Tide, then I definitely wanted in!

We went to the Ballard Fred Meyer in Seattle and found it in aisle 9 by the laundry and cleaning supplies. It comes in the Unscented and Honey Lavender scents. We wanted to try out Honey Lavender. Be on the lookout for Tide purclean Demonstration Carts when visiting Fred Meyer Seattle locations so you can get a coupon to try it yourself! You can save $3 off one Tide purclean liquid laundry detergent (excludes trial/travel size) from Seattle area Fred Meyer stores.

After looking into Tide purclean, here are some things I found that I already liked about this product:

1. Tide purclean is 70% plant-based and is certified by the USDA BioPreferred program. FYI, plant-based products contain ingredients from plant, marine, forestry and other agricultural sources, and provide a renewable alternative to petroleum-based ingredients.
2. It’s free of dyes, chlorine, phosphates, ethanolamine and optical brighteners.
3. Tide purclean is produced at a facility that uses 100% renewable wind electricity and is zero manufacturing waste to landfill.
4. It’s HE-compatible.

Knowing all of this, we gave it a spin in the washing machine to try it out.

After trying out Tide purclean, I really liked it. In the past I have typically gone with fragrance-free detergents, but I really liked the Honey Lavender scent! Tide purclean was so easy to carry, store, and use – and best of all, I felt good using it. I loved using a product that I know is safe for my kids and that cleans really well. The peace of mind was nice on so many fronts.

Laundry Tip #2 – Help Your Clothes Last Longer

Here are a few laundry tips you can try to help your kids’ clothes maintain their quality and last longer:

• Always check pockets and the outside of the clothes. Kids love to stuff things (e.g., rocks, snacks, leaves, toys, etc.) into their pockets or put things, like stickers, on the the clothes. By removing these items before washing, you’ll prevent them from causing additional damage or wear and tear to the clothes.
• Unbutton all the buttons. Keeping buttons buttoned up can cause stress to the button and the buttonholes.
• Turn clothes inside out. Doing this will still ensure that the clothes get clean while protecting them from pilling, helping them maintain their original color, and reducing the chance of a more visible area of the clothing getting snagged or worn.

Laundry Tip #3 – Make Folding Kid Clothes Easy

My final laundry tip I have shared in another post, but I’ll share it again… I highly recommend folding your kids’ outfits together. I fold the pair of pants right into the shirt. It may take another few seconds when you’re folding, but this way you can just grab and go in the mornings when things are hectic and crazy. And it makes it so my kid can pick out which outfit he’ll wear that day but guarantees it will still match.

Enjoy the last bit of summer! And I hope your kids and their clothes get a little messy playing outside… because they can always be washed 😉

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