Your kiddos spend years of their lives in their car seats. And as a result, they get messy often!
But what is the best way to clean you child’s car seat? We’re here to help you with that.
According to Dr. Alisa Baer, also known as The Car Seat Lady, the products you use are very important. However, there is one thing you should do before gathering you cleaning supplies, Dr. Baer insists.
“You need to check the instruction manual for your specific seat,” she says. Dr. Baer explains that when taking apart the car seat you need to know exactly how to put it back together to ensure your little one’s safety.
Baer also suggested that you take videos and pictures of your car seat before the cleaning begins so that you can refer back to them when putting the car seat back together properly and safely.
Now, onto the cleaning products. Grab a clean rag, a bucket of water, a toothbrush, cotton swabs, and a screwdriver with another wet rag over top of it.
Parts of the car seat you want to avoid cleaning with any products are the plastic and harness parts of the car seat. As Dr. Baer explains, “Car seats are exposed to extreme heat, so I try not to put anything on the plastic or harness that could affect the integrity of these parts.”
As you begin to wipe down the seat, go part by part. After removing the crumbs and giving it a quick vacuum, start with the straps.
Only use water and a toothbrush when cleaning the straps.
When it comes to the inserts of your car seat, most fabrics are machine washable. The Mamas Uncut exclusive five-harness car seat is as well! So use the detergent you use to clean your child's clothes.
Just be sure to NEVER put them in the dryer! Hang dry only and be sure to refer back to your user manual when putting the inserts back in the car seat.
When it comes to the groin buckle, most can be cleaned with warm water and a gentle soap. But as Dr. Baer points out, it's very important to dry the buckles upside down to ensure rust doesn't begin to grow, compromising the effectiveness of the safety harness.
“This is important, as I’ve seen rusty buckles from car seat cleaning services that steam or something else that wets the area and they leave the crotch buckle rightside up and buckled in while it’s drying,” Dr. Baer says.
And there you have it! When it comes to cleaning your car seat, less is definitely more! But in the end, hopefully these tips and tricks help make the process simple and effective.