So I guess it had to happen eventually. DS projectile vomited exorcist style in the car yesterday. I washed the car seat cover but it was so much liquid it was in every crack and crevice and the straps -oh god the straps still smell even after sitting out all night. I used baby wipes to wipe them down. Um any other things that can help with this?
As far as the straps reeking, letting them sit in the sun will help with that. And definitely dont soak the straps as that is against manufacture recommendations and can void their ability to work properly.
I didn't soak them although my H was not understanding why. Luckily we have another seat to replace this one in the mean time. I will do another wipe down today and let them it sit in the sun. Hopefully it helps!
Basically - follow manufacturer's instructions (check manual, call, or email them), don't hose down/soak/saturate/wash/wring out the straps, and don't use anything stronger than mild soap (baby soap or mild dish soap is usually fine, but check with the manufacturer) and water on a wrung out washcloth. No bleach (including oxyclean), acids (vinegar/lemon juice), abrasives (baking soda), alcohol or other strong chemicals (Lysol). If you wouldn't wash your baby's face with it, don't use it on the carseat. The sun is fine.
I would not hose down a seat unless you strip it to the shell (take off all the cover and all straps, which may not be possible) and the shell doesn't contain any metal parts or foam or crevices where water could get traps (generally only the cheapest seats fit that description). Again, use a mild dish soap and water for the shell.
Baby wipes are fine for the straps, but I had much better luck getting vomit smell out with a wrung out washcloth and baby soap.
anaps28 - check your manual, but you can try wiping the straps with the wrung out washcloth and baby soap, then with a clean washcloth with no soap. You might have to repeat this a couple of time. I had to do it twice before the smell was gone, but it was fine after that. Good luck!
Thanks! We had to pour water into the back basin of the seat bc it was like a pool of puke. I'm going to try the wash clothe and baby soap.
My take home from this thread is that I never want my kid to puke in the car. And I am suddenly rethinking an expensive car seat as buying a new one sounds easier.
This is going to sound snarky and i don't mean it that way, but wouldn't the baby puke itself be against manufacturers recommendations as it could be pretty acidic depending on the amount of stomach acids. If the straps were soaked with pule, then really the only safe thing would be a new seat, or at a minimum new straps if available. If the fabric starts to degrade that quickly, then no cleaning would be safe as the degradation starts with the puke.
I'm really just curious as I know we will have to deal with this issue at some point.
Post by Diana Prince on Sept 2, 2014 12:27:22 GMT -5
I had to clean DS seat this weekend & I loosely followed along with this woman's instructions (hers was vomit, mine was just pee). I didn't use the baking soda though. I used diluted Tide & I only had to wash the cover, I just wiped down the straps with a damp cloth.
This is going to sound snarky and i don't mean it that way, but wouldn't the baby puke itself be against manufacturers recommendations as it could be pretty acidic depending on the amount of stomach acids. If the straps were soaked with pule, then really the only safe thing would be a new seat, or at a minimum new straps if available. If the fabric starts to degrade that quickly, then no cleaning would be safe as the degradation starts with the puke.
I'm really just curious as I know we will have to deal with this issue at some point.
Yes, you should wipe off as much of the puke as possible as soon as you can (with baby wipes, etc.), and then wipe with mild soap and water when you get to your destination. I'm pretty sure most people try to stop and wipe it up ASAP. I would not recommend soaking the straps for hours/overnight in a tub of puke.
In all seriousness, if you sprayed the straps with vinegar or lemon juice or something very acidic (or basic, or caustic like oxyclean), and then immediately wiped/rinsed it off with mild soap and water, maybe the straps would be fine. But then what is the point of the vinegar/lemon juice/oxyclean/baking soda? It's not going to do anything if you don't leave it on there very long. Why not just follow the directions?
And I'm sure the car seat manufacturer's have taken some puking episodes + cleaning with water and mild soap into account when testing the straps. But puking + soaking in oxyclean/vinegar/baking soda is a lot more stress on the fibers and the flame retardant in the straps.
In any case, wiping with mild soap and water works (you might have to do it a couple of times), is easy, and (for most seats) has been tested/approved by the manufacturer. If that doesn't work, call the manufacturer and see what they recommend.
If the straps are so disgusting that you can't get them clean, you can generally order them for $5-25 from the manufacturer.