Almost every parent now invests in a baby stroller to enjoy a relaxed yet delightful time with the infant. It comes in various forms – while walking on the sidewalk/park, attending outdoor events, doing indoor chores, and travelling/flying far from home. A stroller eventually becomes your must-carry companion. But frequent uses will surely result in accumulated grime, stains, and trash. That's where regular and proper cleaning of foldable strollers becomes intuitively important. Appropriate maintenance of a stroller preserves its aesthetics and purposes while keeping up a hygienic and fresh space for your baby.
Deep Cleaning of a Foldable Baby Stroller: A Thorough Guide
There are different ways to wash your pushchair stroller, given its requirement of constant cleanliness. You can go for classic indoor cleaning in bathtubs for the entire assembly. Or, you can give the different stroller parts a time-consuming but worthy deep cleaning.
Necessary Cleaning Supplies
Gather all the items/ingredients required for a thorough cleaning. You should stick to the following list –
Vacuum Cleaner
Suitable Detergent
Disinfecting Spray
Clean and Soft Clothes
Soft Bristle Brush
Large Container
Stain Remover
Mildly Warm Water
No need to overwhelm yourself with the exact supplies instead of the alternatives available in the house. You can choose buckets instead of containers, toothbrushes instead of bristle brushes, wipes instead of spray, and soaps instead of detergent. No what detergent, spray, or soap you want to use, make sure they're safe for baby care.
Cleaning the Fabric (Seat and Canopy)
Step 01 – Going through the Manual
Read the entire manual well before the cleaning process. There may be specific instructions associated with the disassembling and/or cleaning. And chances of damaging any stroller part during the process become minimal.
Step 02 – Remove the Detachable Fabric
Always start with the detachable fabric components, as they tend to catch more dirt. Emphasize the seat as well as the canopy. Follow instructions from the stroller manual to avoid mistakes or errors. It makes the cleaning process easy and lets you address the distinctive levels of cleanliness.
Step 03 – Vacuuming the Exterior Surfaces
Now vacuum the detached fabric to remove all the loose debris, crumbs, and/or specks of dust. You better use a handheld one or a vacuum with flexible nozzle attachments from standard models. Be sure to focus on every seam and crevice alongside all the pockets and/or storage space.
Step 04 – Washing with Detergent/Soap
Rub the fabric to wash out tougher dirt with a soap/detergent and warm water. Handwashing the fabric is the most preferable to avoid potential damage. Look into the manual to see whether you can go for machine washing. A gentle cycle and proper temperature setting are the most important there.
Step 05 – Naturally Drying the Fabric
Avoid putting the cleaned fabric right in the dryer. Instead, you should dry the components under the sunlight. Or choose a well-ventilated area of your house for natural drying during bad weather. Leave the clothes for an entire day to completely dry out.
Cleaning the Buckles and Straps on the Stroller
Don't overlook straps or buckles while doing separate cleaning for stroller parts. They remain in direct contact with your newborn, easily harbouring microbes. Use a toothbrush to scrub the surfaces with warm soapy water. It's actually applicable to all kinds of small components that may endorse bacterial growth. After scrubbing the surfaces, thoroughly rinse the parts with clean water to remove all soapy residuals. Allow the components to dry under natural influence. Gentle scrubbing may remove the microbes to some extent. But further disinfection may be necessary. No need to remain very gentle or too rough while cleaning the straps or buckles. Maintain a balance to achieve the best results.
Cleaning the Frame and Wheels on the Stroller
Step 01 – Wiping the Entire Frame
Apply disinfecting wipes to clean the stroller's structuring frame. Alternatively, you can choose a soft cloth dampened with all-purpose sprays for the cleaning. Make sure to be thorough to reach every nook and cranny. Emphasize the handlebars as the parts accumulate more dirt and/or germs due to frequent use.
Step 02 – Cleaning All the Wheels
Closely inspect all wheels for any lodged debris (stick, glass, or rock). You can take off the wheels in case they're detachable. Use a brush or tweezers to remove large debris. Now, give the wheels a soapy bath with water to rinse them off. Allow the wheels to dry and reattach them to the stroller mainframe.
How to Do a Quick Cleaning for Strollers?
It's not always possible to do such extensive cleaning for everyone, especially parents who travel a lot. In that case, you may conduct a special shortcut cleaning for the stroller without disassembling the parts.
Put a pair of non-bio laundry pods in warm water. Add 1/4 cup of baking soda to fill the tub up to a certain depth. Submerge the foldable stroller in the mixture so that no crucial parts remain untouched. Additionally, pour 1/4 cup of white distilled vinegar across the entire surface.
Let everything sit for an hour before scrubbing the wet stains with a sponge or bristled brush. Continue the hands-on cleaning for about 5 – 10 minutes. Wear gloves to protect your skin from any wanted reactions. Leave the stroller soaked for another two hours before in the mix.
Perform another round of gentle scrubbing of everything for a minute while draining the tub. You can turn on the shower to hose the assembled stroller in the upright position. Let all the residual water drip down for long enough before moving the stroller outside for natural drying.
The process surely takes several hours to complete. But the actual cleaning option by yourself won't take more than 20 minutes. However, it's better to avoid employing such cleaning measures all the time. It's because submerging it can eventually mess up the folding mechanism and rust the frame surfaces.
Removing Odors and Stains from the Stroller
Regardless of your caution and care, stains on the foldable pushchair stroller will happen for sure. It can result from food, vomit, mold, urine, and even several of them together.
Food
Get rid of all solid residues with paper towels or soft clothes. Apply a mix of warm water with detergent or soap to scrub the surface. Now, wash the part using some warm water to let the place dry naturally.
Vomit
Wipe out the solid and/or liquid chunks with an absorbent towel. Now rub the area with a damp but warm cloth. You should scrub the place using dishwashing soap with water. Alternatively, you can go for a mix of hydrogen peroxide with baking soda. The chemical mixture should neutralize the odor. Let the affected surfaces dry, and then vacuum up the remaining residuals.
Mildew/Mold
Storing the stroller in damp environments can easily develop mold/mildew. Even leaving the residual food on the fabric for a prolonged period also causes this issue. You'll need a bristle brush or toothbrush to remove such parasitic growths. Also, mix some baking soda in warm water to fill a spray bottle. Now spray the affected area, let the solution sit for a while, and wipe out the sprayed place.
Urine
Get an absorbent towel to blot up the loose liquid as soon as possible. Now, craft a 1:1 mixture of water with distilled white vinegar. Spray the solution directly over the stain and allow the regions to dry.
Always start with the removal of the visible solid and/or liquid. Then, wash the surfaces to allow natural drying. Don't forget to apply odor-eliminating ingredients to neutralize the smell.
When to Consult Professional Cleaning?
Of course, it's not always possible to treat well-settled stains and long-term odors right away. Letting the spills settle down can eventually turn a simple mark into nightmarish stains. And you should look for professional assistance instead of vigorous or rough scrubbing. A professional cleaner should help you retain the almost original look. But don't blindly leave the stroller cleaning process to them without looking into crucial factors. More specifically, you must know whether they'll apply baby-safe cleaning items with no harsh chemicals.
How Often Should You Clean the Stroller?
There are no existing rules to confine your interest in cleaning the travel gear. Still, a generic thumb rule sets a one-month interval for deep cleaning. So, you can do some deep cleaning of the stroller once a month. However, the actual frequency wildly varies based on your usage, outings, and baby's condition. Parents who frequently visit outdoor locations with their babies will obviously need to clean the pushchair stroller more often. It's also a healthy practice to inspect everything for odors, stains, and buildup. Performing an instantaneous wipe-down on the stroller after every use also helps maintain its cleanliness.
Wrapping Up
It's indeed a lengthy process since cleaning involves disassembling, washing, drying, and reassembling. Still, opt for deep cleaning of your baby stroller at reasonable intervals. For better maintenance, you must take care of spills instantly. And avoid storing the baby's travel gear in damp places. Even if you decide to do so, please wrap the entire folded frame in a suitable bag or pack.
