3 years back, when I gave birth to Max and needed a car seat to bring him home, and so on, John looked for seats for Lily but found them in bad condition. Later, at my workplace, a colleague of mine shared her story, which was similar to mine.
So what is the reason behind this bad condition? The reason is the non-maintenance of these things, and I didn’t know how to maintain a baby car seat properly. The maintenance starts with cleaning your baby’s car seat from time to time.
For that, you can follow any of the 3 methods: light cleaning, spot cleaning, and inclusive cleaning. You can choose among them depending on the time you have left and the extent of work needed.
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How To Maintain A Baby Car Seat? Maintenance 101
Do you know, that in the US around 29.6 M pounds of car seat materials pile up in local landfills per year? It is estimated that, by 2025 the child car seat market will rise around $2.5B. Can you imagine the amount of materials that will end up in landfills by then?
In those fields, most of the materials end up with low, even zero, maintenance of the child seats. Regular cleaning and timely recycling or repair could buy more time for those parents to buy a child car seat next.
However, let’s start with cleaning the baby’s car seat. Here, my cleaning methods would be a bit different than usual(described already in a separate article). To be specific, this is a short way for parents who already know the basic cleaning process.
Clean Your Baby Car Seats 3 Basic Methods
I’m going to classify the cleaning process into 3 methods. Why? You’re probably a working parent with a tight schedule, which means you have very little time for tasks like this. That’s why I divided this important task into 3 methods, choose as you need.
At first, you have to arrange a few elements that are mostly common in every cleaning method you want to follow. They are:
- A vacuum cleaner with the necessary attachment.
- Mild detergent or baby-safe soap/shampoo.
- Soft-bristle brush or old toothbrush.
- Microfiber or plain soft cloth.
- Baby-safe Disinfectant spray (Optional)
Not to mention, you’ll need some water to conduct this cleaning operation. Though I’ve mentioned the disinfectant as optional, I always used it in my car. Please follow some safety measures and the car seat manual, and remove all the possible parts for better maintenance.
Light Cleaning
I call it the “2-minute shot”. You can consider it as a routine cleaning. Using a small hand-held vacuum with the necessary attachments, you can easily collect all the dust, debris, food items, etc., within a few minutes.
Even difficult spots like below the car seat or buckle surface you can easily clean. If you can arrange an upholstery attachment (normally used for home cleaning), you can clear the whole surface inside your car and give it a fresh look.
Tip: If you can buy a few minutes more, you can also try the steaming method if your car seat manufacturer’s manual supports,
Spot Cleaning
It’s used especially when you’re running out of time and have a schedule to catch up soon after it’s finished. This way, first, you have to mix a baby shampoo with warm water and dip a microfiber cloth or any kind of cloth into the mixture.
Once it’s dipped enough, rub it on the spot until it gets soapy. Later, using a dry cloth, wipe the spot and absorb the humidity. If you have a bit more time, then use an old toothbrush and rub the spot gently. It’s my favorite way of spot-cleaning, though.
Note: The woven thread-made harnesses or straps should be only spot-cleaned.
The Inclusive Cleaning
This type of cleaning covers almost every single detail about the subject, so you can call it total cleaning, too. Regular fabric covers of your car seats consist of nylon, polyester, or both. This type of cover is used by the majority of leading car seat manufacturers.
A porous surface is very friendly for your child to breathe in but is also prone to liquid elements. If your kid ever spills any liquid, such as water or vomits, the cover won’t hold it for very long. This requires you to remove the car seat cover to wash.
Some car seat models support easy cover removal, which simplifies your effort to wash and try very easily. But what about the car seat models with fixed cover seats?
You have no alternative but to follow some steps. Remove the car seat first for easy operation.
- Using the crevice attachment, first vacuum the narrowest corners possible. Later, the upholstery attachment can help you to clean the fabric covers as thoroughly as possible. Afterward, vacuum the lower side of your car seat.
- Apply a baby-friendly soap or shampoo all over the car seat and rub it gently with a microfiber cloth or old toothbrush. This will allow the seats to absorb more moisture as it shortens the dying period and prevents extra moisture from being absorbed.
- If your car seat’s plastic structure and the foam beneath the cover need proper cleaning, too, pressurized water can help you serve that.
- Give it a complete dry in sunlight to all the seat covers you’ve pulled off before you install the baby car seat part by part.
Tip: If you want to drive safely and without risk, you must clean your car regularly, both inside and out.
What If The Car Seat Gets Rusty?
A baby car seat is made of several materials from top to bottom. The mainframe of the structure is made from metal. The hard shell covering the metal is made from polypropylene, the belts are made of polyamide, and the shock absorbers are made of polystyrene. The top cover is made of polyester.
All of the materials mentioned above become unusable as the baby car seat expires. With this, the plastic parts start to come apart, and over time, the metal part becomes rusty, which is a threat to the structure and, of course to the baby.
So, if your baby’s car seat gets rusty, then you better contact the local waste management services instead of using it, let alone selling that used car seat.
The same is possible for a car seat that has extended past its expiration: the plastic could break apart and fail to serve its purpose of keeping a child safe and uninjured in a crash. Most car seats also have metal parts that wear over time.
What If The Car Seat Needs To Be Recycled?
Recycling is a nice choice if you can make it. This provides a chance to reduce waste pollution and carbon emissions in the world, and seeking families can benefit too.
Before you go for recycling, make sure your car seat is not recalled, has no major crash history, is all intact, and has not expired. So, there are several options you can choose as a recycling medium. Such as
Option 1: Recycle Bin
It may sound odd, but in some states, old car seats can be dumped into the local recycling center. But before that, it is advised to make sure your car seat is in good condition to recycle.
If the center verifies it as recyclable, you will know the preparation next. Though not every recycling center accepts a car seat as a whole, it mostly accepts a good quantity of components. If so, you can put the plastic components in the plastic bin and the rest of the metals in the metal bin.
If there’s no recycling center nearby or your local recycling center refuses to accept your car seat, try the mail-in recycling program. This kind of program sometimes costs nearly the recycling value of the product. So, don’t expect big from recycling it.
Option 2: Car Seat Trading Program
Popular car seat manufacturing companies/dealers host a car seat trade-in program almost every year. Here you can get a gift card or store coupon of up to 20% off from that store, by exchanging your old child car seat.
It is normally held in April, you can get confirmed news at the stores individually or on their online portal. Not only old car seats, but damaged, minor-crashed, and in some cases expired car seats are also traded here.
Walmart has also been arranging this program since 2019. Through these programs, companies collect huge quantities of components, which are later recycled for new product manufacturing.
Last Option: Donation
It doesn’t go with the term recycling, but it’s also a good choice if you can make it. There are many hospitals and charity organizations that’ll accept your child’s car seat as a generous gift.
Through them, some needy families will get a chance to provide their children with some happy moments. If you want to know more about how to donate an infant car seat, I can lend you some of my personal experiences.
Some Tips
- Never let the mess last long. The more it gets time, the more difficult it’ll be to clean.
- Every couple of months, wipe down all the seats, steering, gear shifter, door handle, etc., every spot that gets human touch with a sanitizer. And later, leave all the doors open in the sunlight for an hour or two.
- If your baby’s car seat smells bad, like your baby’s diaper spills, just open all the windows so that air blows the odor away. Later, give it a gentle wash with a sun bath. Sunlight and open air are your good friends for removing any odor.
- As you know, some babies are prone to specific elements, so you shouldn’t use anything but the baby-friendly agents in your car or to wash the car seat. Only warm water and baby-friendly soap for use.
- Never ignore your car seat manuals, as they contain precious information that can help you use the car seat more effectively. If you’ve got a spare or are buying another car seat, please follow this.
- Keep baby wipes, diapers, and a disposable vomit bag to take care of sudden unpleasant situations.
- Carry a snack container and a bib to prevent spills over the car seat. A portable vacuum cleaner can come in handy in some cases.
Frequently Asked Question
How Do I Protect My Car Seat From Vomiting?
Cleaning vomit residue from the car seat, especially the straps is like a nightmare for every parent. To prevent this, you can wear your baby a waterproof material like bibs or smock bibs. This cover can keep your baby and the car seat nice and clean.
How Do I Protect My Baby From Germs In The Car?
For that, you need to reduce the human touch (direct or indirect) as much as possible. You can use the infant car seat for its extra support with a shield that can protect him from random admirer exposure such as exhaling, sneezing, coughing, etc. Finally, use a sanitizer that has no collision with your baby’s health.
Can I Use Disinfecting Wipes On Baby Car Seat?
If your baby’s car seat is not made of leather, you can use disinfecting wipes. Car seat manufacturers largely depend on polyester and nylon, which are light, cheap, plus customizable as fire retardants.
Final Words
Maintenance of a child’s car seat is basically cleaning and repairing your baby’s car seats. If the car seat is not in good condition to use after repair, recycling is your best option. Again, donating the old car seat will be great if you plan to buy or possess another.
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- How To Fix A Baby Car Seat? 6 Facts To Maintain
My name is Olivia Brown, and I’m a New York-based blogger and stay-at-home parent. Former business executive enjoying retirement and time with kids Lily and Max. On my blog, I review things for kids and offer my honest thoughts and insights to other parents who may be having the same or similar experiences.
