HELP ASAP!!! Cleaning puke from carseat cover

[dalmatian21]

DD puked in her BLVD on our way home from daycare tonight. Got it all pulled apart, ready to wash and now I can't remember if it's ok to wash the cover (no harness, buckles or anything, literally just the cover) in the machine on gentle or not. The manual says to hand wash, but I can't remember for the life of me if the gentle cycle would be comparable.

Related - would Tide Free & Clear be considered a mild soap if it's ok to go in the machine on gentle? (not a full amount of soap)

TIA

[wendytthomas]

I do it on the gentle/hand wash cycle in my machine.

Wendy

[BW1426]

Originally Posted by wendytthomas

I do it on the gentle/hand wash cycle in my machine.

Wendy

Me too. I've only had issues once

It ate the side up on my Princess Radian cover. I was (and still am) very sad. Now I hover over the machine while it's washing

[dalmatian21]

Thank God! We went ahead and started the cover washing on gentle since it had to get done NOW to give it enough time to dry since DD and I leave so early in the mornings! Definitely learned my lesson -- planning on ordering an extra cover to have on hand and straps -- hoping I got all the puke out of the straps too. Can't tell if I'm still just smelling puke from dealing with it for the last however long or if it really is still the straps smelling.

If it is the straps, any tricks (short of buying new) to help get the stink out? I used a new toothbrush to help get the particles up and out, using a wet wipe (and a little teeny tiny bit of Cetaphil and water, probably about what I"d use to damp cloth clean or however it's phrased in the manual). (DH just told me he can't smell puke any more, so I'm guessing/hoping it's just me now)

Thanks for the advice!

[P1ally]

Originally Posted by dalmatian21

Thank God! We went ahead and started the cover washing on gentle since it had to get done NOW to give it enough time to dry since DD and I leave so early in the mornings! Definitely learned my lesson -- planning on ordering an extra cover to have on hand and straps -- hoping I got all the puke out of the straps too. Can't tell if I'm still just smelling puke from dealing with it for the last however long or if it really is still the straps smelling.

If it is the straps, any tricks (short of buying new) to help get the stink out? I used a new toothbrush to help get the particles up and out, using a wet wipe (and a little teeny tiny bit of Cetaphil and water, probably about what I"d use to damp cloth clean or however it's phrased in the manual). (DH just told me he can't smell puke any more, so I'm guessing/hoping it's just me now)

Thanks for the advice!

Vinegar works WONDERS on puke smell.

[dalmatian21]

OMG! Never even thought of vinegar! Filing that one away. Now, can I do a vinegar/water solution in a spray bottle and do a fine mist on the straps if I decide tomorrow they still smell?

[wendytthomas]

Or pour some on a washcloth and dab it on. Depends how strong the vinegar smell is. :-)

Wendy

My daughter did puked in her carseat just last month and the vinegar water trick worked well. I don't remember the proportions but it got the smell out of the straps and the cover I washed. I used it again on my area rug and sofa when she puked on me on the sofa the very next morning. At first it will stink HORRIBLY with the puke and vinegar combination but do it several times with dry time inbetween and it will disappear.

Dia

[goldentwig]

Oh thank you for these tips!

I've been dreading this job all day long since DD puked in her Blvd this morning!

[goldentwig]

Originally Posted by wendytthomas

I do it on the gentle/hand wash cycle in my machine.

Wendy

Do you put any soap in the machine with the cover? What about Woolite?

[wendytthomas]

It's been a long time. I think either a little Woolite or just a tablespoon or so of our regular detergent. Not a lot of anything, though.

Wendy

[tweetykl]

My son had servere allergies that was making him throw up multiple times a day because we did not know what was doing it to him. Evil wheat and milk. I liked to wash the coever in the bathtub with the sprayer showerhead. It really helped.

[goldentwig]

Originally Posted by wendytthomas

It's been a long time. I think either a little Woolite or just a tablespoon or so of our regular detergent. Not a lot of anything, though.

Wendy

Thanks! I use Charlie's Soap, so either that or Woolite would probably be okay.

Tweetykl, we don't have a sprayer showerhead, but that sounds like a smart idea!

Thanks!!

[goldentwig]

So I've had to wash my Britax cover for the third time in a month just the other day, and still haven't gotten around to cleaning the straps yet. What is the reasoning for not being able to just run the straps under water? Will they shrink or something? Does it compromise their composure? There is junk stuck in all of the velcro pieces, so I may have to find an old toothbrush and try that trick. But it seems like it'd be easier just to rinse them out.

FYI, I used Woolite the 2nd time I washed the car seat, (it was the 1st time I had washed it in the washer on handwash cycle), but it freaked me out when it got too sudsy looking after you all had said just to use a little. Last time I used Charlie's Soap instead. Does the soap mess up the fire retardant on the seat cover? It looks like this cover is going to end up getting washed a BUNCH. It's a bad idea to drape a towel or something thin between her and the car seat, right?

- Holly