The cover and infant insert came VERY nicely cleaned in the washer (though I could not wash them "separately" as the instructions say
I have a front loader and I had to add in a fleece blanket and three small pieces of clothes before it would start -- must have some sort of weight sensor in it!)
I hosed off the infant seat and it looks better than before the day started! I didn't even need to get down there with a rag to rub the sticky off (which I thought I was going to need to)
Unfortunately, right as I was doing, it got overcast outside and threatened rain, so instead of leaving to dry outside I brought it inside to the bathroom and it was not 100% dry when I left this morning (the foam inside was still wet). So my husband is home with the baby and no way to safely transport her in the car if there is an emergency! (Our spare car seat right now is a Britax Marathon (35 lb RFing) and I don't know if she'd fit it or not. She's only 7 weeks old, 12 pounds 3 oz today)
One hint for others who may have this same problem:
1a. If you spill Coke on your car seat when you are away from home, don't put the car seat in the grass outside to dry during the day.
1b. If you leave the car seat in the grass outside to dry during the day, don't be surprised if it is covered with ants when you go to put your kid in it.
1c. Don't put your kid in a car seat covered in ants. they might be fire ants!
Luckily, I discovered it before I set the car seat down in the car. I got all the ants I could out of the seat (lying her down on the floor in the back of my van while I worked with the seat.) But when we got home, there were STILL ants underneath the cover, busily working on the sticky spots!