Stinky carseat

wilsontl19191 · March 2013

P puked all over himself just as we arrived to a St. Patrick's Day parade. Now, his seat smells like bile and goldfish. Any suggestions on how to eliminate the smell....especially from the straps. We were able to clean the fabric part of the seat, but his straps are funky!!! Thanks!

Sammy-Mae · March 2013

Vinegar and water and a nail brush. Your solution should be roughly 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water. Your car might smell like fish and chips for a while but it won't smell like vomit anymore.

emunbalanced · March 2013

Ugh. This is my worst nightmare. Did you have to take the cover part off? Car seats aren't very cleaning-friendly.

wilsontl19191 · March 2013

emunbalanced:
Ugh. This is my worst nightmare. Did you have to take the cover part off? Car seats aren't very cleaningfriendly.nbsp;

Thanks. Sammy! Yes, we took the whole thing apart. It was awful!! The 30 minute ride home was pleasant.

emunbalanced · March 2013

wilsontl19191:
emunbalanced:
Ugh. This is my worst nightmare. Did you have to take the cover part off? Car seats aren't very cleaningfriendly.nbsp;
Thanks. Sammy! Yes, we took the whole thing apart. It was awful!! The 30 minute ride home was pleasant.

What a nightmare. I'm waiting for the day this happens to us on a 3 hour drive to visit our families. ::tucking away Sammy's advice for the future::

stardust317 · March 2013

DD1 projectile vomited in her carseat one night. I pulled the fabric out and washed it. I wiped the seat, straps, and everything else down with Clorox wipes.

mattandbekah · March 2013

I would use vinegar like a PP suggested, and maybe let it dry out in the sun if you can. The smell will go away as the vinegar evaporates, so if it is out of your car you wont have to deal with any of that hanging around, you know?

Sorry that happened!

LatteLady5 · March 2013

stardust317:
DD1 projectile vomited in her carseat one night. I pulled the fabric out and washed it. I wiped the seat, straps, and everything else down with Clorox wipes.

Not trying to be mean here, I swear, but it's not safe to use anything stronger than blue dawn on carseat harness straps or it can weaken the straps and they will begin to deteriorate and fail in a crash. If you contact your carseat manufacturer and explain what happened they will probably send you replacement straps.

wilsontl19191 · March 2013

LatteLady5:
stardust317:
DD1 projectile vomited in her carseat one night. I pulled the fabric out and washed it. I wiped the seat, straps, and everything else down with Clorox wipes.
Not trying to be mean here, I swear, but it's not safe to use anything stronger than blue dawn on carseat harness straps or it can weaken the straps and they will begin to deteriorate and fail in a crash. If you contact your carseat manufacturer and explain what happened they will probably send you replacement straps. 

Wow, really?? That would be awesome! I will reach out to Britax today. Thanks!

LatteLady5 · March 2013

wilsontl19191:
LatteLady5:
stardust317:
DD1 projectile vomited in her carseat one night. I pulled the fabric out and washed it. I wiped the seat, straps, and everything else down with Clorox wipes.
Not trying to be mean here, I swear, but it's not safe to use anything stronger than blue dawn on carseat harness straps or it can weaken the straps and they will begin to deteriorate and fail in a crash. If you contact your carseat manufacturer and explain what happened they will probably send you replacement straps.
Wow, really?? That would be awesome! I will reach out to Britax today. Thanks!

Carseat harnesses are very delicate apparently. Just tell them you tried to clean vomit with something too strong and they'll probably replace them, at least that's what I've read. I don't think they want to chance their seat failing in an accident.

Here is an excerpt from an article I read just this morning about washing harness straps.

"Let's face it- kids are very messy. If yours are anything like mine, their car seat straps have been covered in candy, juice, and some odd sticky stuff that you'd rather not know what it is.

So you take the car seat cover off and throw the whole thing in the washer, right? Wrong.

Harness straps may not be washed, they are not to be submerged.

Why not: Soaking the straps in even just plain water can wash away the fire-retardant chemicals on the harness and currently, there is no way to get that back. Even worse, washing with detergents that have bleach alternatives, optical brighteners, and a laundry list (no pun intended) of chemicals can weaken the integrity of the straps, causing them to fail in an accident.

Your best bet is to wipe down the straps with a damp wash cloth. If you can't fathom using only water to clean up the grime, most car seats allow the use of a mild soap like dove. Just be sure to check your manual first.

If you have already washed your straps before reading this, call your car seat manufacturer and explain the mistake. Most of them will ship you replacement straps for free as a courtesy."

colliebabe · March 2013

Ugh, that is the worst! DD threw up in her car seat a few weeks ago. I used a small scrub brush to try to get some of it out, and then sprayed some Febreeze for the smell.

wilsontl19191 · March 2013

I just called Britax and they are sending me new straps!! Thanks, ladies :

LatteLady5 · March 2013

wilsontl19191:
I just called Britax and they are sending me new straps!! Thanks, ladies :

Woohoo LO will be safe and stink free!

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