What do Cheerios, yogurt, poop, and dirt have in common? They are all some of the surprises found in your stroller! Yay! Next to car seats and highchairs, strollers take a huge beating from everyday use. Chances are you have delayed cleaning your stroller or learned how to clean a stroller for a couple reasons.
Maybe it’s on your long list of items to clean, but it isn’t your top priority. It’s somewhere behind doing the laundry, dishes, bathrooms, dusting, mopping, vacuuming, cooking, sleeping, etc. Maybe it’s so dirty, you have no idea where to begin. Have you been hoping that if you ignore it long enough, your spouse or significant other will notice it and take the initiative to clean the beast? If any of those reasons sound like you, you are not alone.
You have the option of having a Certified BabyQuip Cleaning Expert do the job for you, or you can follow their thorough step-by-step process and do it yourself.
Today, we’re going to discuss how to clean a stroller just like BabyQuip does. They deep clean and sanitize baby gear for busy parents who don’t have the time or the resources to do it themselves. They are expertly trained and have all the tools and skills to perform top-to-bottom deep cleanings. Here is how to clean a stroller like a pro, the BabyQuip way!
Before You Start: Read your stroller’s manual
Prior to any cleaning, check out your stroller’s manual and look for any important information regarding how to clean a stroller. If you lost that thing (or threw it away) long ago, don’t worry. A quick google search will bring your stroller manual right up. The manufacturer website also always has versions readily available online. You’re going to want to keep an eye out for instructions like removing fabric if possible, detaching wheels, cleaning straps, etc. Some strollers are designed with fabric pieces that are easily removed. Other strollers are designed so that the fabric cannot be removed.
Pro-Tip: Youtube also has instructional videos posted by many stroller manufacturers that demonstrate disassembly and reassembly of their products.
Step 1: Vacuum
Start with the vacuum, preferably a wet/dry vacuum if you have one. How to clean a stroller the BabyQuip Cleaning way is “top-to-bottom, 360 degrees, inside all hidden seams, covers, straps and moving parts”. If your stroller fabric cover is removable, this process will be a lot easier. Lay your stroller seat completely flat so that all fabric is open and exposed. Vacuum all seams thoroughly, making sure to move all buckles and straps. Use a toothbrush or Q-tips to get into all those tiny hard to reach places to remove hidden crumbs and other junk.
Pro-Tip: If removing or disassembling any pieces, take photos or a video of the stroller ahead of time. This will come in handy for step 6!
Step 2: Wash
Grab any more tools necessary for the job. Items such as sponges, wash cloths, Q-tips, gloves, soft brushes, goggles, hazmat suit, oxygen tank, etc. How to clean a stroller the BabyQuip Cleaning way is to “Use a mild detergent, such as castile soap, mixed with water to safely clean the fabric. Spot treat more soiled areas with a baby safe fabric stain remover and/or enzyme cleaner”. With a squirt bottle filled with mostly water and a mild detergent of your choice, dampen the fabric according to how heavily soiled it is. Gently scrub away dirt and grime, being careful not to damage the fabric in the process.
Step 3: Sanitize
Now, more than ever, sanitizing baby gear is top priority. Sanitizing is the process of making items clean and hygienic by removing or lowering the amount of germs. This is the preferred method to safely clean any items children will be using. How to clean a stroller the BabyQuip Cleaning way is to “use a variety of sanitizing techniques including using soap and water, hot water or steam, and/or washing thoroughly. These techniques help remove a plethora of substances from baby gear including: bacteria, viruses, fungi (mold and mildew), urine, feces, vomit, grease, and other substances.”
A simple handheld steamer will do the job and may quickly become your new best friend! If you don’t have stains on your stroller and but still need to sanitize consider picking up a UV sanitizing wand!
Related articles:
- Best Cleaning Services for Busy Parents
- Things You Can Teach Kids to Clean So You Don’t Have To
- How to Keep a Clean Car with Kids: 7 Simple Tips
- What to Clean When Your Child is Sick
Step 4: Dry
Drying your fabric can be tricky. If you use an excess amount of water and leave it to air dry on its own, your stroller will be left with water spots that look like ugly stains. Nobody wants to go through the whole process of cleaning and sanitizing a stroller only to be left with stains due to excess water! Be sure to wet the fabric evenly.
Our BabyQuip cleaning experts tell us for step 4 of how to clean a stroller to “Soak up any excess water and moisture with a microfiber cloth. Use a fan or let the fabric air dry”. Whatever you do, do not, I repeat, do not put your stroller’s fabric in the dryer! This is a terrible idea and will most definitely compromise the shape, fit, and safety of your stroller. Don’t do it.
Depending on how dirty your stroller is, you may want to repeat steps 2-4 until those tough stains come out. Sometimes those stains are stubborn! BabyQuip cleaning experts have some amazing before and after pictures of strollers that needed multiple treatments before those stains finally budged!
Step 5: Safe Reassembly
Have you ever taken something apart, only to realize that you have no idea how to put it back together? Do your future self a favor and follow the tip from step 1. This is where those photos you took or the video you saved will come in handy! After your stroller is sparkling clean and all dry, our BabyQuip Cleaning experts tell us to “Put all the pieces back together just right.” Take your time to make sure you put everything back the right way. There’s nothing more frustrating than a backwards buckle or twisted strap that’s re-threaded and in the wrong place. What a hassle!
How to Clean a Stroller: Summary
Now that you’ve learned how to clean a stroller the BabyQuip way, grab your cleaning supplies and get started! Or, call your nearest BabyQuip Cleaner and make an appointment today! If this sounds like something you could get into and want to learn more about joining the BabyQuip Cleaning team, check out https://www.cleaning.babyquip.com/signup and schedule a meeting.
Do you have a tough stain and want tips on how to get it out? Post questions in the comment section! We’ll leave you with some before and after pictures of strollers for your viewing pleasure and amazement. Happy cleaning!
Juliana is a BabyQuip Quality Provider in Truckee, CA. and is excited to provide quality service to families visiting Lake Tahoe and surrounding areas! Pack light and rent all the baby’s necessities and more while you travel. She is a homeschooling mother of 3 and enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, and coffee!
Amazing tips! I think most of the people did not know about steam-mop cleaning.
Thanks for telling us about the importance of solvency. Keep sharing this post more and more.
The DIY is very well made, extremely informative and the directions are easy to follow.
Great to hear it from the experts! This works folks, try it!
Definitely true that a hazmat suit and oxygen might be needed! LOL!
Super helpful – thank you! I am amazed at those “afters” – they look brand new!
I’m ALL ABOUT NOT cleaning my kid’s baby gear. It’s disgusting.
I love branch basics for cleaning my baby’s car seat. What do y’all use?
Sounds like the cleaning services does a much more thorough job that I would!
I’ve only ever cleaned the tray that my son eats snacks in. I bet it’s so gross if I were to actually clean it.
My manual says to only use a damp cloth to clean the fabric but I use a wet vac because it gets so dirty and wiping it down isn’t enough. the fabric still looks new so I obviously didn’t do damage.
Thank you for listing the steps. I’m going to try this over winter break. My son squeezed a gogurt ALL over his stroller a while back and I’ve yet to properly clean it. I have a steamer so I’m pretty sure that will kill anything that’s starting growing!!!!!!
This is much informations that could use me good.
The before and after pictures are seriously amazing. I literally said ‘wow’ out loud!!! I’m still using the same stroller after three girls, have never had it professionally cleaned and it’s starting to look pretty bad. I’m wondering what a before and after would look like on my stroller??????
Good info. Thanks a lot.
Great article! I need to really start cleaning my strollers.
Amazing guide and amazing before/after photos!