Although 26% of drivers only clean their cars every 2-3 months, when you have a child regularly travelling, we know that timescale will not cut it. Spills and accidents are regular occurrences for young ones, all part of the growing-up stages. However, that does mean that along with a mounting pile of clothes to wash at home, accessories such as car seats also need to be regularly maintained.
One of the ways to keep a baby or child safe in a car seat is to ensure the area is clean and free from germs. Keep reading to learn our top car seat cleaning hacks and what to look for when selecting a model to ensure easy maintenance.
9 Months - 4 Years
Birth - 11 Years
4 Years - 11 Years
How Often Should You Clean a Car Seat?
Getting into a routine when cleaning a child’s car seat is important to ensure that no germs or bacteria can become a permanent travel buddy.
It goes without saying that if there is an accident, the seat should be cleaned immediately. This is often possible just by removing the lining, but giving the seat a wipe-over is also a good idea. When it comes to a routine deep clean, we recommend doing this at least every month and more often when the child is younger. The hacks we have shared below can be mixed and matched to help you create your own cleaning routine as we understand everyone’s circumstances and available time will be different.
Tips for Keeping a Car Seat Fresh and Clean
Although we have recommended a deep clean once a month, if you are carrying out the following hacks, you may be able to extend this for longer. To keep your child’s car seat sparking, clean and free from odours, try doing the following:
- Treat any stains or marks as soon as you notice them.
Spot cleaning is essential for keeping anything fresh and clean, especially children’s car seats. If a stain appears or something has been spilt, acting quickly is the best way to guarantee superior results.
- Wipe down the seat with a baby-safe spray every few days.
You must also ensure the car seat base, carry handle and harnesses are kept clean, which can be achieved using a child-friendly cleaning spray. It’s important to use only cleaning products that are ideal for babies to ensure that no skin irritation occurs due to cleaning.
- Vacuum the seat and surrounding area often.
Another way to keep car seats fresh and sparkling clean is by keeping them hoovered. No matter how hard you try, little crumbs are often found close by young children. Removing this regularly reduces the chance of germs spreading, which could result in a bad odour. You could also try using a baby car seat protector, which can be simply removed, brushed off and then added back to the car for a speedy refresh.
- Allow the interior of the car to air often.
Most car seats are removable, just leaving the base behind. This means they often get the chance for a natural fresh-air refresh. However, this hack is for you if you have a model that remains in the car. It’s a good idea to circulate some air in the car now and again to keep things fresh and free from smells.
- Try to reduce the number of snacks your child has in the car.
In the UK, more than 60% of people say they eat in the car. We all know that no matter how careful you are, crumbs will likely appear due to having a snack whilst on the move. Although it may not be a popular choice, it’s good to implement a no-eating in-car rule to eliminate the chance of car seats becoming dirty.
If you need to feed your young once while they travel, it’s a great idea to use a feeding muslin to catch any escaping food or liquids.
- Use sun shades to eliminate the chance of product deterioration over time.
You may not think of the sun as a menace when keeping car seats fresh, but it can be a nightmare! UV rays can stain car seats over time, leading to them not being as fresh as possible due to the material being sun damaged. To eliminate this possibility, you should try using a car sunshade or window shade cover to keep the car seat out of the sun’s rays.
As well as affecting the freshness of a seat, excessive sun exposure can also lead to cracking of car seat materials which severely impacts the safety.
What Considerations Should You Account For When Choosing a Car Seat?
Aside from the tips we have shared for keeping car seats fresh and clean, another way to ensure this is by selecting a car seat that is simple to maintain. There are many brilliant options available, but some will make your life easier than others when it comes to cleaning.
Ease of Removal
Most car seats get fixed into a car using a secure base on which the seat is attached. This is a brilliant option as it allows young children to be comfortably seated in place before they are moved into the vehicle. A benefit of this when it comes to cleaning is that the seat can be moved out of the car for deep cleaning. Not only does this eliminate the need to stretch around the seat in an awkward position, but it also ensures more accessibility for proper cleaning, which means it is left fresher for longer.
When selecting a car seat, you should look for models compatible with Isofix and i-Size bases.
Material Type
As with any accessory, the material it is made from has a big impact on how it is looked after. When selecting a car seat, it’s best to select a fabric that can be wiped, cleaned and machine washed for the best cleaning methods.
The most common materials used in car seats, which are also easy to maintain, are wool, bamboo and polyester. These are also constructed to be shock absorbing and comfortable to enhance the child’s experience.
Waterproof Solutions
Another consideration with the car seat’s material is waterproof or stain-resistant options. If a car seat is more resistant to spills, it means that a surface-level cleaning can be used to return it to a fresh state. If not, and the unwanted liquid has a chance to seep into the padding, the task will be a bit harder.
Most quality car seats offer stain-resistant materials to ensure that unwanted liquids and dirt don’t have a chance of becoming embedded.
What Are Some of the Best Car Seats That Allow Easy Cleaning?
Now that you know what to look for when choosing a car seat and how to keep it fresher and clean, we wanted to share some of our top picks to make your life much easier.
The Maxi Cosi Pebble Pro is a great example of a safe car seat that can be cleaned rapidly thanks to its machine-washable, removable covers. The handle and leather accents can also be wiped clean in an instant to ensure any germs or dirt are removed. This is also the case for the Cybex Cloud Z2, which features fabric covers that are machine washable at 30°.
Although all car seats contain fabric liners for comfort and practicality, a few options offer protected materials for the rest of the design. The Cozy N Safe Excalibur is a fine example, thanks to its modern leather finish that gives the seat a wipe-clean finish. As well as looking sleek, this seat is a breeze to keep fresh, thanks to the removable lining.
However, as we mentioned, most professional car seats are designed to be safe and practical, so all of our collection is ideal for easy cleaning.
Why Choose Kiddies Kingdom?
At Kiddies Kingdom, we specialise in supplying quality products for children. From car seats to toys and gifts, our website features curated collections designed to take the guessing work away from buying the best products.
When choosing a car seat, we understand the significance of the purchase. As well as wanting to guarantee safety, it’s also important to ensure budget needs are met as, let’s face it, children are expensive! By only supplying quality accessories, we have made it our aim to ensure that parents have a place to shop that has already done the groundwork for them.
Our car seats include safety advice and clear specifications and are supported by an expert team who can answer any questions. Once armed with the knowledge in this article and our extensive collection of car seats, selecting your perfect model is a breeze.
Do you still have a query? Contact our team today.
