Clean Pack and Play

Hi M.,

We had a little refrigerator that we took camping several years ago....it had a small freezer compartment, and we forgot a package of meat in it once time. What an odor...I tried everything including rubbing toothpaste all over it and leaving it set for a couple of days. When I wiped it off the odor was gone. Might be worth a try.

C.

Try Clorox cleaner, it really works good for getting bad smells out and cleaning things. Also, I used Oxyclean with the one my daughter got and it worked good. Good luck.

You can contact the company that made it and buy a replacement mattress for it. I do that when a daycare child is ready for the big kid mat. The fabric sides can be demildewed with a solution of water & bleach, I am not sure of the exact mix I think it is 4 gts water to 1 Tbps. bleach, test on a towel first & let dry completly to make sure it doesn't discolor anything, if it does lessen the bleach by 1 tsp. at a time.

You have a lot of good responses. The vinegar/water is a good remedy and the baking soda is, too (use a little water to make a paste of it). Just don't use them together :). I wouldn't use bleach on something that the baby was going to sleep in. I actually don't use it anywhere my family is going to be. If the smell is just "leftover" and you have been successful in cleaning out all of the mildew, try wadding up newspapers and stuffing them in that thing everywhere you can. You can obviously stuff more in if it is unfolded, but that may be way more work than you want, so you may want to try it folded first. Then leave it for a few days. I have had those newspapers suck the stink out of lots of things.

We have had some similar issues but on a larger scale. Get a dehumidifier and run it daily near the pack n play.
This will get rid of the mildew you obviously have in your basement and thus will help everything you have to smell better. You can also by Damprid and hang them in your basement. I use febreeze to and then let it sit in the sun. Did you try washing it with baking soda? This may help as baking soda soaks up odors.

Try a natural enzyme based odor remover. I use one called SNAP SOS (stain, order, smoke). It is sold online. Let me know if you would like the link. Otherwise, Young Living has a Thieves Cleaner that works well on odor and stain also. Online also. Let me know if you would like a link. We have used both of these on cat pee and they worked great. Congrats! and good luck.

perhaps if the smell is still that strong, maybe mildew did grow in it, so you might just want to get a new one. Congrats on #3!

I didn't read the other posts, so if I'm redundant, sorry. Bbut by all all means GET RID OF IT ASAP! Your newborn baby's health is at risk using something that may be harboring bacteria. That smell is bacteria! If you see mold, that thing is harboring probably millions of spore colonies. Bacteria is deadly, no joke, deadly to vulnerable immune systems such as with a baby. Even if you can't see it or smell it after you've cleaned it, the bedding is probably STILL not safe. Once bacteria has made a home in fabrics/cushions etc. it's pretty much there for good.

If you're short on money ask friends or your church/synogogue if anyone has a pack n' play in minty condition to give away.

Stores like IKEA, KMart, have really low prices for apartment sized cribs. Toys R. Us has an apartment sized portable/fold up crib for $95.

About two years ago, my big-buck pack n' play died after some mice got into it in our garage. I didn't want to pay for a new one, but discovered KMart had really nice ones for $30! It was perfect.

Drench it with a white vinegar & water solution. Then rinse well. It should take that smell right out. Just make sure that it's able to dry thoroughly so it doesn't get stinky again!!! :)

I cleaned mine by taking it to the car wash. The powerful spray got everything out. I just loaded it up into the back of a pickup, washed it with the soapy water, rinsed it, and then let it sit outside for a while. I had to squeeze some of the water out of the pad, but it worked like a charm!

Dear M.

If it smells like mildew it probably does have mildew :(

Most ways to clean mildew include vinegar/water or bleach and water. I would try a mixture of either of those and leave it in the sun again.

Good luck!!

Wash it with a bleach solution - it has plenty of time to air out before Baby is due! :) We use bleach solutions everywhere at the school that I work with (infant through 8th grade). They are really quite safe -

1 part bleach : 10 parts water
Spray on
Do not wipe up - Let it evaporate

Hopefully that will help!

If you have tried all that and it hasn't worked, the mildew must be IN it very deep - and that wouldn't be good for a baby - I'd just say cave and get a new one you can get the as low as $65 I think that is what we paid for ours at Baby Depot. We have this one, and it is great, simple but servicable:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2786140

Jessie