My whole family was recently hit with a stomach virus including my 18 month old daughter. We thought she was feeling better so we sent her to her grandparents house while mom and dad got better. The only problem is she wasn't better yet and she vomited all over her car seat. I have taken that thing apart twice and wiped everything down with lysol wipes multiple times and I can still smell it. I tried to take the cover off to wash it but it doesn't come all the way off. Does anynbody know of anything that is not very harsh that I can use to get the smell out. My daughter has sensative skin and breaks out in rashes if you come in contact with anything too harsh. I don't even dare try Fabreeze because I break out when I use that so any other ideas would be greatly appreciated!
p.s. I am also pregnant so I have super smell so that make this problem even worse
I love this blog! Especially when all of you tell me the same very helpfully hint. I tried what most of you suggested and washed the cover with water and vinager. I am still waiting for the salad smell to go away but it is 10 times better than vomit smell. Thank you so much for the advice!!!
If you can't get it completely off and laundered, then I would probably get a new O.. I would be getting whiffs of vomit from that seat forever--I just have O. of those noses.
O. thing you could try is putting it outside for an entire day in the freezing cold weather. Sunny spot is even better.
What kind of carseat does she have? I'm really surprised that the cover doesn't come all the way off. I've seen some that are tricky, but never one that doesn't come off... you may have to remove all the buckles, straps, etc. from the plastic base before the fabric part will come off. It can seem like it doesn't come apart, but they *usually* do, if you follow the right steps and remove all the necessary hardware first. If you don't have your manual, check the manufacturer's website online for info...
Hope you all are feeling better!
M.,
I feel for you - it hit my entire family (including the dog!) a few weeks ago! Unfortunately, my toddler's incident wound up on and in the couch. I took a solution of warm water and white vinegar and wiped the couch and rug down several times and it worked! It will smell like vinegar for a day or two, but it really does work and is quite safe for your baby. Its a regular cleaning product in our home.
Good luck!
A.
baking soda solution. If that doesn't work try water, baking soda and vinegar. It will make a chemical reaction and fizz - but it's very effective on odors.
Instead of wipes, you need to put it in the bath tub and wash it with a clean rag and real Lysol, mixed with hot water. (Get a bucket for the mixture - the bathtub is just to keep it from getting water all over. The car seat cover needs to come off and be washed. Cut it off if you have to. Soak it overnight in the washer (or bucket if you don't have a washer in the home) with your regular detergent and a 1/8 cup of baking soda (yep, the usual stuff. It is fantastic for taking out smells. I had a whole load of urine smelling things and it saved the load - for a full load, use more baking soda). Then put the wash through.
You could try baking soda make a paste to wash the hard surfaces, and sprinkle it on the cloth part, let it sit for a while, then vacuum off...
I agree with Lee. I've never seen a car seat where the cover doesn't come completely off. It's probably just being tricky. There are about a zillion things you have to remove before the covers come off, but they do come off! If you can't wash it, then I'd get a new one and make sure the cover comes totally off before purchasing. Car seats get filthy and need to be washed once in awhile, especially if it's a convertible car seat your child will be using for years.
I know what you mean, personally I don't use household products or anything. I do a lot of cleaning with natural things...but in this case, I have had to use the Fresh Air, it's Air Purifer BUT the difference between this and all others on the market, is it sends out the 03 (activated oxygen) and collects particles too light to drop and leaves 02 (oxygen) in the air. It goes through the whole house but does not go through metal. I love the smell when you walk into the house, it smells like it does after it rains!!! I am not trying to sell you anything but we have used it for years and it takes 3-4 minutes to clean the plate inside, which comes out and easily!! So, if you want to check it out contact me and we can go from there. This company also has LaundryPure, which NO hot water or detergent is needed, it has silver ion probe in the machine that is hooked up to your washer and the water coming in is cleaner than going out and clothes are cleaner, brighter and towels are fluffier. I love it that I we don't use up our hot water and we don't spend money on detergent so I was thinking once you get that cover off, you can put in front of the purifier (which you don't have to because just sitting there in the house it'll purify it) and if you have LaundryPure, you can wash it in the machine and let the LaundryPure wash it greatly. I have a LOT of allergies and these things help me with my allergies and asthma and there is soooo much more with this company. I am THE MOST skeptical person on this earth and these products and others proven themselves to me and that is why I recommend these products, but I am NOT trying to sell just spreading the good news!!
We use vinegar for ALL of those "icky" smells. No matter what they are. Like others said, if you cant manage to get the cover off (bad design! they should know kids are messy!) then spray it, thats what we do with the couch. It even works on stinky socks!! Makes a GREAT fabric softener too! I know it doesnt smell as good, but 1/2 a cup in the rinse on towels makes them more asorbant and soft! I but the HUGE bottle at BJs, keep a small one downstairs in the kitchen for things and the big bottle in the laundry upstairs!
Good luck with getting the smell out and everything else and have a wonderful holiday season!!
If it's not too cold outside then take the fabric off and hose it down and let it dry in the sun. I would wash the cover in in a good detergent then wash it again with just vinegar in the machine. My son suffers from eczema so I do alot of vinegar washes after a normal wash for stains and bad smells.
I agree with the others regarding removing and washing the cover. For the hard surfaces, you might try the enzymatic cleaner you can buy for removing cat pee smells (try Petco or similar place for that.) It leaves behind no smell, unlike Febreeze.
I know I can find it at Petco, but Nature's Miracle is great. Works on pet smells, etc. so I would think it would help eliminate the vomit smell as well. good luck!
Buy some tea tree oil at ur local health food store and a small spray bottle. put abt a tsp of tea tree oil in the bottle and fill with water. take the seat out of the car and spray it liberally then let dry in sun.....repeat.....it shud help....tea tree also is anti fungal, anti mold, some say anti viral. hope this helps......DONT use fabreeze....it only masks smell and cud cause asthma....it makes me break out too!!!!! Also.....before you do the tea tree you could try diluted white vinegar in the spray bottle .....it stinks but for something so stinky it does help with odors....GOOOD LUCK
White vinegar in a spray bottle. Saturate the seat and let it dry. It will smell like salad for a little while, but it will wear off and it smells better than vomit!!! I hope everyone feels better!!!
It is probably just best to have the car detailed thoroughly by a professional!
I use Borax and Oxyclean diluted in warm water. We had a bottle of milk leak under the driver's seat of the car and didn't know until it turned foul. This eliminated the sour smell immediately. Good Luck!
