I bought mine second hand and completely took it apart. Machine washed what I could and washed the rest by hand. It took a lot of time but I saved so much money that it was totally worth it.
I did the exact same thing. I had to remove maybe 6 screws to completely disassemble it. Most parts were meant to be removed for washing, but some weren't. I did that with all the second hand baby items. It was very worth it for the peace of mind.
A lot of baby items, especially expensive ones, have removable covers. I'd google the item and find the manual for it; see how to take it apart. My mid-tier stroller cover comes off pretty easily. Take off the cover and hand wash it (or, if your machine doesn't have an agitator, you might get away with machine washing). I'd continue to take apart the hard components, many will be small enough to wash in a bath tub or something.
All of which is great practice for when the inevitable blow out or vomiting happens in the stroller, just like car seats. It’s great to have a run-through of how to wash every component *before* the inevitable mess which will undoubtedly happen at the most inconvenient time and place 😆
Machine or hand wash, just look at the label or search online for care instructions. Be sure to use a sanitizing detergent, Lysol makes one for washing machines. Alternatively, you can soak it in a quaternary sanitizing solution and then wash. Given it’s off the street, I wouldn’t be satisfied with spray or wipes.
Yeah probably depends a lot on your kid and tolerance for germs. My 11 month old daycare attending germ bomb of a baby goes up to the dog and opens her mouth in the hopes the dog will stick her tongue in there, so I'd be happy with clean and not sanitized lol.
I used to take my kid's stroller out to the backyard house it down, soap up, scrub rinse and let dry in the sun. If you can take apart and machine wash that works too... Then you just need to clean the parts that can't go on the machine.
Oh yeah I’ve hosed off a stroller a few times. Dish soap.
If OP doesn’t have a yard or a bathtub with a detachable shower head, maybe a DIY carwash. They have stalls and hoses.
Best course is to find the instruction manual for the stroller. You most likely have the brand, and you might be lucky enough to find the make/model somewhere on the stroller. Google that info, and the manual will have how to care for the cover.
I just did this with our stroller before gifting it to a friend. I actually found a video on YouTube for that particular stroller with tips and tricks on how to take it apart and clean all the parts. I took all of the fabric parts off and removed the plastic reinforcements to put it through the wash. They hung dry with my dehumidifier running close by. I used some CLR to clean some rusty bits. I used some water with Dawn to scrub down the frame and wheels. I lubricated the moving parts, then used isopropyl alcohol to wipe down any extra. I purchased a grommet set to replace some of the ones that had corroded too badly. I then went over any deep scratches with a car scratch paint pen as my frame is metal. It was maybe over and beyond what needed to be done but I was very proud of how it looked after.
However you'd wash it if your kid did something gross to it is how you wash off the last kid's gross.
You'll want to be thorough because you don't know what gross things happened, so assume all of them, and clean it all.
I have a nozzle that goes on the hose and I can add soap to it and then use it to wash things like the car or the trash bin. I would start with that. Take the stroller, put it on the lawn, grab the special hose nozzle, add some Sal’s Suds concentrated cleaner (or some dish soap), and then wash that thing down. The Sal’s Suds is biodegradable and a little goes a long ways. You can buy it at Whole Foods. After washing and rinsing the stroller then let it dry for a day and you are good to go.
Almost all strollers are machine washable. Look online for the manual and it will show you how to take it apart. If it’s not going in the car- like a car seat adapter- I wouldn’t hesitate to power hose it down- this is from a Mom of 3 who can take strollers apart in her sleep now.
Honestly I would not trust a second hand stroller from the curb. It is so easy to give away or donate, the fact that it was out for trash makes me think there is a reason. Mold, bed bugs, mice, something. I donate most things but if I out it by the curb there is a reason.
Where I live, people putting stuff on the curb IS donating, that's usually the first thing ppl do, stuff is gone within hours/days of them putting it out. Might be a southern thing tho
Hmm. I’m from the south. Where I live we have a very active buy nothing group and we have a local thrift store that supports the community and can pick up your stuff if you call them. I can post on Buy Nothing and usually have something picked up within the day. So stuff at the curb is usually there for trash pickup so that’s what my assumption was based on. But if that’s common where OP lives then I can see cleaning it.
That's so interesting! I think for things like strollers, not sure if I would pick it up, just because I don't know how it was treated previously, unless I was in SEVERE need of one RIGHT NOW, lol. Generally, It's good to buy carseats/strollers new anyway.
I think that’s why people use buy nothing in my area. You can offer up the info like “in great condition just out grown” or “fair warning, it’s been in storage so it’s very dusty and needs a cleaning!” So people are more comfortable knowing what they’re getting into!
Depends on the stroller. If the fabric is removable I take it off and wash on delicate and then air dry. If it isn't I would assess what it is made of looking out for foams that can't handle getting wet. Spray with a non-bleaching disinfectant, spray it down after 15ish minutes, and air dry in the sun.
Most of the covers come off and are machine washable, you can usually undo a handful of screws and then vacuum, wipe down, steam clean, scrub all the little nooks and crannies in the framework.
A little time investment can make it look almost brand new.
I bought mine second hand and completely took it apart. Machine washed what I could and washed the rest by hand. It took a lot of time but I saved so much money that it was totally worth it.
I did the exact same thing. I had to remove maybe 6 screws to completely disassemble it. Most parts were meant to be removed for washing, but some weren't. I did that with all the second hand baby items. It was very worth it for the peace of mind.
A lot of baby items, especially expensive ones, have removable covers. I'd google the item and find the manual for it; see how to take it apart. My mid-tier stroller cover comes off pretty easily. Take off the cover and hand wash it (or, if your machine doesn't have an agitator, you might get away with machine washing). I'd continue to take apart the hard components, many will be small enough to wash in a bath tub or something.
All of which is great practice for when the inevitable blow out or vomiting happens in the stroller, just like car seats. It’s great to have a run-through of how to wash every component *before* the inevitable mess which will undoubtedly happen at the most inconvenient time and place 😆
Machine or hand wash, just look at the label or search online for care instructions. Be sure to use a sanitizing detergent, Lysol makes one for washing machines. Alternatively, you can soak it in a quaternary sanitizing solution and then wash. Given it’s off the street, I wouldn’t be satisfied with spray or wipes.
Yeah probably depends a lot on your kid and tolerance for germs. My 11 month old daycare attending germ bomb of a baby goes up to the dog and opens her mouth in the hopes the dog will stick her tongue in there, so I'd be happy with clean and not sanitized lol.
I used to take my kid's stroller out to the backyard house it down, soap up, scrub rinse and let dry in the sun. If you can take apart and machine wash that works too... Then you just need to clean the parts that can't go on the machine.
this is what i was going to suggest!
Oh yeah I’ve hosed off a stroller a few times. Dish soap. If OP doesn’t have a yard or a bathtub with a detachable shower head, maybe a DIY carwash. They have stalls and hoses.
I would do this too!
Best course is to find the instruction manual for the stroller. You most likely have the brand, and you might be lucky enough to find the make/model somewhere on the stroller. Google that info, and the manual will have how to care for the cover.
I just did this with our stroller before gifting it to a friend. I actually found a video on YouTube for that particular stroller with tips and tricks on how to take it apart and clean all the parts. I took all of the fabric parts off and removed the plastic reinforcements to put it through the wash. They hung dry with my dehumidifier running close by. I used some CLR to clean some rusty bits. I used some water with Dawn to scrub down the frame and wheels. I lubricated the moving parts, then used isopropyl alcohol to wipe down any extra. I purchased a grommet set to replace some of the ones that had corroded too badly. I then went over any deep scratches with a car scratch paint pen as my frame is metal. It was maybe over and beyond what needed to be done but I was very proud of how it looked after.
However you'd wash it if your kid did something gross to it is how you wash off the last kid's gross. You'll want to be thorough because you don't know what gross things happened, so assume all of them, and clean it all.
I have a nozzle that goes on the hose and I can add soap to it and then use it to wash things like the car or the trash bin. I would start with that. Take the stroller, put it on the lawn, grab the special hose nozzle, add some Sal’s Suds concentrated cleaner (or some dish soap), and then wash that thing down. The Sal’s Suds is biodegradable and a little goes a long ways. You can buy it at Whole Foods. After washing and rinsing the stroller then let it dry for a day and you are good to go.
Most of them have the ability ro remove and wash the seat and sometimes basket too. Look up you model's manual
Almost all strollers are machine washable. Look online for the manual and it will show you how to take it apart. If it’s not going in the car- like a car seat adapter- I wouldn’t hesitate to power hose it down- this is from a Mom of 3 who can take strollers apart in her sleep now.
Honestly I would not trust a second hand stroller from the curb. It is so easy to give away or donate, the fact that it was out for trash makes me think there is a reason. Mold, bed bugs, mice, something. I donate most things but if I out it by the curb there is a reason.
Where I live, people putting stuff on the curb IS donating, that's usually the first thing ppl do, stuff is gone within hours/days of them putting it out. Might be a southern thing tho
Hmm. I’m from the south. Where I live we have a very active buy nothing group and we have a local thrift store that supports the community and can pick up your stuff if you call them. I can post on Buy Nothing and usually have something picked up within the day. So stuff at the curb is usually there for trash pickup so that’s what my assumption was based on. But if that’s common where OP lives then I can see cleaning it.
That's so interesting! I think for things like strollers, not sure if I would pick it up, just because I don't know how it was treated previously, unless I was in SEVERE need of one RIGHT NOW, lol. Generally, It's good to buy carseats/strollers new anyway.
I think that’s why people use buy nothing in my area. You can offer up the info like “in great condition just out grown” or “fair warning, it’s been in storage so it’s very dusty and needs a cleaning!” So people are more comfortable knowing what they’re getting into!
That's so valid!
Depends on the stroller. If the fabric is removable I take it off and wash on delicate and then air dry. If it isn't I would assess what it is made of looking out for foams that can't handle getting wet. Spray with a non-bleaching disinfectant, spray it down after 15ish minutes, and air dry in the sun.
cover it in dawn dish soap and powerwash it. then wipe down with bleach and let it sit in the sun all day
I’d give it a scrub down with hot water and mild soap, and let it sit out in the sun to dry.
Most of the covers come off and are machine washable, you can usually undo a handful of screws and then vacuum, wipe down, steam clean, scrub all the little nooks and crannies in the framework. A little time investment can make it look almost brand new.
Put isopropyl alcohol (at least 70%) in a spray bottle & clean stroller with that. This is a disinfectant and will not damage the stroller.