Everything You Need To Know About How To Clean A Stroller

Strollers get so filthy. Especially if you have a toddler. Think last week's pizza, this week's milk, plus that cold they have, and it all adds up to "ew." When you think about it, you realize you haven't cleaned it in a while. But I can tell you how to clean a stroller. My kids were truly disgusting little individuals. (adorable, but so gross). You can also do it in under an hour, plus drying time if you play your cards right.

First: shake it out, outside. Turn it upside down and shake it like you mean it. Twerk your stroller. Then, vacuum the entire thing with the hose attachment.

Next up is detaching the detachable fabric if there is any. I always had Maclaren strollers, and the seats were snapped onto the frame. Launder these according to manufacturer instructions. Often, you can machine wash on gentle with detergent, and line dry, according to Apartment Therapy. If not, you probably need to hand wash it with either a gentle detergent or dish soap, using a brush to get the ground in bits out. Remember, if you can't use scents on baby's clothing, you can't use a scented soap on their stroller, either. Little naked arms and legs can get rashes from strollers just as easily.

If you can hose that stroller off, hose it off. When you're thinking about how to clean a stroller, you need to admit you're going to have to get down and dirty with it. I really like blue Dawn dish soap for this task. It smells nice and cuts through all of the peanut butter that was smeared on the frame like so much paint. Good surfactants, you know.

After that's dry, go over most of the areas with either an ammonia or bleach-based product like Windex or Clorox spray, and then wipe off with water. There are certain germs that are only killed by ammonia or bleach, noted the California Childcare Health Program, and I want them dead. I'm not a germ freak (far from it), but if I'm only cleaning it this thoroughly every so often, I'm going whole hog.

Once that is complete, let the whole thing dry completely before reassembling it. My babies were not fragrance sensitive, so I totally sprayed some fabric refresher on it after, because I like the smell. I also promise myself I'll do it more often, and then I don't. So if you're like me, you'll do this when you just cannot stand it any longer, and I won't judge you. Otherwise, burning is still an option.