‘You cannot have a baby and a clean house is a common phrase in our day-to-day lives. While this may not be wholly true, it is not absolutely undeniable.
In fact, in a home where there is a little one, germs tend to be so challenging thus pausing a risk to the baby’s immunity which has not yet effusively developed.
Research has it that a baby’s sense of touch and smell is stronger than the other senses. As a result, they tend to keep tasting everything that comes their way.
This calls for regular cleaning on all the surfaces that the child will come into contact with. A baby swing, in this case, is no exception.
Sometimes, baby swing gets dirty very easily. Therefore it is important to ensure that they are clean for the well-being of the baby. Cleaning them regularly or any time you notice it is dirt will actually be an important thing.
How to clean a baby swing
Things to know
- The baby swing is actually one of the most important items that should be cleaned always.
- It is necessary to determine the density of the instances under which your baby is rocked while sleeping throughout the day. If you find that it’s decently high, then consider cleaning this swing often.
- Pay great attention to the general maintenance of the swing and its safety
- Ensure that the stand and its seat are all cleaned
- You can try to measure and see how safe your baby feels when he/she is in the swing
Gathering the tools
As you prepare to clean your baby swing, it is important to gather all the tools and items that are required for better. Warm water is important as it helps in removing and killing all the germs in the swing.
Other important items include a baking soda for thorough cleaning of hard-to-remove spots. Also, a washing machine is needed but still, you can do it if you don’t have one. You may also require mild detergents and a cotton towel.
1st Step
Start by sprinkling the baking soda on the towel. Wet the towel with warm water. After this, sprinkle a handful of baking soda on the wet towel. Ensure that you sprinkle enough baking so that it can work perfectly.
Baking soda is a chemical compound (sodium bicarbonate NaHCO3) that is a mild alkali. It is not only known for simply cleaning thoroughly but also removing all the offending smells.
2nd Step
After sprinkling baking soda, you can now start scrubbing the plastic and the metal parts. With the dump towel and Sodium Bicarbonate, thoroughly but gently scrub all the metal and plastic parts of the baby swing.
When cleaning, it is important to ensure that you reach the corners and that they too are exhaustively cleaned.
Depending on how dirty the baby swing is, you might have to sprinkle the Sodium bicarbonate several times until it is sparkling clean.
3rd Step
In this stage, you will be rinsing and allowing the swing to dry. After cleaning the plastic and metal parts as in step 2 above, Rinse the parts with plenty of water.
In this case, plain warm water is recommended as it will make certain that all the detergent is totally removed. Using plenty of water in rinsing helps in removing doubts about finding unwanted dirtiness.
After rinsing them, dry the parts with a towel.
4th Step
Wash the toys and the buckles. Most baby swings in the market today come with a toy to keep the baby engaged. The toys too must be cleaned in an attempt to uphold hygiene for the baby.
Use the damp towel with the baking soda to clean the toys and the buckles. Here, ensure that you use a mild detergent and sanitize them too.
Alternately, carefully detach the toy from the swing for easy cleaning. In fact, most of the toys are dishwasher safe. Nevertheless, the manufacturer’s instructions in this must be strictly followed to prevent damage.
5th Step
Clean the fabric. At this particular point, all the other parts of the baby swing are flawlessly clean apart from the fabric part of it. Just like in the other parts, use baking soda to clean the fabric thoroughly.
Make certain that you do not use a detergent that has chemicals which the baby may be allergic to or may even further damage the fabric.
Then again, remove the fabric prudently and machine-wash it. In as much as nay all the fabrics making baby swings are machine safe, manufacturer’s instructions must be strictly be followed on whether or not to clean using a machine to prevent damage.
Rinse and dry
Rinse the fabric thoroughly with plenty of warm, plain water until all the detergent is removed. Thereafter, dry the fabric in the open air. The fabric should not be machine dried as this will result to creasing and shrinking.
Note: Before using any detergents and soaps, it is very important to check to see that the baby is not allergic to them. Alternatively, you can use clinically non-allergic soaps that are chemical-free.
In as much as baby swings should be cleaned regularly, it is difficult to precisely state the number of times it should be cleaned in an actual duration of time.
This is because it is all dependent on the density of use which varies so much from one baby to the other. The baby swing should, however, be kept clean all through to endorse hygiene.
Occasionally, the baby is put into the swing unwillingly. This makes the swing extremely messy from spit-ups and running nose from the fidgety baby to diaper leaks when the baby is very violent.
Indeed, we cannot stress more how vital cleaning it is. With the above-simplified steps, cleaning it is actually a cinch and can be done consistently when need be.
Matan Feldman, Dad & Swing Expert
My Name is Matan Feldman and I am a dad of a toddler and an infant based out of Atlanta. I manage this website, Safe Baby Fun (formerly known as Baby Swing Hubs), and mostly blog here about baby activity gear including swings, walkers, bouncers, and jumpers, among others. From what I have learned being a parent for over 7 years now, I am very excited to share good tips with other parents especially if it can improve the safety of kids. I work with a baby products testing and review company and over the past 2 years, I have gained deep insight into baby products and am happy to recommend them here. When I am not wasting time learning one or two tricks at home with my two kids, I spend a lot of time blogging on this site or on other sites to assist parents looking for first-hand insight or feedback on different baby products – especially from a dad’s perspective. If you have any questions, you can reach me using my email, matan@safebabyfun.com.