How to Clean a Car Seat

 

Cleaning your child's car seat keeps your backseat looking nice but, more importantly it helps protect your little one. Over time, dirt and grime can accumulate and prevent a seat from performing to the highest degree of safety. That's why we recommend that you periodically clean the car seat cover, harness straps, and buckle.

The following cleaning instructions apply to all Britax car seats; if you have seats from another manufacturer, please refer to your user guide and fabric care labels. 

To Clean the Cover:

  1. Follow user guide instructions to remove the cover from the car seat. 
  2. Vacuum the cover to remove the top layer of crumbs and debris before washing. 
  3. Follow the fabric care instructions on your car seat and/or in your user guide. Many car seat covers should only be hand washed using cold water and mild soap. Do not machine wash, dry or iron the cover, unless the manual stats that it's safe to do so. The Britax SafeWash fabric offers a knit construction that's naturally flame retardant, so it's safe to machine wash and dry. 
  4. Again, most cover sets should lie flat or line dry to prevent the cover from shrinking. 
  5. Re-attach the cover.  

To Clean the Buckle:

  1. Follow the user guide instructions to safely remove the buckle from the seat.
  2. Rinse the buckle with warm running water. Don't soak the buckle or use soap, household detergents, solvents, or lubricants. Anything that has a lubricant-type compound can affect the performance of the buckle. 
  3. Test the buckle by fastening and unfastening each of the buckle tongues for both sides until you hear a click after inserting each buckle tongue. If you don't hear clicks for each buckle tongue you may need to repeat the cleaning process. 
  4. Dry the buckle with a towel and reattach it to the car seat.

To Clean the Harness Straps:

  1. Use warm water and mild soap to spot clean your car seat harness straps. Do not submerge the straps in water or use harsh soaps, as that may weaken the fibers. Do not machine wash, iron or bleach the harness webbing. 
  2. Remember, the straps are one of the most delicate parts of the car seat, so you want to be cautious of how you clean them. If your harness strap is frayed or heavily soiled, it is best to order a replacement. 

Additional Tips:

  1. Wipe down the armrests and clean out the cup holders, if the car seat has them. Some cup holders can actually be removed and washed in the dishwasher. Refer to your user guide for specific cleaning instructions. 
  2.  To remove crumbs that have fallen deep within the seat, you may even need to tip the seat upside down and shake it. 
  3. Take this opportunity to make sure your child still fits properly in their car seat. Consult the user guide for fitment and installation.

 

Replacement Parts

For those extra dirty messes when cleaning the seat just won’t cut it, we also offer replacement cover sets, buckles, harnesses, and other parts in our online store for many of our car seats. You can also order replacement parts by contacting our customer service department.

Minimize Messes with Britax Travel Accessories

To help minimize future clean ups, Britax offers accessories designed to protect both your car seat and your vehicle seat. The Seat Saver Waterproof Liner has deep sides and fits securely into the seating area of all Britax harnessed car seats to contain liquids and crumbs and prevent messes from reaching the car seat.