Strollers are designed to make life simpler for parents. The right stroller will come in handy in many situations. Ever since I’ve bought and used the first one with my eldest, I know the importance of one. Not only for newborn babies who can’t walk, but strollers are also important for everyone.
If you want to get out for exercise or take a walk but your child is very young, strollers empower you to do so. You can pursue any of your outdoor activities when your baby is safe inside a stroller. Some strollers are designed to take your child running or jogging. Some are even designed to be used as car seats or can be transformed into a car seat when you need one.
Kids grow up very fast. One day, they’re tucked safely inside your baby carrier, and the next – they’re so heavy your arms are in constant pain. Carrying a 30- or 40-pound child in your arms is not easy. Your hands will be numb after few minutes and you may start getting back pain. Strollers are an awesome way to soothe that weight which requires carrying less and pushing more.
Why do Strollers Get Dirty?
Hence, this is one of the essential baby items that every parent needs in the first few years of their baby’s life. Taking care of your stroller will ensure that you can use it for a few years at least, for more than one child. Strollers are also bound to get dirty very often, especially after outdoor use. A stroller, covered with grime can be hazardous to your baby’s health.
If you store the stroller for a long time in a moist environment, mold can grow on it. Molds aren’t just repulsive to look it, but can be hazardous to your baby’s health. Whole a little amount of mold isn’t very dangerous, the spores can be discharged into the air. Inhaling these spores can cause trouble to both babies and adults.
The best way to deal with the problem is to identify and remove the mold before it spreads.
How Do Strollers Get Mold ?
Molds are a kind of fungus that develops on plants, wood, food and any organic material in a moist environment. They specially grow in places where there’s lots of dust and lack of proper ventilation. The spores produced by molds can spread in air and grows fast.
Molds are generally green, blue or black in colour, varying on a lot of different factors. These molds can be harmful to health; they can be allergenic, pathogenic, or toxigenic.
Mold Prevention Techniques:
Usually molds grow when liquid is spilled on the stroller and not cleaned up immediately. If your baby throws up on the stroller or spills milk, the mess can grow mold later if not cleaned and dried. Once they grow, it is not easy to deal with mold stains. The best approach is to focus on preventing molds rather than removing it later.
To prevent mold, you can:
- Make sure you clean the stroller immediately after any kind of spill, especially liquid.
- Dry the wet areas because molds heighten in the soggy areas.
- Keep the stroller in sunlight as it kills mold spores.
- Store it in a cool and dry place for long storage.
- Use citronella spray in your storage area, which is anti-fungal.
How to remove molds from stroller
However, it is not always possible to avoid dampness in your stroller. If you can’t avoid mold stains, you should know how to remove it once they appear.
Here are some of the easiest ways to remove molds stain from your stroller:
- Vinegar, lemon Juice and water solution:
Wet the stained area and use the solution on it. Allow the solution to sit on the stained area for 1-2 hours. Rinse it thoroughly with water and watch it dry. You can use the same solution on other unaffected parts of the stroller to give it a new, polished look.
- Baking soda and water solution:
Take one-quarter spoon of baking soda and mix it with one cup of water. Shake the mixture until the soda dissolve completely. Spray this solution on the mold stain and keep it in the sunlight to dry. Rinse the place well for the mold to completely go away. You can use this solution to clean your whole stroller every month, as it also prevents molds.
- Baking soda and Vinegar solution:
This solution works great with exceptionally intense stains and molds. To make it, mix vinegar and baking soda to make a thick paste. Apply the paste to the stained or moldy area and leave for 15-20 minutes. Once the paste dries, scrub if off and wash with water. Dry the stroller in sunlight for best result.
- Bleach:
Bleach is very popular for removing stubborn stain from your fabric. Mix adequate amount of bleach with water and spray it onto the moldy area directly. Scrub the area well and rinse it with water. When it dries, your stroller will look completely new.
Cautions:
- Make sure you don’t touch bleach empty-handed; it will damage your skin
- Bleach can be harmful to your eyes if you inhale.
- Excessive bleach will damage your stroller’s fabric and colour.
- Make sure to wash away all these cleaning solutions with adequate water.
- Never use a tumble dryer for stroller fabric; it is best to dry them beneath the sun.
Conclusion
You can get many more solutions to remove mold on the Internet, but they cannot all be used on a stroller. Because babies have sensitive skin, it is always better to use natural solutions. All these ingredients are easily available and affordable, and they can clean all signs of mold from your stroller.