How to Clean Used Newborn Baby Furniture
Borrowing baby furniture or buying it secondhand is a great way to save money. After all, once the baby arrives, you’re going to have a lot of other needs, so the saved money will come in handy. But how can you be sure the furniture is clean and sanitary?
Don’t worry. Most baby furniture is constructed to be easy to clean, as long as you disinfect all the surfaces, and wash any fabrics in a baby-safe detergent that won’t damage flame-retardant fabrics.
Step 1
Remove any soft plastic or fabric parts from the furniture for thorough cleaning. Most baby furniture is made to come apart for washing. If the furniture comes with fabric that cannot be washed, you don’t want it.
Step 2
Wash wooden furniture with warm water and disinfectant. Pour a wood-safe disinfectant into a bucket of hot water, and wipe the wood clean with a cloth or sponge. Remove caked-on grime by moistening it with hot water and scrubbing with a scrub pad. Be careful not to scrub too hard or you could damage the wood’s finish.
Step 3
Spray plastic baby furniture with an anti-bacterial cleanser and scrub it thoroughly. Wipe it down again with a damp sponge to remove cleanser residue.
Step 4
Scrub wicker furniture with a soft-bristled brush dipped in hot water with disinfecting cleaner, then wipe with a damp cloth. Spray the whole piece with a disinfectant or wipe it down with disinfecting wipes and allow it to air dry.
Step 5
Toss fabric parts in the washing machine with a baby-safe detergent. Add half a cup of borax to the wash to remove stains and strong smells. Borax is a natural mineral that will not compromise flame-retardant finishes or irritate a baby’s skin.
References
Resources
Writer Bio
Jenny Rae Armstrong is a freelance writer living in Northern Wisconsin. She studied English Literature at Excelsior College, and has been writing for over a decade. Her work has appeared in magazines such as Plain Truth, Radiant, and Geez.
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- Image Source/Photodisc/Getty Images
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