Welcome to moms4mom.com

Question

4

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to get the vomit smell out of car seat straps? I have ripped the car seat apart, and washed all of the padding, then hosed down the rest of the seat in my bath tub but the smell still lingers on the actual straps of the car seat. I have tried laundry detergent and oxyclean but I haven't had any success.

Any ideas before I have to put my stinky car seat back in my car?

flag	asked Feb 12 at 17:38 Shannon B 2,070●1●10

Baking soda and vinegar are next on my list to try, but I just read that they won't work either... – Shannon B Feb 12 at 17:52

I think that to really get rid of the smell you might try soaking the straps if possible, and for areas that you can't submerge in water, I would air it in the garden or somewhere with good natural ventilation for 12-24 hours! – Emi Feb 12 at 19:53

+1 Good question by the way! – Emi Feb 12 at 19:54

1

@Emi I've always heard that you aren't suppose to submerge the harness as it degrades the fibers. However, I believe many manufacturers allow you to buy replacement straps. – Kiesa♦ Feb 12 at 22:36

@Kiesa ah thanks for pointing that out! I had washed the straps of our feeding chair but not those of a carseat! – Emi Feb 13 at 16:48

Rich Seller · Accepted Answer · 2010-02-14 22:07:18Z UTC

3

A mixture of 1 tbsp sodium bicarbonate (known variously as bicarbonate of soda or baking soda) to 1 pint (568 ml) water works well at removing smells and stains.

Scrub it gently into the straps with a soft brush (a toothbrush works well) then leave to dry and brush away any residue. Don't scrub too hard as you don't want to damage the straps.

edited Feb 14 at 22:07

answered Feb 14 at 21:06

Rich Seller
2,518●1●4●16

	Ok, I had to add that one to the translation dictionary (moms4mom.com/questions/3620/…), so "bicarbonate of soda" = "baking soda". – Scott♦ Feb 14 at 21:14
	yes, updated with the variants – Rich Seller Feb 14 at 22:07
	This worked! I scrubbed the straps with baking soda and my old toothbrush and the smell is gone! Thank you! – Shannon B Feb 15 at 1:04

Scott · Answer 2 · 2010-02-13 20:11:42Z UTC

3

Try a pet stain/odor remover like Get The Odor Out or Nature's Miracle.

edited Feb 13 at 20:11

Scott♦♦

answered Feb 12 at 18:14

Kate
2,688●1●1●10

	+1 that's a good idea! – Emi Feb 12 at 20:48
	Yay, Nature's Miracle! Works great for dogs and kids. – lgritz Feb 13 at 1:31
	I've never heard of Nature's Miracle before... will have to try it out. We always used ProSolve. – Scott♦ Feb 13 at 20:12

Scott · Answer 3 · 2010-02-13 20:12:09Z UTC

2

My father, a dry cleaner, always used diluted white vinegar to get the dog pee or vomit smell out of the carpets. Those were the days before Nature's Miracle, which is what I now usually try first.

edited Feb 13 at 20:12

Scott♦♦

answered Feb 13 at 1:33

lgritz
5,445●2●15

Sabrina · Answer 4 · 2010-02-15 19:10:03Z UTC

I noticed your found a solution, but when this happened to me I took the car seat straps off completely and put them in the washing mashine on delicate. I think the key is soaking them for longer periods of time with regular detergent. There was one part of the strap I couln't get off and so I turned the car seat over and soaked the strap in a bucket overnight. It worked well for me. Maybe something to try that's easier than scrubbing just in case there is a next time...but hopefully not! :)

Suggestions for how to get rid of vomit smell…

4 Answers