Oh yes, the good old pack n play. The place where small toys, puffs, and mashed carrots thrive. In each nook and cranny of your child's pack n play is a load of grime, dirt, dust, and particles that you’d be disgusted to admit you found. The good news is, learning how to clean a pack n play is rather simple as long as you remain consistent with your cleanings.
You want to stay on top of them to prevent your child from becoming sick.
So what’s first? The first thing you’ll want to do when learning how to clean a pack n play is assess the situation. Take a look at your child's pack n play and determine the best course of action.
Not every pack n play is the same, so the overall cleaning process may vary for you. Much of the time, the pack n play contains four collapsible walls with a soft base at the bottom.
The best pack n play with have a harder foam base that covers the mesh portion that allows the entire pack n play to collapse. That’s where you’ll find most of the “goodies.”
Not to mention the netting that runs around the pack n play. Your baby's little fingers might look super cute, but what’s not cute is all the germs they’re spreading all over the place.
Now that you’re questioning everything you’ve ever known about parenting, we can dive into the cleaning process. It’s simple, and most pack n plays don’t have that many moving parts, so the process shouldn’t take longer than an hour or so.
When you’re learning how to clean a pack n play, make sure you use gentle ingredients, so you don’t cause any allergic reactions with your child.
As we mentioned, use gentle ingredients only. You’ll want to start with a hypoallergenic laundry detergent like the ones from Puracy or Dreft.
From there, you’ll also want to have plenty of clean cloth towels around or something similar.
Finally, baking soda will always do the trick when it comes to pulling out those stubborn stains or soaking up those scary spills.
To clean the outside of the pack n play, you’ll want to wipe it down using the detergent and cloth. Soak the cloth well with the soapy water mixture and give the outside a good wipe down. You should use hot water to really get in there and get the job done well.
If you want to step things up a notch, you could even hose down the entire pack n play outside. Make sure if you have any metal parts that you dry them well and check for any excess moisture. There’s often a lot of hidden metal inside the pack n play that will rust.
The main part you’ll have to worry about inside the pack n play is the mattress. You’ll want to pull that piece out and spray it down with a hose and wipe it with the soapy water mixture. It wouldn’t hurt to take a scrub brush or abrasive sponge and give the mattress a good scrubbing.
Remember, this is the part of the pack n play where your child rests their face. Make sure you give it plenty of attention.
If you’ve got some time to spare, you can do what one mom did. She soaked the entire pack n play in clean water in her bathtub. When she started, she had hot and clear water, and in the end, the water was a brownish-yellow color.
This method may take a bit of time, but it’s a great way to get out all those deep odors and nastiness. You can fill your bathtub and throw in some laundry detergent and baking soda. Next thing you know, you’ll have a sparkling clean pack n play.
As a parent myself, I’ve noticed that the most convenient items are the ones we often overlook when it comes to cleaning (pack n play, crib, pacifier, toys). Our children use these items so much that we don’t want to take them away.
Ensuring that your child has a clean pack n play is a great way to make sure they don’t get sick and that they have a safe environment. Learning how to clean a pack n play is a great skill that every parent should possess.
If you have any tips or tricks for cleaning your pack n play, be sure to drop us a comment and tell us what’s on your mind!
Featured image source: amazon
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