How to clean a stroller 

By their very nature, strollers are destined to get dirty. Their pint-sized passengers eat in them, sleep in them, and soil their diapers, resulting in an unholy mess.

Once you start using it, you’ll be bringing your baby’s stroller everywhere—which can mean your baby is picking up a lot of evolved germs.

Sippy cup spills, rogue snack crumbs, and potty training accidents are all common problems your stroller will probably face – so knowing how to clean a stroller is crucial to making your baby feel safe.

Cleaning up a stroller is one of those things we can all do without. Most of us ignore it since it feels like too much of a chore. But it’s easier than you think to clean one.

Keep on our article to learn how to clean a stroller to get the deepest clean, and then rest easy every time your child sleeps in it, knowing that they will be safe from various bacterial and viral infections and diseases.

Why should you keep the stroller clean?

Infants have significantly lower immunity than adults - the prime reason children require most protection these days. 

Therefore, it’s important to ensure that anything they are coming into regular contact with is clean, disinfected, and germ-free. In addition, as most parents use a stroller daily, periodic deep cleaning is crucial.

How often should you clean the stroller? 

The longer you leave your stroller between cleans, the harder the task becomes in the future. Therefore, it is ideal to give it a once-over after every use. 

Just taking care of little things such as brushing the mud and dirt off the wheels, removing crumbs from the fabric, and wiping off any sticky mess should be enough. 

Doing this will mean extended cleaning and disinfecting will be required less often. 

How to clean a stroller in 5 easy steps

Remove crumbs

Get rid of loose dirt and crumbs with a brush, but it’s more effective to sweep over the stroller with a hand vacuum to suck up all the miscellaneous dirt and crumbs. 

Detach the removable parts

Check your owner's manual, or if you lost it, check the manufacturer's website for any model-specific care instructions. These can also tell you how to detach the removable stroller parts to get a deeper clean.

Get into crevices with a toothbrush 

Dip a toothbrush into warm, soapy, and antiseptic solution water to scrub any gunk from the corners of the fabric seats. If your stroller has a removable cover or fabric, rinse or soak this in cool water, scrubbing out any stains.

Scrubbing fabric

Assuming the fabric seat and most plastic trim pieces can’t be removed, start at the stroller's top and use a cloth towel dipped in an antiseptic liquid to scrub the stroller down. Next, wipe away any debris you picked or scrubbed out in the previous step.

Once all the fabric is dry, follow up with a disinfectant spray to refresh and sanitize the cloth.

Clean hard surfaces and wheels 

Wipe down the remaining parts of the stroller with multiuse antibacterial wipes, or if there are a lot of them, use disinfectant antiseptic spray to clean them. 

Once you’ve cleaned all the fabric and hard surfaces, tackle the plastic or rubber wheels. They're dirtier than the rest of the stroller, and you don't want that dirt coming in contact with the area where your child sits. If they aren't maneuvering smoothly, spritz some lubricant over them to get them moving properly.

Store your stroller in a cool, dry place so it won't get rusty, musty, or mildewed.

Now that you know more about cleaning a stroller, you can safely enjoy yours for years to come. Be sure to keep an eye out for important stroller information and recalls, and in the meantime, keep on rolling with your baby or toddler!

FAQs

Is the baby stroller washable?

Yes, some strollers have removable fabric, which can be hand-washed or washed in a washing machine. Before washing, do a colorfast test to ensure the colors don’t bleed. For strollers without machine-washable fabric, make a solution of warm water and soap. 

How do you dry a wet stroller?

Soak up water and moisture with a piece of microfiber cloth. You can also use a fan or let the fabric air dry. 

Can you take a stroller apart to wash it?

Stroller parts like storage trays, cup holders, and fabric seats can be removed from the stroller’s frame to wash and clean separately.