My 5 Favorite Toddler Cleaning Hacks
Toddlers are messy. From food stains, to poop stains, to germs there is little left to the imagination with a toddler. As a self-proclaimed germophobe, I’m always on a mission to clean up Brody’s messes. Today, I am partnering with STAINMASTER to share 5 of my favorite toddler cleaning hacks.
Stroller/Car Seat
Crumbs and stroller seats go hand in hand. More times than I care to admit, I end up bribing Brody with a snack to keep him content when we are one the go. It is one of those many things I swore I would never do prior to becoming a mom. As you well know, by the time I lift Brody out of the stroller or car seat, there is usually a pile of crushed crumbs left behind in the deep crevices. My favorite quick cleanup solution? Masking tape. Take a small piece of masking tape and fold it under so the sticky side is on the outside forming a loop. Press the tape into those hard to reach cracks and crevices of the car seat or stroller and watch as it lifts those crumbs right out. Instant satisfaction! The roll of masking tape now lives in our kitchen for easy access at all times.
Carpet
Confession Time: One of Brody’s favorite things to do is run down the hallway into his nursery buck-naked after his nightly bath. He giddily laughs as he skimpers around upstairs sans skivvies. The freedom nearly always results in peeing on the carpet. I can’t be the only momma who deals with cleaning bodily functions off of the carpet on a regular basis, right?!
I have recently started using the STAINMASTER Carpet Spray to clean up these pesky messes and it has worked so well. It picks up the stains and leaves behind an invisible shield, making the inevitable next pee stain a little easier to clean up. I also like that it does not leave behind any sort of sticky residue like some of the other cleaners we have used in the past. I have a feeling the STAINMASTER Carpet Spray is going to come into handy even more as we begin potty training.
Clothes
Babies should not only come with manuals, but there should really be laundry lessons for new mommas as well. Every single item of clothing gets stained. I stopped buying pricey baby clothes early on. Not only because they grow out of them so quickly, but more so because it is inevitable that they will become stained. I used to keep a separate laundry pile of all of the stained clothes, but I quickly came to the realization that every piece of clothing Brody wore was ending up in that pile. The mommas in Brody’s little preschool playgroup shared their clothes-cleaning secret with me and it has become my favorite laundry hack. What is it? Laundry stain spray. When we change Brody into his pajamas at night, we will spray any stains, then toss the item into the laundry pile. When they come out of the laundry machine, they are usually stain free.
Toys
From teething babies to sticky fingers, Brody’s toys often take a beating. Every couple of months, I throw the plastic, non-electronic toys through a cycle in our dishwasher. I pour a little white vinegar into the detergent compartment and run a cycle full of toys. This has worked really well with the balls from Brody’s ball pit and the other miscellaneous toys after we’ve had a busy play date at our house. It is also a good way to continuously donate or discard the toys that are really worn as we are swapping the toys out from our bi-weekly toy rotation.
High Chair
The high chair area in our kitchen may very well be the messiest area in our entire home. It is the spot we are constantly trying to clean up. That spot where when you look away, two seconds later more crumbs and spills just seem to magically appear. Since these are surfaces that Brody eats off of regularly (including the floor around the high chair), I am extra cautious about what we use to clean. My favorite hack for this area has been the Giggle Toy & High Chair Cleaner. This plant-based cleaner is unscented, wipes up well, and does not require rinsing. A total win-win in my book.
What are your favorite toddler and baby cleaning hacks? What area of your home seems to always be a mess?
Thank-you, STAINMASTER for sponsoring this post. Learn more about the STAINMASTER carpet care collection..
