Easy clean high chairs are hard to come by, but no matter what type of high chair you have, the following tutorial on how to clean high chair straps and how to clean high chairs will clean your high chair easily and save your fingers from scrubbing!
It’s amazing how much stuck-on food that falls off the high chair tray and gets on the straps. Those turn into stubborn stains and dried food particles on those highchair straps. The simple steps below will tell you how to clean a dirty high chair the easiest way. With a little elbow grease and regular cleaning, that gross food build-up and caked-on food won’t be an issue at all.
The first time that we began feeding our kids baby food, we fed them while they sat in baby swings, because we were so poor we couldn’t also afford two high chairs (we had twins). The baby swings over time turned into such a mess with jarred baby food smeared all over it.
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Thankfully, after we threw them in the wash they were surprisingly clean again and with little effort! It was actually quite amazing.
RELATED: The Thrifty Mom’s Guide to Basic Baby Feeding Supplies
However, we did eventually get some simple portable high chair booster seats from my in-laws at Christmastime and could stop using the baby swings which was great!
But, man, high chairs get so dirty and messy and the food cakes on and proves difficult to scrub and scrape off at times as the food seems to solidify to it.
RELATED: 5 Popular Baby Food Feeder Options to Keep Baby Safe and Less Messy
We did our best to clean high chairs after each use by giving them a quick wipe down with a wet washcloth, but sometimes we didn’t get do it, or food escaped our wiping (by falling under the booster high chairs for example).
We no longer have those Fisher-Price high chair boosters seats, but we did pick up this Safety 1st Beaumont wood high chair a few years ago from Craiglist for like $30 and for the most part we totally love it!
But it isn’t really an easy to clean high chair. It seemed to quickly accumulate crumbs and bits, especially on the high chair straps.
I decided I wanted to figure out how to clean high chairs. I didn’t find a lot of great tutorials online, so I wanted to share what I did as it proved super easy!
How to Clean a High Chair
After several months of use of our new wood high chair, it needed a good cleaning. Even with a padded high chair seat cover, food got caked on in the corners everywhere on it!
The secret to cleaning high chairs the super easy way is to have a steam cleaner!
I am always looking for great new ways to use a steam cleaner as we have an expensive steam cleaner on hand.
Well, I don’t think anything else would do as easy of a job cleaning a high chair or do as well as a steam cleaner!
RELATED: How to Keep Messy Toddler Mealtime Messes to a Minimum
The advantages of using a steam cleaner are that it only uses water – no harmful or potentially harmful chemicals. Plus it sanitizes as it goes. There’s not a lot of wiping or scrubbing you have to do either and it gets into all the little crevices very easily.
The only downside if you plan to clean a wood high chair is that you need to be careful not to get the water underneath the veneer or otherwise damage the wood materials.
Instructions on How to Easily Clean High Chairs
1. Get your steam cleaner set up and ready to clean!
2. If you have a cloth or other sort of mat on your high chair, be sure to scrub it (if necessarily) and then stick in the washing machine, or spot clean it. If there are any baby poop stains on it, use my tips for removing baby poop stains!
3. Use the regular tip that comes with your steam cleaner and begin to clean your high chair!
4. Have a microfiber cloth handy and wipe down the excess water and remove any excess food and other particles.
How to Clean High Chair Straps
1. To clean high chair straps, use the steam cleaner to get into all the textures of the straps, wiping it down with a cloth, or putting a cloth underneath the straps. If straps can be removed, you can also steam clean them on a different surface with a cloth underneath.
2. After it is clean and wiped down and dry, apply a wood polish or other cleanser like Endust, again with a microfiber cloth. This will make it super clean and shiny and make the clean last longer.
3. Replace the padded seat cover (if you have it) and then your high chair is as good as new!
And that’s it!! My high chair seems like an easy to clean high chair now that I know I can get in all the nooks and crannies with a steam cleaner! Yeah! It’s now like my favorite use of my steam cleaner!
What are the most common places food hides in the high chairs?
If you have a picky eater, they might be dropping food all over the chair. This is where you have dried-on food in the seating area, and that can turn into a nightmare. Food stains will be found everywhere on the high chair and your child’s high chair straps. From spaghetti sauce to loose crumbs, you’re going to find just about everything in your baby’s high chair.
This is where cleaning methods like the one mentioned above work best, especially if you have non-removable straps.
Pro Tip
Don’t forget that dish soap and warm water / cold water work well as cleaning products as well. All you need to do a quick wipe down is a clean damp cloth. This is the best way to clean the entire chair easily.
I don’t like to use harsh chemicals on baby products, so this is a great way you can use cleaning options to get rid of loose food pieces, stains, and more.
Wiping the chair down after they eat each time is one of the benefits of daily cleaning, too. This is a good option to remember so that you don’t have visible food residue on the chair.
I’d love to hear other ways you’ve cleaned your high chair below too!
Be sure to check out these great baby-related posts too!:
- 5 Popular Baby Food Feeder Options to Keep Baby Safe and Less Messy
- The Thrifty Mom’s Guide to Basic Baby Feeding Supplies
- How to Keep Messy Toddler Mealtime Messes to a Minimum
- When to Introduce Sippy Cups and How to Ease the Transition from Bottle or Breast
- 7 Tricks for Ending Your Child’s Endless Snacking
- How to Stop a Baby Biting While Breastfeeding – Experts & Moms Weigh In
- 3 Tips for Helping a Teething Baby
- 11 Best Subscription Boxes for Babies Ages 0-3 Years Old
Amy@Geniani says
Omg, it is a problem in my life, I swear. My baby likes to do a mess while eating, therefore, I clean not only a chair but the whole house every day! I use only chemical-free products for cleaning to protect the health of my child. It is essential for every parent for sure. I mix white vinegar, baking soda and tea tree or lemon essential oil to clean everything I want. It is the best eco-friendly cleaning recipe I have ever used. Recommend.
nora says
I clean not only one chair but the whole house every day! I use only chemical-free cleaning products to protect my baby’s health. This is definitely a must-have, for any Affiliate, promoting any program. I mix white vinegar, baking soda, and essential oil of tea tree or lemon to clean everything. This is the best eco-friendly cleaning recipe I’ve ever used. We tried our best to quickly clean the upholstered chairs with a wet washcloth after each use, but sometimes we couldn’t, or the food escaped our wiping.