Britax seats give families the advantage of traveling with children in cars with ease. For your little kid to enjoy products from this trusted company, you must know how to clean Britax car seat properly without damaging it or impairing its safety.
Generally, this process involves taking out the seat’s parts, individually cleaning its different parts with their required cleaning methods, and putting the entire thing back together.
But the cleaning methods of each part vary among the various models, so always see the instructions on the care label or manual.
Table of Contents
- Step-By-Step Guide to Clean Britax Car Seat
- What to Prepare:
- Step 1: Remove the Seat Cover
- Step 2: Vacuum Clean the Seat Cover
- Step 3: Wash the Seat Cover
- Step 4: Dry and Reinstall the Seat Cover
- Step 5: Remove the Car Seat Buckle
- Step 6: Rinse the Buckle
- Step 7: Check if the Buckle Is Working Then Dry and Reinstall It
- Step 8: Spot Clean the Safety Straps
- Step 9: Wipe the Car Seat Body With Mild Soapy Water
- Step 10: Clean the Car Seat Attachments
- How Do I Clean My Britax Marathon Car Seat?
- How to Clean Britax One4life?
- Conclusion
Step-By-Step Guide to Clean Britax Car Seat
What to Prepare:
- Vacuum cleaner
- Washing machine (if the car seat is machine-washable)
- Dyer (if machine drying is allowed)
- Mild soap
- Cold or warm water (depending on the instructions)
- Towels or clothes pins
- Clothesline
- Sponge
- Microfiber cloth
Step 1: Remove the Seat Cover
Take the seat cover off to thoroughly do your Britax car seat cleaning. See the manual provided to be guided on how to remove it.
- Usually, you’ll have to unhook the elastic on the sides of the canopy. Then, push the buttons in the same areas to remove said cloth.
- Next, find the buckle strap retainer on the bottom of the seat. Loosen the retainer and pull it through the slot at the bottom.
- At this point, remove the belly pads and the head restraint cover.
- Finally, press the EZ tab and pull the seat cover out.
Step 2: Vacuum Clean the Seat Cover
Vacuum out the food crumbs, debris, and dirt before you wash Britax car seat cover. To make sure all the filth is removed, turn the seat over and give it a shake to get rid of the particles that the vacuum may have missed.
Step 3: Wash the Seat Cover
To be safe and not damage your seat cover, check the washing instructions, as the washing method differs for each model.
Some Britax car seat covers must not be machine washed and can only be washed by hand, while others (like the Britax Safewash & B-Warm products) can be machine washed and dried.
Only wash a seat cover in the washing machine, dry it in the dryer, and iron it if they’re said to be allowed in the instructions.
When hand washing the seat cover, mild soap and cold water should be used.
Machine washable covers like the Britax Boulevard car seat, for example, must be washed with the machine set on the gentle cycle and with cold water.
Step 4: Dry and Reinstall the Seat Cover
Again, check the instructions for the required drying method for your seat cover, as it also differs for each model.
Some seat covers, like the Britax Advocate one, shouldn’t be put in the dryer. If yours also shouldn’t be machine dried, dry it either by laying it flat on a towel or hanging it on a clothesline.
Once the cover’s dried, reinstall it on the seat.
Step 5: Remove the Car Seat Buckle
The car seat buckle must also be removed for you to thoroughly clean it. Again, see the cleaning instructions for how to remove it.
- In general, you’ll need to locate the crotch strap three-bar slides. They’re usually black and rectangular.
- Next, turn the three-bar slides over so their short sides can go through the slot under the seat. Otherwise, you’ll have a tough time detaching the slides.
- By now, you can take the buckle out of the seat.
Step 6: Rinse the Buckle
The buckle need not be washed with any soap, detergent, solvent, or lubricant, as they can actually impair the buckle’s ability to secure the tongues. Also, if you tend to use vinegar for cleaning, avoid it in this case.
You can clean the buckle in the sink with water for five minutes. This should be enough time to rinse off all the filth.
Step 7: Check if the Buckle Is Working Then Dry and Reinstall It
Check if the buckle’s functioning properly by buckling and unbuckling the buckle tongues.
If it creates a clicking sound and secures the tongues, then it’s working well and can be wiped dry and reinstalled in the car seat.
If not, then you need to repeat the rinsing.
Step 8: Spot Clean the Safety Straps
The safety straps must be dealt with much caution, as they are a very important but also very delicate part of the car seat. Carefully spot-cleaning them with a sponge dampened with mild soap and warm water would do the trick without causing any damage to them.
Moreover, there are a couple of cleaning methods that you should avoid when you clean car seat straps, as they can be damaging, such as submerging them in water, using harsh soap and bleach, machine washing, and ironing.
But if the straps are in such terrible condition to the point that they can no longer be restored by cleaning, it’s recommended to buy new straps instead.
Step 9: Wipe the Car Seat Body With Mild Soapy Water
You can use mild soapy water for your cleaning solution. Take a sponge or towel, dip it in the soap, and use it to wipe the car seat body.
Step 10: Clean the Car Seat Attachments
Lastly, clean the car seat’s attachments. If it has armrests, you can simply wipe them clean with a damp cloth.
If the seat has the Britax Convertible Child Cup Holder, you can have it washed in the dishwasher. But make sure to place it on the top rack only.
How Do I Clean My Britax Marathon Car Seat?
You’ll need to take apart the car seat first. Consult the manual on how to remove the different parts.
Once you’ve got them all removed, proceed to wash the coverings, which can be machine washed in the delicate cycle with cold water but not with bleach. However, the buckles and straps must not be machine washed.
The straps should be spot cleaned with warm water and mild soap. The same thing applies to the buckles; you may also clean them with q-tips.
Then, get rid of excess water from the washed parts and let them hang to air dry. For the car seat body, use mild soap and water to wipe it clean.
Once all the cleaning is done, put all the parts you took apart and cleaned back in place as per the car seat’s instructions.
How to Clean Britax One4life?
- Like how you’d usually clean baby car seats, removing the different parts of the Britax One4life is the first step.
All the covers, including the one for the headrest, clicktight door, side protection top, side protection, as well as the straps and buckle must be removed.
See the manual for the detailed uninstallation procedure. Alternatively, you may watch this video:
- For some models of Britax’s One4life line, such as the SafeWash and Premium, you can machine wash and dry the covers. The other models, such as the Cool Flow, however, must only be washed by hand.
Moreover, the covers must not be bleached and ironed.
- Straps, on the other hand, must not be washed but rather, sponge cleaned using mild soap and warm water, then towel dried.
They must also not be disassembled, cleaned with bleach, machine dried, and ironed.
- For the buckle, there’s no need to use soap, as simply rinsing it with warm water would do, and soap and detergents can damage it.
Other don’ts for the buckle are cleaning it with lubricants and solvents, as well as soaking it in water.
- After cleaning the buckle, see if it can properly secure the tongues by buckling and unbuckling it. If not, rinse it again, but if yes, you may towel dry it.
- For the car seat body, simply sponge clean it with mild soap and warm water and towel it dry. Avoid using abrasive cleaners.
- When all the parts are finally clean, put the seat back together. See the manual for the step-by-step installation.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that how to clean Britax car seat can generally be summarized into uninstalling parts, cleaning them separately, and reinstalling.
Apart from the aforementioned models, this fact is true whether you’re going to clean Britax B-safe 35 car seat or an Endeavours model, etc.
Remember to carefully read the manual’s instructions, as there are specific steps that each model requires for cleaning.
