Being a mother or father of a small child comes with many surprises. One of those being the things that you find on the bottom of the diaper bag you were at one time trying so hard to keep clean. You may find food particles, stains from bottles spilling, or some really odd smells. Whatever it may be you probably want to know some tips on how to clean it.
Below are some tips that may or may not work to clean and deodorize your diaper bag. I have used many of them to clean my baby diaper bag, but all bags are different. Of course you want it to be sanitary and just like when you bought it new. Well that probably isn’t going to happen so just try these things to get it as clean as you can but don’t get frustrated if one doesn’t do the trick. Just keep trying and eventually you will find something that works.
Cleaning your diaper bag
First we need to clean the diaper bag and then we will deodorize it. I split this up into those two sections to make it easier to read and follow. Again don’t get too frustrated if one doesn’t work, just keep pressing on.
As with cleaning anything you first need to empty the diaper bag. This may also be a good time to wash and sanitize the toys and other things that may have been forgotten in the bottom of the bag.
Use The Vacuum
I know this seems obvious but vacuuming out the bag can help get the majority of the crumbs out. If that doesn’t do it you can always turn it upside down and shake it a lot. You can just use a home vacuum with the crack and crevice attachment. If you can find an attachment that has a vent hole so you aren’t constantly fighting to keep the vacuum from sucking up the bag. After you get it vacuumed out you can wipe down the inside with a wet rag to get any remaining crusty items out of it.
Turn Inside Out
You will want to try and turn the diaper bag inside out to be sure you get all the corners and seams clean. This can be tough with some bags but with a little persistence you can do it. When you get this done, return it to its original shape and wipe down the outside of the bag with a damp cloth.
Use Soap and Water
My Grandpa always told me to just use soapy water to clean stuff then rinse. The diaper is no different. On the outside can be some stubborn stains and if you take soap and water with even a stiff bristle brush then rinse with clean water.
Other Cleaning Methods
If the aforementioned methods do not work you can try using white vinegar. It may be a little stinky but it will clean as well as sterilize the diaper bag. After cleaning with soap and water you can use the sterilization packets that you use on bottles for your diaper bag.
Dealing with the smell
Now that you have a clean diaper bag the smell is going to pretty much take care of itself. You can help freshen it up by using the rind from either a lemon or an orange and rub it on the bottom of the diaper bag. This should make it smell lemon or orange fresh.
You can use methods to absorb the odor in the bag. Some of these methods include:
- Slicing an apple in half and placing it in the bag for a day or two
- Put baking soda in a sock and place it in the bag
- Put new coffee grounds in a sock and it will absorb the moisture like the baking soda
Other Options
Use a dryer sheet to try to freshen up the bag. You can use febreeze to help deodorize the outside of the bag. I wouldn’t recommend using it for the inside because of the chemicals in it.
If you think dry cleaning would help clean the bag but don’t want to spend the money use can use dryel. Just don’t use it on bags with plastic on it.
If all else fails you may just have to purchase a new one. I know it is a last resort but we have to keep it as an option.