How to clean your cruddy BOB Stroller

By Manda

One of my most essential pieces of Mom Equipment has bar none been my trusty BOB Duallie Revolution stroller. It's also one of the best gifts we've ever received ... my husband's generous parents gave it to us the Christmas after I gave birth to our second child and WOW. The thing changed my life! It is indeed large, but it folds down small enough to fit in the trunk of most cars we've tried (we have a large SUV and a pick-up truck so transport really hasn't been an issue), and it fits through a standard doorway with no problem! When we first got it we really only used it to cruise the streets of Disneyland, but soon I started running again and that blessed stroller has now been piled high with kids, toys and snacks and pushed all over our community (and through airports! And race expos! And! And!). Needless to say, it's taken a beating.

It spent the better part of the summer on our front porch (I've been training without my kids in tow this summer, and it's been a game-changer). My daughter is in preschool now and so when I run errands I usually just pop my son in our umbrella stroller and go. Because it was left outside and because we live in a humid climate, when I opened it up recently I noticed some mold and mildew on the fabric (also THERE WERE SPIDERS! And crumbs! And it was just generally gross!). I set upon Google looking for tips and tricks on how to clean my beloved BOB and here follows my cleaning adventure.

The first thing I did was put it in the back yard in a sunny spot and spray it down with a spray bottle loaded up with plain old white vinegar. I wanted to kill the mold but didn't want to bleach the fabric out with chlorine bleach ... and nothing happened. I sprayed the entire thing down to saturation, let it dry in the sun, and when it was dry the mold spots were still there (although? The vinegar did kill all the funky smells going on!). 

SO! I now had a dry, less-funky-yet-still-moldy-looking stroller. A random website recommended using a heavy laundry stain remover, and so when I was at the store I spotted the Oxiclean MaxForce Pre-Treater Gel Stick that Emily recommended and grabbed it along with a stiff-bristled scrub brush (this is the one. The contoured shape worked great in all the fabric folds). Then, with the kids digging in the sandbox, I spent the better part of an hour rubbing on stain remover and scrubbing the living daylights out of the stroller fabric. I could not believe how much "stuff" came off the thing (and could not help but remember all the spilled snacks and sippy cups the poor thing has endured). I rinsed with the garden hose, set it out in the sun, and the good news? I managed to get it MOSTLY clean! My husband couldn't believe how good it looks! I have plans to refresh our messy little Chicco umbrella stroller next!

(photo via REI.com)

I'd like to take one more crack at it before I'm satisfied as there is still a bit of mold staining, but overall I'm pleased. If this isn't your cup of tea and you have the capital, I found a service called Stroller Spa that will service and clean your stroller for you (looks pretty awesome!).

But mostly? I'd just recommend parking the sucker in the garage. Which is where my BOB will live from now on when off duty. Lesson learned!

Have you ever done a heavy cleaning on your stroller? What are your tips and tricks? And have you used bleach to get mold off stroller fabric with any success? Did it kill the mold? Did it ruin the fabric? 

Comments

[DC Zia]

Oooh. I am going to apply all of this to our Baby Jogger City Mini. Which I am not sure I have ever cleaned in over 3 years. It does get stored inside, but still. And honestly, I wouldn't have thought that much about cleaning it except that my husband pointed out that the forthcoming Second Baby might appreciate it.

[Lisa]

I still have to deep clean our Joovy Sit and Stand from our trip to Disney...nearly 2 years ago (yes EWWWW). I have two of those stain sticks in my laundry room - lets see if they can power off the old mickey mouse ice cream chocolate stains.

[Dawn K.]

I've never used it on a stroller (yet) but I can't say enough good things about Charlie's Soap cleaning spray. I use it on set in carpet stains other cleaners can't get out, or other random stains around the house.

We just went on a road trip, and my toddler's carseat looks ragged.
I'm planning on attacking it with Charlie's sometime in the next few weeks.

[Lucy]

We have a Baby Jogger something or other and the whole seat thing snaps off, which is genius. So I too left my stroller on the porch all winter and it too was moldy/mildewy and just nasty, so much so that i was ready to just trash it. We unsnapped the whole thing and soaked it for a LONG time (like maybe up to a week) in oxiclean and water, put it through the washer a few times to rinse it and it is so darn clean and beautiful.

I don't know if the BOB seat material comes off, but if so you can probably get it even cleaner!