WSVN — A car seat keeps your baby safe when you’re on the road, but those seats could also be harmful to your child’s health. 7’s Diana Diaz shows us how they are a “Hot Seat” for bacteria and germs and what to do about it.
Parents know, you never know what you might find in a baby’s car seat.
Miriam Quevedo: “Disgusting. Wrappers, crumbs, candy, M&Ms. You name it, you’ll find it there.”
Even worse, a recent study out of England showed some children’s car seats are dirtier than a toilet seat!
Dr. Cynthia Rivera, Infectious Disease, Mount Sinai Medical Center: “That’s not hard for me as an infectious disease doctor to imagine. Other studies have been done where the researchers have swabbed car seats and found MRSA and strep.”
But parents will quickly tell you, cleaning a car seat, is not always an easy job.
Miriam Quevedo: “It’s a hassle, just to take the car seat out.”
That’s why Kendall parents Vanessa and Sergio De Leon started Sparkling Baby Wheels, a new company that details car seats, bassinets and strollers.
Vanessa De Leon: “We have anything from the fancy, high-end tools, to the little toothbrushes that get into the hard-to-reach places.”
They use all eco-friendly, non-toxic products to thoroughly clean all those places you can and can’t see.
Vanessa De Leon: “Vacuuming of the car seats, we scrub ’em down. We make sure all the upholstery is nice and clean and back to you in 24 hours.”
And if you have a darker-colored car seat, you’ll probably be shocked to see just how dirty it really is.
Vanessa De Leon: “When you see the water, the dirt that comes out of these, it’s incredible.”
But if you can’t afford to have your car seat professionally cleaned, doctors recommend shaking it out or vacuuming the seat to get rid of loose crumbs, food and dirt. Then disassemble it and wipe down the plastic parts.
Dr. Cynthia Rivera: “Soap and water will work just fine for the majority of these parts.”
You should also machine wash the cloth part, which often has sweat stains and comes in contact with soiled diapers.
Dr. Cynthia Rivera: “Wash it in a washing machine under high heat.”
Busy moms like Miriam say it’s worth the convenience and peace of mind to get her child’s car seat cleaned at Sparkling Baby Wheels.
Miriam Quevedo: “I’ve used them three times. I know that she is in her car seat that is clean.One less thing that I have to deal with!”
A detail at ‘Sparkling Baby Wheels starts at $30. They will pick up and deliver in Miami-Dade, and there are also drop-off locations like Babies “R” Us.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Sparkling Baby Wheels
(305) 773-1408
www.sparklingbabywheels.com
sparklingbabywheels@gmail.com