All words that strike fear in the hearts of pretty much every car owner and cleaner out there. The only thing worse than your kid puking everywhere uncontrollable is your kid puking everywhere in the car uncontrollably.
Imagine yourself driving along a cruise way with the dog, the kids, and your significant other. Just calm, cold driving time, where everyone is jamming out to their favorite songs when out of the blue, you see something on the road and swerve to the left. Considering you have children with you and pets, one often understands that the situation can get messy. There are thousands of stains to think about and multiple problems to consider. Now imagine for a minute the worst is to happen, and you have a three-year-old puking everywhere along with numerous stains all over the back. Now the vomit was something to deal with, but things start to look strict with food and such spilled. But the battle has just begun.
The gross gagging and explosive expulsion of sub-digested food already create a killer stink in the area. The worst part is that there are other kids around this one too, so it ends up being a mega puke fest. Seeing this, you can imagine any six-year-old who was sitting next to him would start to gag and splutter. And if perchance, the young one is accompanied by a younger one, say a one-year-old. They would start screaming, puking, and fighting to get out of their seat right about now and causing more of a mess as whatever food items were strewn across the center started to set in with the constant movement. All the commotion wakes up the baby, who immediately starts crying and puking too.
Chaos has never seen a more glorious day, and all the while, the little three years old still throwing up his lunch or breakfast, depending on what got digested last. I mean, you would pull over and start frantically searching for a bag, a bucket, something, but in most cases, it’s to no avail. Oh, if only one were better prepared, you could have thought this is a new low and that you would make sure you do everything possible to take care of this issue no matter what it may be, but the core idea was to make sure that this level of chaos cannot break open the next time.
All this while one forgets to look into the mess and the mess only gets messier till there comes a time when one has to sit down and address the elephant smell in the car. It would leave one to think of all the things they need to do to ensure nothing like this happens. Let’s talk about what steps to take to clean the shapechanger seat!
The 7 Step Process:
Now that you find yourself in a pukey version of the battle of Stalingrad, it is time for respite and recovery. Damage control is never as easy as it sounds in these situations.
- Step 1: What you need to do in this situation is to take out your car seat. Yes, take it outside the vehicle, disconnect it, and pull it out. As disgusting as it may seem at this stage, you would still need to keep your phone handy for taking pictures. Now take pictures of how everything is assembled and how you are taking it apart step by step so it is easier to connect and make it back if needed.
- Step 2: Remove every single covering on the seat from plastic covers to the original seat covers (if possible) and carry the bodies to the nearest sink rinsing thoroughly in warm and then cold water. To clean straps and harnesses, blot stains with Enzyme Cleaner for Vomit Stain and Odor Remover for more stubborn stains and a diluted soap solution for lighter ones. Enzyme cleaners may not be as great for fabric, straps, and other parts, but they get the job done even though neither of those things can be fit into the washer or dyer. And because the Enzyme cleaner for vomit is comprised of all-natural enzymes and cleaning agents to remove stains and odors, undoubtedly making it one of the safest products to use in the presence of babies and kids because of its natural function and nonresidual nature!
- Step 3: Consult your user’s manual to see if there is a way to wash the entire thing without making a mess. Or if the fabric would not sustain an impact from certain chemicals that one can avoid while cleaning the material. Maybe one would need to continually keep wiping because of the seat’s porous nature to make sure it’s safe to wash the cover in the washing machine. If so, one would be recommended to pass it on the delicate cycle and let it air dry, making sure the fabric does not go through too much stress. Never put the car fabrics into driers. If machine washing is not recommended, you can hand wash the cover in your sink or bathtub.
- Step 4: Wipe down and sanitize the frame of the car seat. You can use q-tips soaked in a mild cleanser or diluted vinegar to get all those crevices in your car seat. Don’t forget to clean the crotch buckle and the chest clip….those are perfect hiding places for the puke.
- Step 5: Now comes the tricky bit. Once you have managed to dry off the covers, place them back as they were on the car seat frame, this would make things easier upon assembly. Often at times, we forget that this is easier said than done. If you feel unsure about how you should go about it, you should be well versed in your user manual. You should regularly consult it or the manufacturer’s website for a better and safer experience with your car and its fabrics.
Better yet, go back and look at the photos you took before you took them apart. This would give you a good idea about what needs to be done to maintain
- Step 6: Wipe down the inside of your car with the enzyme cleaner for vomit. Go ahead and vigorously scrub the carpets and other such fabrics that are also being affected by the vomit. You have to clean that car seat mat at some point, and well, let’s say that now’s your chance! It is also another right place for Enzyme Cleaner for Vomit if you have any lingering odors.
- Step 7: Start Re-installing your car seat.
Now that you are done with the seven essential steps, now comes the wash-up clean-up. Air freshener as you continue to install your car seat and douse the affected areas with enzyme cleaner for vomit along with a dense layer of air fresheners, which would ensure the smell does not seem ep through an,d bless your car with its pungent aroma.
It is considered extremely important for one to
The Alternative
Alternatively, if one gets too queasy from the cleanup, there are other means to ensure one does not find themselves where vomit and car would be the key elements of said situation. It can be done by having a backup plan that would ensure nobody gets queasy and sick in your vehicle.
Researchers have never completely figured out why some people feel nauseous every time they take a car trip, and others travel without any discomfort. People often say it has more to do with how they generally behave like how they move and how they are comfortable moving.
Likewise, most physicians can not identify why car sickness affects some children more than others. Let alone why car sickness happens in the first place. The problem doesn’t seem to affect most children, but it ranges between 2 and 12. It is a statistical fact that most children tend to develop this before puberty and could be a residual evolutionary effect.
A study on genetics and development conducted by the genetics company 23andMe also sought to identify that the women and people who get migraines as two other groups are more likely to suffer from motion sickness. They went on to say they had found multiple connections between the car-sickness-prone and poor sleepers too. Also, some questionable evidence shows that some people who take certain medications, including antibiotics, asthma medicines, and even over-the-counter medicines like ibuprofen, are more prone to car sickness.
Whether due to genetics or just bad luck, motion sickness can make it very difficult to take a family vacation or even go out for a cruise without throwing up, especially if the sufferer is a child. Here are a few popular strategies you can try to alleviate the symptoms:
Stick to Bland Pre-Trip Meals
Avoid greasy, oily, and fatty foods that tend to make you full; avoiding spicy fast food before or during your car trip can be considered a brilliant thing.
If your drive is short, try to avoid meals altogether until you reach your destination. It means if the trip ends up being around two or three hours this can be looked into. A small, bland snack such as plain crackers and a few sips of water is less likely to trigger an upset stomach.
Look for Snacks That Contain Ginger or Peppermint
Many people have sworn by these natural remedies despite most doctors’ chaotic confusion on the subject. Still, when it comes to preventing nausea, it is only smarter to adhere than to face the situation.
Queasy Pops, Queasy Drops, and Queasy Naturals are candies flavored with ginger, peppermint, and other calming ingredients explicitly created to ease a queasy stomach.
Open a Window
Air ventilation with fresh air from outdoors can also help prevent car sickness. It is because the more fresh air one tends to breathe, the better one will feel. It would normalize things for those that would feel claustrophobic or otherwise stressed because of the containment, driving, or even the trip being too bumpy.
Offer Distractions
Suppose your child is prone to car sickness. In that case, you should be extra careful and should load up on comics and books for the car, try playing car games like “I spy..” etc. Or have them listen to music with their eyes closed if nothing else would calm them, soothing their body’s stressed panic response, which would also alleviate the symptoms.
Stop Frequently
If your child signals that he is feeling sick, you should always take the proper steps to ensure that warning is not taken lightly. One should always try to pull over at the nearest rest stop, to make sure that the child is not too uncomfortable and that they would have enough time to catch their breaths. Let them get out, walk around, breathe in as much fresh air as possible, and regulate their breathing. If you have a more relaxed car, placing something cool on their forehead may buy you enough time to sensibly plan out the stop and spend as little time there as possible.
The good news is that most kids tend to outgrow their car sickness by the time they are 12 years old. It goes to show it is an evolutionary step in our development. It can be seen as the effects wear out when one grows beyond that age. But even then, a few young adults and senior citizens tend to take a drink or two at the bar too seriously; watch out for them.