How To Clean A Pack And Play Mat

Before my son was born, I started organizing and cleaning all my baby supplies.  As I was washing baby bedding, I realized that I had never washed my pack n play. I had washed the sheets many, many times and had wiped down the metal and plastic parts, but I had never washed the pack n play itself.  I began to picture all the blowout poops and spit-up incidents that had happened in the pack n play.

After feeling slightly disgusted, I remembered seeing a picture of a pack n play in a bathtub, on Pinterest.  I went back for instructions, but only found a picture. I decided to make my own concoction and see if it really worked.

I began by filling my tub with very hot water.

While the water was running, I added 1/2 C of laundry detergent, ¼ C of baking soda, and a couple of glugs of vinegar (maybe ⅛ C). I began by putting the pack n play "mattress" in the tub.  It floated. So, I put the base of the pack n play on top of the mattress to hold it down. The water covered about half of the the pack n play, so after 45 minutes, I rotated the base.  After rotating the base, I added additional hot water and swished everything around in the water.  I left everything to soak for another hour.  When I came back, the water was absolutely disgusting! After draining the water, there was a thick layer of dirt and gunk on the bottom of my tub.  GROSS! I rinsed the base and mattress off in the shower.  I laid the mattress and base outside to dry.  The base dried after about 4 hours.  I let the mattress dry for 24 hours, just to be sure all the moisture was gone.

The pack n play smelled clean and fresh and looked so much brighter.  I can't believe how filthy the pack n play had been, and I'm so glad I washed it before my baby slept in it.

Important updates and notes (Since I received a handful of comments regarding if you mat has a cardboard inside)

1. Firstly, please be sure to check the materials the pad is made with. If it feels like wood or cardboard, I suggest hand scrubbing with the solution without getting the pad too wet.
2. My pack in play is a Graco, and it still turned out fine. I think the trick was lying it out flat until it was completely dry. That way the base of the mattress didn't bow.
3. I didn't scrub, but I swished it around. I'm sure scrubbing with a rag or a soft bristled brush would be just fine.
4. When I laid the mattress out, I laid it in the sun. It's possible that the fact that it was very hot and in direct sunlight made the difference.

And lastly few reader's comments that may help:

1. Melissa said: Mine was super gross. Something spilled on it on a camping trip. It's light blue. I didn't scrub and it came right off. I was shocked. I swooshed it in the hot water but that was it. It looks brand new again.
2. Elizabeth said: I soaked the pack and play in the tub as said and it cleaned up great! I was worried about the mattress molding because of previous comments so I didn't soak it. Instead I ripped the seam and pulled the wooden slats out. Then I used safety pins to close the seam and washed it on hand wash setting in my washer. Then I dried it outside with the pack and play in the sun. After it was dry I put the slats back in and sewed it closed. It worked out great! The stains and smells were gone!

When did you last clean your pack n play? If you like this post, please PIN it to Pinterest by hoovering your mouse over on the image below.

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Irina is the owner and editor at I love my kids Blog. Mom of 2. She enjoys writing about parenting tips, DIY projects and feature lots of toys and products for family and kids of various ages.

How To Clean A Pack And Play Mat

Source: https://ilovemykidsblog.net/2014/09/clean-pack-n-play.html

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