# machine washing a carseat cover....



## katie9143 (Oct 3, 2006)

i know you arent supposed to....and i dont machine wash mine. but i was talking about what a pain it was to handwash our marathon cover earlier. its actually the first time i have ever done it, i usually just sponge clean it, but dd has peed in it several times in the last month and it was just time









a friend of mine said she machine washes her boulevard cover all the time and why was i hand washing...i told her it was cuz i read the directions from the book and did what it said. i am pretty sure i have read about ppl saying why its bad, and she asked me why its bad and i didnt have an answer...

anyway, i figured someone could help me out with an answer for her









tia ladies


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## WC_hapamama (Sep 19, 2005)

I've machine washed ours on a cold cycle, and then let them air dry... never a problem. They actually dry a little faster that way because the washing machine does a better job of getting as much water as possible out.


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## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

I use the handwash setting on my machine and hang to dry.

Which reminds me, I have 2 car seats I need to wash this weekend.


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## Carhootel (Jul 16, 2008)

I've always machine washed mine on delicate or handwash cycles. It was actually recommended to me by a local CPST


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

I machine wash mine too, on gentle. The only bad thing that could happen is that the cover could start to fall apart, but the Britax, Radian and True Fit covers hold up great to repeated washing; I destroyed an Evenflo cover though. The warning tags start to unravel a bit after several washes too, if that bothers you.


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## katie9143 (Oct 3, 2006)

ok so then it must just be a britax "suggestion"









i will let my friend know she is a smart girl than i!!


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

I've machine washed all my covers on gentle, never had an issue. Dried most of them on low as well. When you need a clean cover the next morning, they won't always air dry in time!


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## mrskingred (Aug 3, 2006)

Britax UK says you can machine wash on delicate cycle at 30C. I assume the difference is because washing machines are front loaders in the UK. They say not to tumble dry.


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## texaspeach (Jun 19, 2005)

afaik machine washing a cover is fine, but you are only supposed to spot clean straps.


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## BathrobeGoddess (Nov 19, 2001)

I machine wash mine with no problem...and I so don't do it on hand wash! It would never get clean









I eman it isn't a safty issue, only if you wash the harness


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## WC_hapamama (Sep 19, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mrskingred* 
Britax UK says you can machine wash on delicate cycle at 30C. I assume the difference is because washing machines are front loaders in the UK. They say not to tumble dry.

That might be why it works so well for me too... we're using commercial front loaders.


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## noobmom (Jan 19, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mrskingred* 
Britax UK says you can machine wash on delicate cycle at 30C. I assume the difference is because washing machines are front loaders in the UK. They say not to tumble dry.

Yes, I'm guessing that in a top loader there is a chance part of the cover will get caught under the agitator and tear. We wash ours on the handwash or delicate cycle in our front loader.


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## eistrach (Sep 11, 2009)

The reason that Britax doesn't recommend machine washing the carseat covers is because machine washing them removes some of the flame retardants. Considering the covers are over-loaded with flame retardants and California has banned the use of those flame retartdants because they are potential carcinogens, I machine wash mine to remove the excess chemicals so they're not against my baby's skin. I fully recognize and appreciate the value of flame retardants in adding time to get my baby out of his seat in case of a fire, but the daily exposure to chemicals is a greater risk to me than a car fire.


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

I have machine-washed on cold, gentle, tiny bit of mild soap, air-dry.

However, if you machine-wash your cover against the suggestion/recommendation in the manual, and it does not survive, the company is not responsible for replacing it under warranty.


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## LemonPie (Sep 18, 2006)

I've washed the covers of all three of my Britax covers on the gentle cycle and let them drip dry. They never suffered any damage as a result.


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