Every gliding chair who’s in it for the long haul is bound to experience its fair share of wear and tear, stains, spit ups and even a few diaper overflows.
That’s not to mention the ghastly stained areas that are irritating to the eye, oh and also the germs and bacteria that may as well be breeding in the fabric of the seat cushions too. All these are bound to happen.
Some gliding chairs have the feature that enables its users to remove the cushion cover, making it easy to clean up after all the mess you have in your gliding chair cushion.
You may be thinking “what’s the big deal?” After all, the most likely candidate for a spill on your gilder chair cushion is milk. Milk doesn’t stain too badly, and it can come out very easily, so why the rush to get the cushion cleaned quickly? Well, breast milk and formula aren’t quite like regular milk. 1 or 2% milk is largely made of water, which is a part of why it is fairly easy to get milk stains out of furniture and clothing.
However, breast milk and formula stains are different. Both of these have a much higher protein content than regular milk does for very obvious reasons. The protein makes the stains both a lot more visible and a lot more difficult to get out if they are allowed to set. This is why it is so important to get the stains out early, as they become more near impossible to get out if they are allowed linger in the fabric.
If you’re lucky enough, you’ll have no problems at all cleaning your glider cushions. Sadly, a majority of the people have gliding chairs do not have the features that enable them to zip and unlock the cover from their cushions.
If you’re one of the unfortunate ones to have this kind of dilemma, then you’re definitely not alone. No worries, with the right materials in hand, you’ll be able to fix and clean your gliding chair cushions even if the covers can’t be removed.
How can you clean the nursery glider cushions and keep it looking new?
There are lots of ways you can clean your glider cushions, and for them, you require few things. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Powerful and handy vacuum cleaner complete with its nozzle and other cleaning attachments.
- Steam cleaner
- Baby wipes
- Dish soap
- Clean cloth
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Spray bottle
Taking Precautions
Remember, the best way to keep something like a glider clean is by preventing it from getting dirty in the first place. You also don’t want to have to be taking time out of your day to clean the glider, only for it to get dirty again a day later. So, it is a good idea to make sure that you take some precautions to help keep the glider clean for both you and your baby.
First up, make sure to invest in a slipcover. A slipcover can really help to protect the underlying glider from a number of different problems. The slipcover can absorb stains like milk, formula, and spit-up. It can also keep dust and dirt away from the crevices of the glider, which you know are difficult to clean. If worst comes to worst and your baby does make a major mess, it is a lot easier to replace a slipcover then it is to replace a full glider. So, make sure you have at least one slipcover (although having a few extras is a good idea as well).
Secondly, whenever you are holding your baby, it is a good idea to keep a towel or blanket of some sort nearby. It doesn’t matter what you are doing, a blanket can be useful. If you are feeding the baby, the blanket can be good for getting spilled milk before it hits the glider and it can also be used to quickly wipe your baby’s mouth before the milk drips down further. Even if you aren’t feeding your baby, you never know when your baby is suddenly going to decide to spit-up and the towel can really be helpful for getting any spit-up before it stains your glider.
Finally, keep some paper towel close by so that you can dab liquids up. While paper towel doesn’t help with stains that have set-in already, they can be really helpful when the stain is first created. It is also important to know that you shouldn’t just wipe with the paper towel, as that does nothing. Instead, next time a stain happens, take some paper towel and put it over the stain. Then form a fist and start pushing hard on the paper towel with your knuckles. This will absorb a lot more of the liquid and make the stain a lot easier to deal with later on.
STEP 1: Vacuum it clean
You can clean your glider cushions with a vacuum cleaner. Using the vacuum cleaner, make sure to clean the seat cushions intensively. Vacuum cleaners come with different nozzles that will help you to clean the small hidden areas of the cushion. Get into any of crevices by making use of those nozzle attachments of the cleaner to remove the dirt, crumbs and other debris that may have accumulated in these areas.
There are several attachments that you are going to want to break out when it comes time to use your vacuum to clean the glider cushion. First up there is the crevice tool. This is essentially a skinny tube that is useful for keeping things like the crevices around the cushions clean. It is also helpful for keeping the area around and under the glider clean.
Another really useful tool is the upholstery tool. This one is really useful for keeping your glider cushion free of lint, pet hair, crumbs, dirt, dust, and more. The tool is specifically designed to work with the sort of material that a lot of glider cushions (including yours most likely) are made from. If you don’t have one, your vacuum is still useful, but having the upholstery tool is really helpful.
The vacuum cleaner will serve to take off the dust from your chair and keep the cover looking fresh and clean. It is one of the easiest and most convenient methods.
STEP 2: Use baby wipes
Baby wipes are simply amazing, they are not just meant to wipe your baby’s face, but they can also help you with multiple other things.
Make use of the baby wipes to wipe down the nursery glider cushions. The baby wipes will not only deliver complementary amounts of cleaning agents such as soap and the water, but the wipes will also leave the cover clean and moisturized as it evaporates quickly.
Other than all this, baby wipes will leave your glider cushion smelling great.
STEP 3: Create your stain removing solution
After cleaning your cushion cover thoroughly, the next problem you’ll be facing has got something to do with stain removal. For this, create a stain removing solution.
Mix in 1 part of your dish washing liquid and add in 2 parts of your hydrogen peroxide. Put the mixture in a spray bottle. Do not shake the mixture too much. In the case you think it is too difficult to make at home, there are many stain removing solutions available in the markets by different companies, they work well too. You can get one according to your budget.
STEP 4: Stain it away
Using the spray bottle with your stain removing mixture, spray some of the pre-prepared stain solution mixes and make sure to saturate the stained areas on the glider thoroughly. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes.
Be patient and wait for the stain to become dissolved completely. Once the stain is dissolved, remove all of the excess formulae that remained on the surface of the glider’s cushion cover. Make use of a clean damp cloth to wipe it off. Repeat the process if the stain is still present.
STEP 5: Steam clean
Use the steam cleaner for the final cleaning of the upholstery of the seat cushion. This will help remove the dirt and grime that can be visibly seen while sanitizing the fabric. It will also make your glider cushion free from all the bacteria and infection-causing viruses. Consider this option, and you can thank us later!
Steam cleaning on its own can be useful, but you should also know that steam cleaning will be a lot more effective if you pre-clean the stained area. You don’t have to do a serious clean or anything like that, but you do need to wipe the area down with some water. This helps to “loosen” the stain a bit, which makes the eventual steam cleaning a lot easier.
“If possible, try to do the steam cleaning in a room with a lot of windows. This can make the drying process a lot quicker and easier because you can just open the windows and let the air dry out the glider. Otherwise, you will have to wait for the glider cushion to dry naturally, which can take a bit longer (a few days).
STEP 6: Dry cleaning
The last and the final option that you have is getting the glider cushion dry cleaned. Dry cleaning is the finest textile cleaning process where different chemical solvents are utilized with water. It will leave your glider cushion all clean, free of dust and allergens and simply fresh like it was when new. This method is a little expensive as compared to others but trust me; you don’t have to get this dry cleaned every other day. One time dry cleaning makes the cushion good to go for six months or so.
Step 7: Using Enzyme Cleaner
If you haven’t reacted fast enough and the stains have set in, your job is going to be harder but not impossible. The other 6 steps may help for relatively new stains or mild stains, but if you want to deal with really difficult stains, then you have to resort to extreme measures.
If possible, remove the stained cover completely from the glider cushion. If this isn’t possible, you can still get rid of the stain, you are just going to have to monitor the cushion.
What you need to do is find what is called “enzyme cleaner.” As mentioned in the introduction, breast milk and formula stain so badly because of the high amount of protein enzymes in them. The enzyme cleaner works to break down the protein enzymes, which makes it possible to clean the covers.
Fill a large bowl or sink with room temperature water and start soaking the cover, then add in some enzyme cleaner. Let the cover soak for a few more hours, which should be enough time for the enzyme cleaner and water solution to start breaking down the stain. After that, wash the cushions like normal.
If your glider doesn’t have a removable cushion, you can just apply the enzyme solution directly to the stain. Let it soak in for a few hours while periodically adding more. After the stain has been soaked, you can clean the glider cushion normally.
Precautions:
Before making use of any stain remover, make sure to test the solution on a small unseen area of the cushion to ensure that the mixture will not cause any unwanted discoloration. Also, use the stain removers that do not contain bleaching agents since they can damage your gliders cushions.
Keep your cushions looking fresh and new for long by regularly cleaning your gliding chair, not only is it the hygienic option, but it’s also a practical way to help preserve and maintain your new glider. So follow these simple tips and keep your glider cushions new and clean. Have a wonderful day!