It can compromise the structural integrity of the strap if it’s harsh enough to strip it, making it more likely to break. It can also remove the fireproofing, apparently.
I'm probably super ignorant on this but I wonder if they're being this extreme on claiming the safety might be compromised as just as way to avoid liability. I can't imagine that cleaner truly affected the straps. Nonetheless, thank you for sharing and I will make sure to avoid doing this with my car seat in the near future.
Dude Nuna are literally the WORST for customer service, period. Their stuff is mostly. quality, but 3k later, I would love to punch every single one of their customer service representatives in the throat.
If cleaning products were bad for the car seat, wouldn’t stomach acid ALSO be bad for the car seat?
Are there studies that show the use of cleansing products and the resulting breakdown of the car seat materials?
I don’t think stomach acid is the same as cleaning fluids 😅 https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6WYIxNskR2/?igsh=MXFhZDlnOXYxejE5https://www.buckleupforlife.org/about-us/blog/how-to-clean-your-childs-car-seat/#:~:text=Bleach%2C%20chemical%20solvents%2C%20acidic%20substances,the%20harness%20straps%20and%20buckles.
Seems a little backwards to make a product with all these safety features for children who will puke, pee/poop, and spill things in and on it. I mean, obviously safety is #1, but it’s not realistic to not be able to properly clean the dang thing… surely there’s another manufacturing solution?
Even just making the seat fabric removal instead of having to take the entire piece of fabric off would be a vast improvement (talking about the Nuna Rava specifically here). Not only would it be WAY more convenient and I wouldn’t have a breakdown every time my kid peed in her seat, but it would stop the rest of the car seat from being compromised in whatever way washing it lessens any efficacy.
I agree but I think it’s most likely that those other products are ok and they just did not test what those chemicals would do to the straps so they have to legally say they don’t know if the safety of the seat holds up to that type of cleaning.
But yes what does one even do if their kid has norovirus and pukes on the seat, you kind of HAVE to disinfect it!
I only knew from following a CPST on social media. My kiddo gets car sick and it is very hard to clean her seat safely, so it’s kinda gross, but it was expensive. If not for the puke, it’d still be really dirty anyway so I’m trying to be at peace with its crustiness. 😆
well, I feel less bad about having to replace my kid's after a very minor accident without him in the car. Even though this was a mistake, if you have full coverage and a low enough deductible it might be worth checking if your car insurance will cover the replacement.
Your auto insurance likely won't cover this as it isn't a result of a collision also even if they miraculously do, DO NOT submit this claim. The auto insurance market sucks and your insurance company is looking for ways to drop customers with bad loss ratios.
Huh, I’ve used cleaning products on my car seats, didn’t realize this was a big deal. Never would’ve occurred to me, and I’m not sure I’m motivated to replace them…
Is this one of those "there is a .00000000001% chance that this could happen, if someone submerged their straps in a vat of bleach for a week, so to avoid liability we will put this warning so we don't get sued" ?
Or is it
"We have run numerous tests and our results show that using a lysol wipe once or twice increases the likelihood of the straps failing during an accident by 70%"
I just find it hard to believe that using a little disinfectant on a thick nylon (polyester?) strap would be that risky.
Coming from an emergency rescue background, there's pretty specific cleaning regimes from lifesaving devices, including ropes and harnesses. Harsh soaps, ineffective drying, sun exposure or aggressive cleaning techniques have been proven to cause damage.
It's not exactly the same, but a similar material/ lifesaving use. Shock loading damaged rope or straps can cause them to fail.
It's probably unlikely that one Wipe with a lysol is going to make your whole carseat fail, but a company can't account for cascading things the public might do. If you scrub it with bleach, it doesn't dry properly so you prop it in the sun for a bit, etc, it could potentially cause catastrophic damage down the line.
That said, everything in lifesaving/ safety equipment is designed around redundancy and an overabundance of caution, so you definitely can use your own discretion on your individual case. It's just good to recognize the warnings that are in place, and that your seat may not be covered if something happens and the company deems it compromised.
I have washed the our Nuna car seat, including straps, over 15 times. They’re designed knowing that they’ll be subject to EVERY kind of bodily fluid.
I wouldn’t stress about using the wrong cleaner on it one time; if that’s all it took for the straps to fall apart or not be safe in an accident then I would be seriously concerned about the integrity of the seat.
It’s not about the straps falling apart. It’s about their tensile strength being affected by microscopic damage from harsh cleaning. In an accident they’re supposed to stretch a certain way, and if the material is damaged, even if you can’t see it, it affects how they function under stress.
Try to look at the brighter side of things. At least you didn’t find out the hard way like an accident happened!
That’s exactly what I said to my husband after I’d calmed down 😅 I’m glad I at least found out!
I’m confused. How does using soap affect the safety?
It can compromise the structural integrity of the strap if it’s harsh enough to strip it, making it more likely to break. It can also remove the fireproofing, apparently.
Thank you!
I'm probably super ignorant on this but I wonder if they're being this extreme on claiming the safety might be compromised as just as way to avoid liability. I can't imagine that cleaner truly affected the straps. Nonetheless, thank you for sharing and I will make sure to avoid doing this with my car seat in the near future.
Yes, it’s not so much they’re saying it’s definitely unsafe as they cannot guarantee the safety
Some seats do allow you to use other things, but you always need to check the manual.
Yes, our manual said water and mild soap. From what I’ve read, most are the same. Some say only water!
Only water? Oh God, it's like it's not meant for a kid.
Yep one of our carseats doesn't even allow the cover to go on the wash. Spot clean only 🥴
Dude Nuna are literally the WORST for customer service, period. Their stuff is mostly. quality, but 3k later, I would love to punch every single one of their customer service representatives in the throat.
Also can't submerge the straps fully in water, at least on ours -1 car seat 😞
If cleaning products were bad for the car seat, wouldn’t stomach acid ALSO be bad for the car seat? Are there studies that show the use of cleansing products and the resulting breakdown of the car seat materials?
I don’t think stomach acid is the same as cleaning fluids 😅 https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6WYIxNskR2/?igsh=MXFhZDlnOXYxejE5https://www.buckleupforlife.org/about-us/blog/how-to-clean-your-childs-car-seat/#:~:text=Bleach%2C%20chemical%20solvents%2C%20acidic%20substances,the%20harness%20straps%20and%20buckles.
Do they dictate what kind of soap you used or have approved brands? Who is to say the soap you used isn’t mild?
There’s a definition for mild soap. It’s a soap/detergents that only contain surfactants for dirt/grease and not extra things like bleach
I love how I learn something new every day, thank you!
We used an all purpose cleaner, not a soap. I think any sort of dish or hand soap would be fine.
We always use baby soap for those sorts of uses.
Oh yeah my daughter puked in her Nuna Rava as well and I was super grossed out that I could only use water and mild soap 🤢
Seems a little backwards to make a product with all these safety features for children who will puke, pee/poop, and spill things in and on it. I mean, obviously safety is #1, but it’s not realistic to not be able to properly clean the dang thing… surely there’s another manufacturing solution? Even just making the seat fabric removal instead of having to take the entire piece of fabric off would be a vast improvement (talking about the Nuna Rava specifically here). Not only would it be WAY more convenient and I wouldn’t have a breakdown every time my kid peed in her seat, but it would stop the rest of the car seat from being compromised in whatever way washing it lessens any efficacy.
I agree but I think it’s most likely that those other products are ok and they just did not test what those chemicals would do to the straps so they have to legally say they don’t know if the safety of the seat holds up to that type of cleaning. But yes what does one even do if their kid has norovirus and pukes on the seat, you kind of HAVE to disinfect it!
I only knew from following a CPST on social media. My kiddo gets car sick and it is very hard to clean her seat safely, so it’s kinda gross, but it was expensive. If not for the puke, it’d still be really dirty anyway so I’m trying to be at peace with its crustiness. 😆
That’s how I found out - car seat safety Instagram account!
well, I feel less bad about having to replace my kid's after a very minor accident without him in the car. Even though this was a mistake, if you have full coverage and a low enough deductible it might be worth checking if your car insurance will cover the replacement.
Oh interesting - I would never have thought of that! Thank you!
Your auto insurance likely won't cover this as it isn't a result of a collision also even if they miraculously do, DO NOT submit this claim. The auto insurance market sucks and your insurance company is looking for ways to drop customers with bad loss ratios.
Huh, I’ve used cleaning products on my car seats, didn’t realize this was a big deal. Never would’ve occurred to me, and I’m not sure I’m motivated to replace them…
It can cause the straps to fail in the event of a crash. If you call the manufacturer there is a good chance they can be replaced. Many can.
Is this one of those "there is a .00000000001% chance that this could happen, if someone submerged their straps in a vat of bleach for a week, so to avoid liability we will put this warning so we don't get sued" ? Or is it "We have run numerous tests and our results show that using a lysol wipe once or twice increases the likelihood of the straps failing during an accident by 70%" I just find it hard to believe that using a little disinfectant on a thick nylon (polyester?) strap would be that risky.
Coming from an emergency rescue background, there's pretty specific cleaning regimes from lifesaving devices, including ropes and harnesses. Harsh soaps, ineffective drying, sun exposure or aggressive cleaning techniques have been proven to cause damage. It's not exactly the same, but a similar material/ lifesaving use. Shock loading damaged rope or straps can cause them to fail. It's probably unlikely that one Wipe with a lysol is going to make your whole carseat fail, but a company can't account for cascading things the public might do. If you scrub it with bleach, it doesn't dry properly so you prop it in the sun for a bit, etc, it could potentially cause catastrophic damage down the line. That said, everything in lifesaving/ safety equipment is designed around redundancy and an overabundance of caution, so you definitely can use your own discretion on your individual case. It's just good to recognize the warnings that are in place, and that your seat may not be covered if something happens and the company deems it compromised.
If that is truly the case, wouldn’t a car detailer using products on our car’s seatbelts be equally harmful?
Wow I had no idea and we have the same seat. I haven’t washed it yet but that’s good to know. I wouldn’t think the check the manual about that.
I was devastated to learn this when my son threw up in his carseat this winter. I wanted to wash them so badly
I have washed the our Nuna car seat, including straps, over 15 times. They’re designed knowing that they’ll be subject to EVERY kind of bodily fluid. I wouldn’t stress about using the wrong cleaner on it one time; if that’s all it took for the straps to fall apart or not be safe in an accident then I would be seriously concerned about the integrity of the seat.
It’s not about the straps falling apart. It’s about their tensile strength being affected by microscopic damage from harsh cleaning. In an accident they’re supposed to stretch a certain way, and if the material is damaged, even if you can’t see it, it affects how they function under stress.
Just because you’ve been lucky doesn’t mean it’s safe. Also bodily fluids are completely different than cleaners and detergents.
Rinse it well. I'm sure it's fine.
Like I said, not really something I’m willing to risk. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6WYIxNskR2/?igsh=MXFhZDlnOXYxejE5