Ew ew ew... mouse in the carseat

[hlphillips2]

We have an extra Britax Marathon that's been stored in our garage until DD#2 is old enough to be in it next winter. Today when cleaning out the garage I noticed some mouse droppings in the seat. I tore it apart and found no other evidence - no tears or chewing on the seat or foam - but still... I think it was after some cheerio crumbs. Shame on me for not disinfecting it before storing it.

Since it's more of a germ vs. safety issue, there's no reason why I shouldn't keep it, right? Will it be okay if I just scrub all plastic & foam with disinfecting solution? Then do I need to use gentle detergent like I normally do or would it be okay to add some kind of stronger solution when washing the cover?

[shburks]

ACK--definitely give the shell a good wipe down and get rid of all those crumbs and stuff and wash the cover. I'm sure that regular detergent will be fine. You wouldn't want to damage the cover or ruin the color of it by using something too harsh on it. Regular detergent should be fine. If it still really icks you out, buy a new cover!! Then you might want to consider a plastic bag or something. :)

[Joolsplus2]

At least it didn't sneak into your car looking for crumbs and decide to turn one of your $500 (parts plus labor) seatbelts into nesting material :p
Just normal gentle washing (dollop of tide to separately wash the cover on hand or gentle wash cycle... baby wipes or clorox wipes on the straps are gentle, air dry the cover, check for chewing on the harness, wipe off the shell) and sunshine (UV kills germs!)will take away the ick, I promise (We don't have hantavirus scares where I live, so last time I noticed some poopies in our garage stroller I just shook them out...I'm not easily icked :loveeyes: )

[hlphillips2]

Thank you thank you thank you!

I did spray it down with some Shaklee stuff (which at least I feel is a bit milder thansome other sprays) and hosed off the plastic completely. I didn't think about antibacterial wipes for the straps - I'll give that a go too. Fortunately the sun has been shining brightly so I'm very glad to know the UV rays will help.

Sadly the seat was inside of a bag, but not tied tightly. Sure learned a big lesson there too. Thank goodness it's a detached garage or I might be doubly icked.