How to Get Mold Out of Fabric in Stroller

Mold and mildew grow and thrive on damp surfaces. These destructive colonies can be found on all kinds of surfaces: on carpets, on couches, on leather shoes and clothes, and even on baby strollers in the garage or balcony.

The best way to deal with moldy stains on stroller fabrics is to prevent mold from growing there in the first place. If you ever stroll in the rain for any amount of time and get the canopy, seat, and other areas wet, make sure to wipe them down once you’re back home. Then, dry off the baby stroller and store it in a cool dry place.

But what if moisture somehow got onto your baby’s stroller and you didn’t notice? Mold starts germinating and growing, of course. Soon, you start noticing mold stains on the stroller’s fabric.

If you don’t take immediate steps to remove the mold from the fabric of the stroller, it soon starts smelling. And from there, it’s all downhill for your baby’s lovely transportation device.

But how do you get mold out of baby stroller fabric? It’s mot too hard, but removing black mold and other kinds of mold from stroller fabrics does require a little knowledge and a bit of elbow grease.

It turns out there’s a bunch of effective strategies for removing mold from strollers. Here they are.

7 Ways to Get Mold Out of Stroller Fabrics

1. Use dish soap and borax to get the mold stain off of the stroller fabric.
2. Apply some lemon juice and common table salt to conquer mild mold stains.
3. Apply appropriate bleach to the moldy spot and scrub the stain off the stroller fabric with a brush.
4. Mix white vinegar + lemon juice + water and treat the moldy area with the cleansing solution.
5. Treat the affected area with baking soda mixed with water.
6. Use white vinegar mixed with baking soda to conquer the moldy patch.
7. Use a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution to clear up the moldy stain and restore the stroller fabric back to its former glory.

Let’s dive into the nuts and bolts of using each of these mold-on-stroller-fabric removal techniques.

1. The Best Method: Work Dish Soap and Borax Into the Moldy Stain

When my baby’s stroller got ugly moldy patches on it, this is the solution I brought to bear on the messy stain. I prepared a leather mold cleaning concoction that obliterated the mold in no time. Here’s how to use borax and dish soap to get mold off a stroller fabric:

First off, here’s what you need to complete the cleanup successfully:

• A bucket
• Warm water
• A sponge or cloth
• Dish soap
• 1/4 cup of borax
• Mold-stained stroller fabric

Follow these steps:

Step #1: Prepare the Cleaning Solution

Pour a reasonable amount of warm water into a bucket.

Mix a quarter cup of borax with a generous amount of your preferred dish soap. Put each of these ingredients into a bucket and stir them thoroughly.

Keep stirring the contents until the borax/dish soap becomes a highly effective sudsy solution.

Step #2: Rub the Stain with the cleaning solution

Grab a sponge or a piece of cloth, dip it in the sudsy solution, and start rubbing the moldy stroller cushion or canopy.

The borax in the cleaner annihilates any bacteria and mildew on the spot. How does borax do this? When you borax with warm water, it reacts with the water to form hydrogen peroxide molecules. It’s these hydrogen peroxide molecules that then kill the mildew and bacteria.

Step 3: Rinse the Borax/Dish Soap Off

Using clean water, rinse off the homemade mold remover. Some people choose to hose it down with a garden hose, but I just use a clean damp sponge or microfiber cloth for this step.

You don’t want to leave any suds on the material because you don’t want anything happening to the fabric.

Step #4: Dry Off the Clean Stroller Fabric

This is a very important part of the mold removal process. If you don’t completely dry the stroller fabric, mildew and mold will soon grow back, and that’s not something desirable.

So dry off the fabric in the sun if this is possible. If you have inclement weather outside, what do you do? Hang the fabric somewhere to air dry inside the house.

Alternatively, put the fabric in the dryer.

And if the stroller seat isn’t detachable, take the stroller outside to dry or leave it indoors in a dry place to air-dry.

Step #5: Scotch-gard the Stroller Fabric to Prevent the Mildew/Mold from Returning

One of the best ways if not the best way to prevent mold and mildew from growing back is to spray some scotchgard onto the stroller fabric. You want to spray this product after the fabric has dried up completely.

Another reason to scotchgard the stroller fabric is to preserve the material and prevent stains of all kinds. People scotchgard their couches all the time for the same reason.

• Purchase an appropriate product for this step.
• Shake the contents in the bottle a little.
• Spray 2 light coats of this surface protector on the fabric.
• Be sure to perform this step in a well-ventilated space, preferably outside.

2. How to Get Mold Out of a Stroller Fabric With Bleach

Make sure that you can actually any kind of bleach on the stroller fabric. The best way to know if you can do this is to read the stroller’s care label. Most stroller fabrics can be treated with a chlorine-free cleaner such as good old OxiClean.

This oxygen-based cleaner rarely discolors fabrics and is generally safe to use on fabrics except where the manufacturer gives different cleaning instructions.

If you’re not sure OxiClean will be kind to the stroller fabric, apply it to an inconspicuous part of the material. Spot-testing helps cleaning enthusiasts decide accurately as to whether they should a cleaning product on a fabric or other surface.

Safety tip for when cleaning up mold with OxiClean: wear gloves to prevent your hands from coming into contact with this cleaner. If you touch it with bare hands, irritation is likely to happen.

• Wear gloves, get some OxiClean on a sponge or cloth. You can also apply Oxiclean directly to the spot.
• Allow the OxiClean to stand for about 30 minutes.
• Scrub the area with a toothbrush or a sponge.
• Rinse off the chlorine-free cleaner with a damp cloth.
• Clean the cushion or cover as you normally would.
• Air-dry the fabric or sun-dry it if possible.

3. Use Citrus Juice and Salt

Another to get rid of mold stains from stroller fabrics is to apply some lemon juice and common table salt. Note that this method is only suitable for tackling mild mold stains and not the toughest mold stains. Lemon juice is also great at removing rust stains from a stroller’s frame.

• Brush off as much of the mold with a toothbrush pr any small brush with stiff thistles.
• Apply some salt to the stain and then squeeze one half of a lemon to release the citric acid.
• Let the lemon juice+salt sit for about half an hour.
• Wipe away the salt and citrus juice away with a clean damp cloth.

Alternatively, use lemon juice + white vinegar. Cut a lemon and squeeze one half onto the spot. Then, add a few drops of white vinegar. Let sit for 30 minutes and rinse off with a damp cloth.

4. Use Distilled White Vinegar to Clear the Moldy Stain

White vinegar is generally safe on fabrics and other surfaces, and the best part? It’s cheap and readily available.

• Mix white vinegar and clean water in this ratio: 2 part of water + 3 parts of white vinegar.
• Let the solution stand for 30-60 minutes.
• Rinse off the white vinegar completely.
• Wash the stroller seat or canopy as you normally do and air-dry or sun-dry the fabric before re-installing it.

5. Apply White Vinegar + Baking Soda

Here’s how to get rid of mold from stroller fabrics using baking soda and white vinegar:

• Mix 1 part of white vinegar with 2 parts of baking soda to make a thick mold-cleaning paste.
• Apply the paste to the stain with a toothbrush.
• Wait until the paste dried up.
• Brush the dried paste off of the fabric and if the moldy stain’s vanished, clean the fabric as you normally do. If there’s still a bit of it remaining on the fabric, repeat the steps above until the mess disappears.

6. Use Baking Soda Mixed With Water

Baking soda mixed with water becomes a moderately strong mold stain remover. What you need to do is prepare baking soda solution and spray it onto the moldy portions of the stroller canopy or seat. Just like white vinegar, baking soda is children and pet-friendly. And it’s a great way to remove black mold from a stroller fabric.

Mix 1 part of baking powder and 1 part of water to form a cleansing paste. This is the ratio you need for destroying mild mold infestation. Then, use a toothbrush to apply the paste to the black mold stained areas of the material. Let it stand for 30-45 minutes and scrape the paste away. Clean the spot as you usually do.

7. Use Hydrogen Peroxide (3%) to Remove Black Mold from Stroller Fabric

3% hydrogen peroxide is one of the best natural remedies for black mold on stroller fabric, carpets, couches, and other surfaces.

• Mix in a spray bottle 1 part of water with 2 parts of 3% hydrogen peroxide.
• Don’t have a spray bottle? Well, get one already. For now though, prepare this peroxide solution in a small container such as a cup or bowl. Then, dip a small portion of a towel or cloth.
• Dab at the mold stain. Let it stand for 10-15 minutes.
• Use a toothbrush or small brush to agitate the stain.
• Use a damp towel to wipe away any remaining peroxide. Clean the seat or canopy as you normally do.

The good thing about peroxide is it rarely breaks down materials since it eventually decomposes into water and oxygen.

If none of these suggested solutions work for you, what do you do? Well, rip the cushions and canopy out and toss them away. Buy replacement parts and install them back in. I hope you won’t need to do this.

Keep Your Strollers Out of Harm’s Way

Once you get the mold stain out of your stroller fabric, stop your foolish stroller storage ways. Never again leave the stroller outside in the porch. Even if the porch is covered.

If light showers get the stroller’s canopy damp, wipe it down as soon as you get back home and dry it off completely before storing it in a cool dry place.

And if you live in the south where summers get extremely clammy, avoid storing your strollers in the basement even if there’s no moisture issues down there.

How to get mildew and mold off stroller fabric quickly (video)

Mold on Stroller Fabric FAQs

Can I Get Mold Off baby Stroller Fabric?

Yes, it’s possible to get mold off baby stroller fabric. You need basic and easily available cleaning supplies and a little mold removal knowledge to complete the cleanup.

How Do You Remove Mold From Stroller Fabric?

Use borax and dish soap to scrub the moldy stain off. Alternately, use baking soda mixed with white vinegar, white vinegar and lemon juice, bleach, or just baking soda. Apply any of these cleaners onto the stained spot, rub it in with a brush, rinse off any residue, and dry off the stroller in the sun or air-dry indoors.

How Do You Clean a Baby Stroller?

Use a suitable vacuum cleaner attachment to pick up loose dry debris such as spilled bits of cookies. If there’s mold on the stroller, remove it first by scrapping it off with a toothbrush or other small brush. Then, apply lemon juice and table salt on the stain if there isn’t too much of it. If there’s tons of mold to clean up, use a fabric-safe bleach to remove it.

Then, wash the fabric with warm water and soap. If the manufacturer recommends, toss removable parts such as the stroller seat/cushion and stroller cover in the washing machine. Use a cloth to wipe down the wheels and the rest of the stroller. Leave the stroller out in the sun to dry or air-dry it indoors before storing it in a cool dry place.

How to Remove Mold from Stroller Fabric: Final thoughts

Getting mold out of a stroller isn’t too hard if you have the right cleaning supplies and a good cleaning technique. With borax and dish soap, baking soda mixed with water, baking soda mixed with white vinegar and water, white vinegar and lemon juice, or a fabric-friendly bleach, you can get rid of mold from stroller fabric in no time.