Can You Put High Chair Cover In Washing Machine

The answer is yes, the vast majority of fabric dining chair covers fit safely in the washing machine. But don’t rush into it yet. Whether you can successfully wash it without damaging it depends entirely on your judgment of the washing label and material.

Always use cold water with a mild detergent and turn on the gentle cycle. Before turning on the machine, it’s essential to hammer the warning on the wash label; Remove all plastic buckles, lined sponge pads, and seat belts before washing. One more crucial point: Never use the dryer ——must air dry naturally, otherwise you will regret the shrinkage and the waterproof coating peeling off.

Decoding Washing Labels

Before you start, it’s not negotiable to find the washing label hidden in the gap, which has the manufacturer’s “washing blueprint” printed on it.

Machine Washable Fabric: If your chair cover is 100% polyester, it’s designed to withstand the churning of the washing machine drum.

Wipe-only material: If the dining chair is made of faux leather or vinyl, be sure to keep it away from the washing machine. The mechanical force of the drum can directly damage its structure, causing peeling or cracking. For this material, manual spot cleaning is the only way to survive.

Pre-wash Preparation

If I want to do a deep clean without damaging the machine, these steps of pre-treatment are my “life-saving solution”:

Removing Removable Parts: Always remove any removable inner liners or sponges. These things are extremely absorbent and not only tend to warp easily when entering a washing machine, they also overload the motor.

Handle hardware buckles: Plastic latches, adjustment buckles and seat belts can be removed as needed. If the harness and cover are not attached and can’t be removed, stuff the entire cover into a large, thickened laundry bag to save those plastic parts from clanking in the drum.

Clean up the debris: Shake it outside before getting wet, or vacuum up any debris in the crevices. Seriously, you don’t want to find your washing machine filter full of soaked rice paste after washing it.

Ideal Washing Setup

The wrong setup will simply scrap the extremely useful waterproof coating on the dining chair cover. To keep the chair cover alive for a few more years, these configurations are not worth discussing:

Water temperature: Lock out cold water. Hot water is the nemesis of fabric adhesives and is highly likely to cause severe shrinkage of fabrics.

Mode: Select the “gentle” or “hand wash” setting. What we need is to remove the dirt, not to use forceful spinning to tear the stitches in the gaps.

Detergent: Choose a fragrance-free, additive-free baby detergent. Never touch bleach or softener, these chemicals not only degrade fabric life but may also irritate your baby’s delicate skin.

Why Must It Air Dry Naturally

The most critical part of the entire process is actually after washing: stay away from the dryer.

The high temperatures of dryers are the number one culprit for damage to dining chair covers. Heat waves will directly:

1. Roast dry and melt the waterproof coating, which will never come off after spilling juice.
2. Let the fabric shrink significantly, and then you’ll find that the chair cover won’t fit back onto the plastic shelf at all.
3. This causes the internal support structure to distort and deform.

To do this correctly: Lay the soaking wet chair cover flat on a clothes drying rack or a stable chair back. Dry thoroughly in a well-ventilated area in the shade, usually taking 12 to 24 hours to dry, depending on the thickness of the liner.

Author: Sarah Miller
With years of hands-on experience testing the durability of various baby gears, I provide honest, experience-based advice to help busy parents keep their homes sanitized and efficient without ruining their essential equipment.