How to get stains out of Oil Cloth and PVC
I get asked all the time about stains and how to remove them so I thought it would be quite useful if I wrote a blog to send people to.
Our Oilcloth IKEA Highchair covers and Messy mats are wonderful. Waterproof and wipeable they make mealtime mess a doddle to clean up. Although most things wipe off, they are not stain resistant. The usual suspects are tomato-based foods such as Bolognese, fruit, and veg such as blueberries, watermelon, beetroot, felt tips, dye from children's bibs/clothes, curries and are you getting my drift? So here are some top tips for keeping your IKEA high chair covers, splash mats, and any of our other oilcloth or PVC products clean.
Sunlight - This is a brilliant tip, not only for your chair covers but also for any clothing items that may have some ahem, tricky stains shall we say. Pop it outside to sit in the sunlight and the sun bleaches stains out. This works particularly well on tomato, red/brown/yellow stains. Just be mindful that if you keep your oilcloth exposed to the sun for too long i.e. if your high chair is in the window it can fade the pattern over time.
Hairspray - Great for removing things like pen, nail varnish, dye transfer from clothes. Just spray a small bit on the affected area and allow it to sit for a minute or two and then wipe away.
Sterilising Fluid (such as Milton) - Dilute as instructed and apply to the stain. Milton is also good if you’ve let your Insert cover or highchair splash mat sit soiled.
I highly recommend doing a patch test on your cushion with the above methods particularly ones involving chemicals.
Also, prevention is a good way of keeping your pillow covers nice and clean. Don’t let your oilcloth or PVC sit soiled for a long time, wipe down after each use with a damp cloth or a disinfectant/baby wipe. DO NOT machine wash or use bleaches on your chair cover, simply wipe clean with a warm damp cloth or baby/disinfectant wipe after each use. Be careful with hot liquids as they may damage/melt the plastic coating. Make sure if you're using your messy mat for water play, or cleaning it etc that you don't leave it damp as this can promote mould growing!
If staining is going to bother you you could also always opt for a darker print like our smoke grey splodge, or a more heavily patterned print like our space design, which helps to disguise the staining!
Let me know in the comments if you have any other great tips for pesky stains that I haven't mentioned.
Emma xx
