Help! Our Car Seat STINKS

Yeah, call them and they will send you replacements for free as long as it's still with in the year warranty. If not, I don't think it's that expensive to replace it.

My husband decided to help out by cleaning carseats one day...he pressure washed them (and then was going to leave them out in the sun). He totally tore the foam on one of them :p. Anyway...he just went to walmart and got the cushion things they have in the craft/sewing area and cut it to fit. That's probably the most comfortable carseat we've ever owned :)

I would call the manufacturer and ask how to properly clean it, or how to get a replacement for the foam.
Frankly I am pretty shocked about some of the suggestions, such as buying crafts foam for a replacement or bleaching it in the sun. Direct sunlight can make the plastic brittle and the seat may deteriorate faster. The same goes for harsh cleaners like bleach.
And why in the world would you buy a $300 carseat, rip out the stuff that makes it safe (the EPS foam) and replace it with a haphazard fix?

Personally if I could not get out the smell and could not get a manufacturer replacement for the foam, I would buy a new seat. I'd rather be safe than sorry while trying to save a few bucks (and there are car seats on the market with comparable safety ratings, without the britax price tag).

Make sure that foam piece is completely dry before putting the material back over it. I would sprinkle Baking Soda all over it. It will help take away some or most of the smell. :-)

I have replaced the styrofoam that was in my carseat by calling the manufacturer and they sent me a new set. I simply stated that we had not been in a car accident but that the foam was broken in 2 big pieces. They sent me a new insert for free. Or ask them how they suggest to get the smell out.
Otherwise I would try to actually wash the foam and plastic car seat frame with perhaps a carwash soap and sponge and then hose it down. Carwash soap is gentle on car materials, like paint and fiberglass and does not break it down.

If the smell won't go away, just rip it out and buy some batting from a fabric store and glue or even better, velcro it in (so you can remove and wash). I think that's what I usually do with things like that...I like everything to be washable.

Oh, I just noticed what someone else said, and I respectfully disagree. I'm sorry, but it's not the comfort stuffing underneath the cover that keeps your baby safe, trust me. If you fall out of a tree and land on a half inch of foam, it's still going to hurt. What keeps you SAFE in a car seat is the frame and the harness system...honestly, it has nothing to do with the padding, that's just for comfort. I am SO FOR ripping out the thin stuffing and redoing it with something from the craft store.

set it out in the sun for a day, that should help considerably.

When our son puked on his, we've used baking soda on it to remove the smell. It worked for us, in addition to a really good cleaning!

Baking soda, then bleaching in the sun.

Garage sales are great for finding car seats... when you see one scoop it up and dump yours.

My daughter had a major pee pee accident in her Britax. I took everything apart, poured just a bit of laundry detergent over the padding (over the styro and below the seat cover) and then sprayed the heck out of it with the hose, rolled it to get the excess water out and hung to dry. Took care of the smell.

Don't laugh.... but spray with a 50-50 mixture of vodka and water. Use the cheapest you can find. My daughter works in theatre and it is what they use on costumes.

Take the whole thing to the carwash, if you don't hold it pointing the right direction it will act like a bowl and the water will shoot at you...lol. That is what my foster parent friends do when they have smells and yuk.

With my britax I would take them apart.. And drowned the straps everything of the car seat.. In natures miracle pet stain and odor remover.. There is also natures miracle enzyme urine destroyer.. Then set in sun.. Wow works great. They sell it at pet smart.. I learned about this 4 hrs ago from this site.. Best tip I ever learned.
L.

The one product that has absolutely never failed us is OdoBan. Here is a website that tells you where you can get it: http://www.odoban.com/where-to-buy.php

I once had a carton of broth leak into the carpet of my car and once had a bottle of milk break and flood the floorboard carpet. I tried shampoos, pet deodorizers, vinegar, baking soda, club soda, even strong essential oils that inhibit bacteria, fungi, virus, etc. My car still smelled like a rotting carcass. The first time, a friend leant me a spray bottle of diluted OdoBan and one application did the trick. The next time I found where I could buy a gallon of it for myself. That was years ago and, because you dilute it in water for use, we still have more than half of it left. It even allowed us to get mildew out of our basement carpet.

I spray it on throw pillows that have been slept on too much and toss them in the dryer for a few minutes and they smell like new for a very long time. Not like Fabreeze that you have to use over and over. You can use a very small amount in your laundry and your blankets keep that fresh aroma long after the fabric softer smell wears off. And, best of all, it is a green product, environmentally safe.

The only warning I would give you is to be sure to dilute it well. Using it full force will leave a perfume smell that can be a bit overwhelming and will last and last. If you dilute it well and let it air out sufficiently, I would just about bet the car seat is perfectly salvageable.