[marathonmom]

No, I don't need you to come over to clean my house but I do need some suggestions.

A friend gave me a beautiful crib-I always liked it when it was set up at her house so I'm thrilled. She kept it spotless but loaned it to her sister who didn't have the "clean gene". The crib is still in great shape and is only 3 years old but has dried formula and gunk on it.

What would you use to clean it- just the wood part, I am getting a new mattress?

Thanks

[jphollen]

Murphys Oil soap. It's thick and you dilute it with hot water. Some sponges that are safe for cook ware would be good too. (like scotch brite or similar). Good luck~

[waited2long]

I would use dish soap. It gets food off dishes and is very mild. I've actually used it to clean a crib and a highchair, worked great.

[DianeS]

Good old elbow grease! LOL! Seriously, most soaps will do just fine for the dried on gunk, because it will still take a lot of scrubbing to get it off. A plastic dish scrubbie will be your best friend, I think.

After all the gunk is off, clean it all over. This is when you want to be careful what you use. Something mild, that doesn't leave a film. Something that is non-toxic, because this is the layer your child will be touching and gumming and chewing.

Then take a look at it and decide if it needs to be repainted, or maybe even refinished. Normal bumps and scrapes happen to all types of furniture, so you may have some scuffed paint to repair.

And since the crib is wood, and if previous babies who used it were chewers, there may be some parts you want to sand down and then repaint. Kids (and adults) can get splinters from chewed sections. Don't bother just putting paint on top of chewed areas, it'll never look right and will be too easy to chip off again.

When it's all done, I'd rinse the whole thing down with water and towel it dry. Then it'll look as good as new!

[LollipopsAndGumdrops]

I like vinegar, water, lemon juice, and baking soda for cleaning. Works on the dried on gunk. I just spray it on then come back to it later with a toothbrush, toothpick, a washcloth, and some elbow grease.

[marathonmom]

Thanks for the suggestions. It is snowing here again so I work on cleaning the crib tomorrow if I'm housebound.

[mbulldis]

Originally Posted by LollipopsAndGumdrops

I like vinegar, water, lemon juice, and baking soda for cleaning. Works on the dried on gunk. I just spray it on then come back to it later with a toothbrush, toothpick, a washcloth, and some elbow grease.

Do you add all these ingredients together and in what quantities? I am looking to use more natural cleaning products in our home.

Thanks,
Maryann

[EandDmom]

I always use murphy's oil soap on wood too.

[jbee]

maybe a magic eraser?