A highchair sees more mess in a single week than most other furniture in the house sees in a month, with food finding its way into every crevice, strap and tray edge imaginable. Left unattended for even a couple of days, these small deposits can dry hard and become surprisingly difficult to shift.
Wipe the tray down straight after each meal with a damp cloth and a little washing-up liquid, working into the corners where purée and crumbs tend to gather unnoticed. Doing this immediately, while the mess is still fresh, saves considerable effort compared with tackling it once everything has dried on.
Straps and hidden crevices
Straps deserve particular attention, since fabric ones absorb spilled food and drink far more than the smooth plastic tray does. Many straps can be removed and washed separately, while those that cannot should be wiped thoroughly and left to dry fully before the highchair is used again.
An old toothbrush works well for the narrow gaps around hinges and joints, where a cloth simply cannot reach. These hidden spots are often where the least pleasant smells develop, even when the tray itself looks perfectly clean to the eye.
Give the whole highchair a more thorough clean once a week, taking it apart as far as possible to reach every section properly. Leaving all the parts to dry completely before reassembling prevents any dampness becoming trapped where it cannot be seen.
With this simple rhythm of a quick wipe after every meal and a deeper clean weekly, a highchair stays genuinely pleasant to use rather than merely presentable at first glance.
Check underneath the highchair too, since food often ends up on the legs and base long before anyone thinks to look there. A quick sweep or wipe around the floor beneath it prevents crumbs from being trodden through the rest of the room afterwards.
