Wee Baby Stuff

We've owned our stroller for a year now, it has plowed through salty-snowy-slop, sand, mud, grass-clippings, dust and other even less savoury things, it's done a sterling job but it's high time the old girl had some maintenance.

Apparently you're supposed to give your stroller a deep clean once every two months. Ooops. But really, who does that? I don't even get to give myself a manicure every two months. Anyway, for those of us who are a little behind on the maintenance here's a rough guide,

1 Check your handbook, it can't hurt to know if there's anything specific that you've been neglecting to do.

2. Break 'er down. If the seat or what have you comes off then whip it off.

3. Clean the 'holstry. Check care instructions and launder anything launder-able.  Spot clean any other marks with your favorite product. If you're not happy about using chemical cleaners on the place where your pookie hangs out then have a look at these natural stain remedies. Best to do this stuff first so things dry while you work on the rest of the rig.

4. Scrub 'er up. Grab a soft cloth (microfiber is good) and some lukewarm water WITHOUT soap. Give the whole chassis a once over, paying particular attention to any grotty, dirt-lurky crevices. (I have no idea how there is STILL sand on our stroller six months after we were near any... too weird)

4. Dry 'er off. You don't have to use turtle wax or anything...

5. Oil 'er up. If your stroller came with a maintenance kit and special goo then don't be afraid to go crazy with that stuff. If not then grab yourself a good quality silicone spray, and lube up any moving parts on the body of your rig. (On the Bugaboo Frog this means the handlebar rotating mechanism and the frame support). Toss some newspaper or a cloth over the parts you don't want lubed. Wipe up and excess oil with paper towel.

6. Kick the tyres. If the wheels come off your stroller then whip them off. I used a dry paintbrush to get the dirt out of the hard to reach places on the wheels and axle. When your wheels are ick-free you want to lube up the moving parts, for example the suspension or any swivel mechanisms. But NOT any self-lubricating bearings. Again, wipe up any excess oil.

7. Pump it up. If your rig has inflatable tires make sure that they are at the correct pressure. Check the handbook to see what that is. Actually, you can totally tell when the tyres are at the right pressure just by feel. Under-inflated tyres feel really sluggish and draggy and over-inflated tyres make any bump a launch pad.

Put 'er back together and you're done; she should handle like a charm!

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