To ask how the hell to get the BO/sweat stink out of plastic???

[Deptofdebt]

Bought a second hand highchair today that was advertised as very good condition. Picked it up and to my horror it was absolutely filthy, dried crusty food all over and it stank so bad of body odour. The actual condition of the item is ok, as in its working, but bloody hell ive spent the whole day scrubbing it and cannot get the smell out of it. Honestly I wish I had just turned around and walked away but I figured it just needed a good clean!

so far I’ve tried steeping it in a bath of laundry detergent and washing up liquid and scrubbing (I mean arms deep) it, covering it in a bicarbonate soda paste and leaving it for an hour, steeping it in bleach and just scrubbed it with white vinegar and it still smells 😭 is there anything I can do to get this smell out?? Or should I just take this as a loss and lesson learned? The smell is overpowering, like you can smell it as soon as you enter the room. It is clean now at least.

can’t get my money back as stupidly I thought I had bought through eBay but she requested cash, I hadn’t realised she hadn’t accepted my offer so it wasn’t an official purchase through there. I do have her address but not much I can do there really 😭

I know iatu one for buying it anyway but I really did believe it just needed a good clean! £50 down the drain and I had to order new cushions for it anyway which was £40 😢 should have just bought new!

aibu to expect items to be cleaned before someone sells them??? Please someone tell me I can get rid of this smell!

have you googled ‘ X make of high chair and smell’ to see if it’s a weird characteristic of the chair that others have noticed? You’d feel less awful about putting your baby in it if it was just the plastic rather than actual BO I’m sure.

I’d perhaps leave it covered with something for a few days rather than just an hour as with the bicarb. Give it proper chance to work. Actually if it’s going to be dry and sunny where you are tomorrow I’d leave it out in full sun all day. I’d then consider getting an essential oil on a cloth, diluted with a bit of olive oil, and rub that all over. If it’s absorbed BO (how??!) it will hopefully absorb the nice essential oil smell.

If that doesn’t do it, & if it’s a folding one, I’d lie it in a bin bag then get Flash with bleach and spray the whole thing, pop another bin bag on the other end and leave it soaking in the garage/shed/at the side of the house for a week, maybe turning it/spraying it a bit more every day.

Actually it would probably be best with those big giant clear bags in case it makes black from the bag stick to the high chair.

Do you know anyone with a pressure washer? After the week (or 2?) in the flash with bleach I’d hose/jet wash it off. If it’s a dry sunny day leave it in the sun for another day to dry.

awful of someone to sell it so dirty.

Mix Zoflora, fresh lemon juice, vinegar, and washing up liquid, leave it on, and put it outside to air.

Be aware the lemon juice may cause a bit of bleaching.

Leave it in the sun for a few days.

Milton? How on earth does a high chair smell of BO?! Who has been sitting in it?! 🤢

Scrub it with a damp dishwasher tablet.

Are you sure it's not weed it smells of? I always think they smell similar. Not sure how a baby chair would get so much sweat on it that it would smell.

Omg, you paid £50 for it?!!

Sorry, op, not much help but next time I'd be more assertive. Take your time looking at the thing you're buying. Don't be afraid to walk away if it's dirty/not as described.

Yup! Paid £50 like a muppet 🫤 have tried contacting the woman but unsurprisingly she is ignoring my messages. Absolutely gutted as times are very tough (I know for everyone). I’ve tried the previous suggestions and even left it overnight steeping and it still smells. Really strange, I’m guessing it has something to do with the plastic breaking down? It has a manufacture date on it for 2014 so it’s quite old. Feel like an absolute twat. DH really not happy because now we have to buy another when we really don’t have the funds to. This has definitely put me off buying second hand!

You can buy them brand new for less than that! She saw you coming!

Surely one of the brilliant IKEA ones is less than that new?! Yes it's £30.

£20 even!

Yes, weed does permeate everything. And impossible to get rid of the smell, sorry OP.

Uv light should help a lot, any sun where you are or do you happen to have a tanning lamp?

You could but a dog pee spray, that is supposed to neutralise anything body related.

Very strange that it would smell of bo though, not like babies do.

@Hugasauras they are brilliant and if its the same one I'm thinking of you can use them as just a high chair at the actual dinner table when they are older.

UV does work - I'd try leaving it outdoors for several days, then a thorough washing with bicarb when you bring it in.

Just go to her house, knock on the door with the (now clean) high chair and tell her you want a refund because you cannot get the awful smell out with no end of washing.

If she says no, say you will report her to eBay and then take to small claims. You have her address, you have the upper hand here. Just make a big scene.

I think this is worth a try.

Yes we love our Antilop! Easy to clean, can go in dishwasher and cost us £19.

Hold on, you bought it for £50 and then spent £40 on new cushions? £90???

I want to know what this highchair is to be worth £50 second hand at 8 year old!
2nd hand ikea antelope is the best one. Got mine 2nd hand and still brand new, it's also 7 year old!

I also need to know what this highchair is! If you give up with it and buy new, just buy the ikea antilop, it's the best.

The smell is more likely all the chemicals you have used, degrading the plastic!

Another vote for the IKEA one - it's mega cheap and we used it from the moment DC could sit up until they were old enough just to sit in a chair. Very easy to clean too.

BO is a weird thing to stick to a plastic chair. I think there's probably a plastic smell about it that you can't stand. You bought it, so sell it on.