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!

I'd go round and just dump it on her doorstep if she doesn't answer, at least it's not your problem then. And yes to an IKEA one, v easy to clean and hygienic.

I wouldn't do this. She could easily sell it on to another person and make even more money dishonestly, and this time it would be clean and have brand new cushions

Make a paste with bio washing powder, rub into highchair, cover with a binbag and leave overnight. Brush off paste the next day.

Doing that got rid of the smell of tom cat pee that had tortured me for years after it had sprayed on bare wood so will work for this.

We bought a brand new one from ikea for £12

No idea why you would buy something so revolting for your baby

Go back withe the high chair and your dh to get a refund. If you don't get one you could Tey asking in local Facebook groups if anyone has one going spare.

OP, in my experience as an eBay buyer and more prolifically as a very long time seller, eBay would always (almost) find in the buyer's favour. Do you have photos of how bad it was? I would call eBay customer service, explain everything, show them your photos and tell them she has ignored your messages and blocked you. Hopefully they will refund your money. Plus leave her a negative review once it is sorted to p*as her off! Xxx

Oh ffs - you cannot go round and demand your money back. You inspected it and accepted it in that condition. It's sold as seen, you don't have a leg to stand on.
How can it be a scam when you saw it, and bought it anyway??

This is crazy, you can't dump your possessions on other people's property. That is fly tipping.

You saw it before you paid for it, you took a gamble. You don't have any right to demand a refund now you've changed your mind about it.

Live and learn I'm afraid.

Going round with your DH looks quite aggressive and is not appropriate as you accepted the condition it was in when you saw it.

We bought a house where the people smelt so bad it had permeated EVERYTHING. They were teachers at the local school and everyone called them the ‘smelly Smiths’.

when I ripped the secondary glazing off the windows the smell was horrendous.

I think some people just smell that bad.

Try putting alcohol hand rub on the sections that smell. Works really well for clothes.

Sold as seen I'm afraid. You had a chance to say no when you saw it, your fault for buying it. You could try selling it on yourself?

I’ve been reliably informed that wasting money on an expensive and ultimately unpractical high chair, often a great deal more than £50, and then getting the cheap IKEA one, is a rite of passage for many new mums.

OP, a slightly different scenario in your case, but it was sold as seen.

Unfortunately I doubt you’ll get anywhere. She’s not an honest seller and you saw it in person and took it.

You could actually end up with her calling the police since you’ve messaged multiple times and now want to turn up at her door who will then tell you to leave and a dirty high chair is a civil matter.

expensive lesson and a scummy women.

@Traceyfudge77 the classic Stokke followed by Antilop journey

I've traded Stokke chairs for years and always asks what are are they buying it for and always say get the Antilop for the 6-18 month period then get a Stokke. Our DS still has his Stokke at 6 years old

*what age are they buying it for

You literally saw it and still paid even though it was filthy!
Don't bother going to her house.
Your money has gone

Milton tablets might work.

I'd say go round but take your husband with you for support

If OP takes seller to court she will lose. The seller has done nothing wrong under UK law. The items is in full working order, which could be described as "good condition". The buyer had the opportunity to inspect before purchasing and decided to go ahead with the purchase. This is a case of buyer's remorse. She's changed her mind because things didn't turn out how she hoped (she couldn't get the smell out). She has no right to a refund. All she can do is sell it on to someone who doesn't mind the smell, as a way of recouping some money.

"Good condition" is a subjective judgement. For a lot of people this would also include clean, so if it had been purchased by post the buyer may have a point (especially since eBay's own rules state that faults must be declared and some people might consider the smell a fault).

But although the buyer saw the item on eBay the transaction didn't go through eBay, the seller didn't officially accept the buyer's offer, so eBay's rules aren't relevant only UK law is. Plus even with eBay's rules, the item wasn't posted, it was viewed (ie inspected) before purchase so the buyer in this case would still likely lose an eBay claim.

Hope she refunds you.

Don't. Either reupholster it yourself using sheets of that plasticised tablecloth stuff and a staplegun and some foam, or put it down to bad luck or bad judgement and chuck it. Take it apart and recycle some bits if you can. It probably won't be BO it'll be food that has sat on it. And possibly nappy contents. Not hygienic. I don't think the stink will ever go. Ew.

I suppose you could put it outside if you have satisfied yourself you have sterilised it and it is only the smell left and Febreeze it half to death and leave it for a few days somewhere where air can circulate but not in the house.

I wouldn't though.

We didn't bother with a high chair at all for one of ours, they had a low chair and table once old enough to sit in a chair properly. Before that it was bouncy chair or lap.

Said child is adult now and has turned out all right and is not maladjusted at mealtimes.

Shocking!? But safer. Nothing to fall out of and food didn't get flung as far across the plastic mat and floor which had carpet in a rented house. We still communed with them at some mealtimes often eating at small tables at the settee so at the same height. Other mealtimes were them only eating because of work and school for the rest. We couldn't find a cheap practical one we liked at the time and then got a cheap booster seat for the main table a bit later on. It was all really easy to clean too.

Food for thought? Why do we assume we need all these things? Obviously get what you want but think why you are. Agree that the cheap Ikea ones are good and many of my friends with younger children used them. Ikea wasn't a thing in the UK in the time period I am talking about though.

Leave it outside for a week to air.

Cancel (or send back) the cushions, use the money to buy a new one and chalk it up to experience. You viewed it and accepted it, you even paid the asking price and didn't knock anything off for the condition, you have no chance of getting your money back.

I wouldn't go around to her house, you've no idea who lives there, it could all kick off and get nasty (they smoke weed near a baby) or you could be accused of harassment.