How to clean vomit in the car

Written By Hanna Phillips

Yep. This is a totally practical post.

We were completely unprepared for the disaster that occurred half an hour into a full day trip home from our holiday… my hope is that someone trying to find a vomit kit and odour-eradicating cleaning solution will find more than I did - which was a picture of a lit bonfire with a carseat thrown on top!

Hilarious? Yes.

Helpful? No.

Image from carsales.com

Picture one of these clown-ball games at the circus… but now with vomit spraying out as the head swivels from left to right, mouth agape. This is what we were dealing with.

The irony? There was a plastic bag (for rubbish) hanging right in front of him, yet he was too shocked by the situation to grab and use it.

Covered surfaces: car seats x2, brother, backpacks, lunch boxes, 2 x carry on sized luggage, back of seat in front, seat, seatbelt, seat belt recess, clothing

TOP TIP - In the flurry of removing the vomiter from the car, do not fling the vom-drenched seat belt into the recess - this will only cause a bigger problem! Instead, loop the belt around an arm rest or something else so it can be somewhat cleaned before retracting it.

What we had:

Large hand sanitiser

Box of tissues

Beach towel (for sitting on as surface couldn’t be fully cleaned)

Wet bag (from swimming bag)

Spare clothes

What we ALSO needed….

VOMIT KIT

  • Gloves

  • Sanitiser wipes

  • Garbage bags

  • Snap lock bags

  • Mints (for vomiter) lemonade at Maccas drive through also helped

  • Vomit bags - near each person/tucked in their door or seat pocket

  • Beach towel

  • Wet bag

    (These are now safely tucked under the seat in the car and would highly recommend investing in these things BEFORE a road trip)

VOMIT CLEANING ESSENTIALS

(For a deep clean)

  • Upholstery cleaning liquid (Bunnings)

  • Dettol laundry sanitiser

  • Steam cleaner (Bunnings)

  • Upholstery head/wand (Bunnings)

  • Nilodor (supermarket)

  • Vanish 3 in 1 foam (supermarket)

  • Microfibre cloths

  • Dehumidifier with extension cord (if available)

    I am genuinely AMAZED that we were able to get the smell out of the car. It was a solid day of effort… but can report that it is COMPLETELY gone.

In a nutshell…

In the moment -

  • Remove as much vom from all surfaces as possible (including belt sash and cravases) using wipes/tissues/sanitiser

  • Use gloves in case you are dealing with something contagious

  • Bag up any soiled clothes, remove booster/car seat if heavily soiled and child is old enough to sit on the chair.

    If not possible, cover surface with a towel after wiping for them to sit on

  • Change the child with vomit on them - clothing into wet bag

  • Bin anything that can be tossed to help remove smell

  • Windows DOWN

When you’re home -

  • Order/hire a steam cleaner from Bunnings with the upholstery attachment - add the upholstery cleaner AND dettol laundry liquid to sanitise seats and floor

  • For seats, once dry, use the Vanish 3 in 1 foam to remove final remnants/odours

  • Use nilodor for any hard to reach places (like the belt recess)

  • Wipe down hard surfaces with microfibre cloth and warm soapy water (after the initial disinfecting)

  • Leave doors open to dry or put a dehumidifier in for a few hours

GOOD LUCK!

See… You don’t have to burn or sell your car, after all!

Hanna Phillips
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Tips for moving houses with the smalls