Cleaning a wicker bassinet

Wicker bassinets are a traditional and beautiful baby bed. Light, snug and pretty to boot, they are popular with parents who want a portable and comfortable bed for their little one. However, wicker by its very nature traps dirt and germs in every little nook and cranny. Before you even begin to clean your wicker bassinet, you need to make sure that the paint covering it is safe for your baby. Unfortunately, lead paint was used on many wicker bassinets as little as three decades ago. If your bassinet is a used bassinet, you need to chip off some of the paint and test it for lead before you let your baby sleep in it. You can purchase paint lead-testing kits at any hardware store or home and garden centre.

Wicker bassinets are a traditional and beautiful baby bed. Light, snug and pretty to boot, they are popular with parents who want a portable and comfortable bed for their little one. However, wicker by its very nature traps dirt and germs in every little nook and cranny. Before you even begin to clean your wicker bassinet, you need to make sure that the paint covering it is safe for your baby. Unfortunately, lead paint was used on many wicker bassinets as little as three decades ago. If your bassinet is a used bassinet, you need to chip off some of the paint and test it for lead before you let your baby sleep in it. You can purchase paint lead-testing kits at any hardware store or home and garden centre.

Now that you are sure the bassinet is safe for your baby, you can focus on cleaning it. First, remove any mattress, blanket or other baby items from the bassinet. Next, take it outside. Once the bassinet is outside, use hot, soapy water (add washing powder to a bucket of hot water) to scrub the bassinet. Use a scrub brush with soft bristles that will be able to reach into the wicker crevices. Then, use a garden hose to rinse the soapy water off of the bassinet. For hard to reach places, use a "green" cleaner in a spray bottle, then rinse with the hose.

Prepare a solution of 1 gallon water to 3/4 cup bleach. Make sure you protect your hands with rubber gloves and wear old clothes, as the bleach will ruin any clothing it comes in contact with. Place the solution in a spray bottle and completely saturate the bassinet. This will kill any germs. Alternately, simply dump the solution over the bassinet. Rinse with a garden hose, then let it dry in the sun. You may need to let it dry for more than a day to let the smell of the bleach dissipate.