Feeding the Bed – How to clean it up!
Feeding the Bed is a common phrase that you will see a lot in discussions about feeding tubes.
What is “Feeding the Bed”?
This clever phrase is when you accidently feed the mattress and your child’s clothing, instead of feeding the child through a feeding tube. It is kind of a rite of passage. No matter how careful and prepared you are, it will happen. Some times a med port pops open due to air, or you forget to close the med port at all. I have done that late at night when giving meds and trying to stay awake long enough to re-hook up feeds. Don’t beat yourself up, because it truly happens to everyone!
So now that you have woken up with a soaked child and wet bed, how are you going to get that formula out of the clothing and the mattress so it doesn’t permanently stain? I have compiled a list of how to clean formula out of a mattress, clothing, upholstery (couch/chairs), carpet, and walls/ceilings!
How to get formula stains out of a mattress?
I have 2 excellent tried and true methods to help and thankfully they both use products you probably already have around the house!
Dish Soap, Baking Soda, and Water
Personally, I prefer the blue dawn to use with this method because it really does help break down fat/grease!
1.Remove crib sheet and then using paper towels or cloth towels, try to soak up the majority of the formula.
2. Make a paste of Dish Soap, Baking Soda, and water. You want it to be pretty thick and not runny or it will make a bigger mess. It should feel like wet sand and be gritty.
3. Dab the mixture into the mattress over the area of the stain.
4. Walk away and go drink some nice hot coffee to wake up. Really you just want to leave it alone until the mixture dries.
5. Once the mixture is dried, simply vacuum up the residue.
Vinegar, Baking Soda, and Water
This is my go-to cleaning method for almost anything! This method works to clean up formula, poop, and vomit! (it also gets rid of the smell- woohoo!)
1. Remove crib sheet and then using paper towels or cloth towels, try to soak up the majority of the formula.
2. Using a spray bottle (get them cheap at the dollar store), mix 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar with 1 cup of water.
3. Spray the area with the vinegar mixture, and let sit for at least 20 minutes.
4. Using a paper towel, soak up any moisture that you can.
5. Sprinkle the whole area with baking soda.
6. Let sit for at least an hour. Then simply vacuum up the baking soda! I use the hose attachment on my vacuum and just keep moving left to right, over and over again.
*Mom tip- vinegar and baking soda work wonders on odors*
Tips to Prevent Mattress Stains
- Use disposable puppy pads or “chuck” pads (from the hospital)
- Washable Mattress Covers
- Plastic Mattress Protectors (the kind you would use for night potty training)
How to get Formula Stains out of Clothing?
If you feed the bed, then you probably have a child covered in formula as well. I have found the best way to clean pajamas or any kid’s clothing is to start with a Pre-Treatment.
I prefer my Shout spray, but other’s love enzyme based cleaners (like 7th generation or Dreft), or an Oxi based stain remover in spray or powder.
Simply spray the clothing, and then I like to rub the clothing together to form a lather. Let sit for a few minutes, then rinse clean with cold water. Wring out excess water and toss in the washing machine.
If the formula has fully dried, then your best option is to fully soak the garment for 30 minutes in an enzyme laundry detergent or Oxi based detergent. Wring out the water and then put in your washing machine like normal.
If when you pull the clothing out of the washing machine and the stain is still visible, just repeat the pre-treatment phase again. Don’t use the dryer, until the stain is gone, or you will permanently set the stain into the clothing.
How to get Formula Stains out of couches and chairs? (Upholstery)
Let’s face it, we don’t just feed the bed. Sometimes we feed the furniture too! It’s ok, it happens. Here is my absolute best method of getting formula out of cloth based furniture.
1. Mix together 1 tbsp of hand washing soap (like dawn) with 2 cups of cold water.
2. Using a cloth (I just grab any wash cloth I have), sponge the stain with the mixture. Kind of like a dabbing motion, not a rubbing and scrubbing motion.
3. Then using a dry cloth, (I grab a clean dish towel), blot the stain until the liquid is absorbed out of the fabric.
4. Keep repeating steps 2 and 3 until the stain disappears. Try not to add too much of the soap and water at a time, or the blotting up the moisture will take longer. I would rather repeat the steps a few times then, have to wait 6 hours for my couch cushions to dry.
5. Once the stain is gone, sponge with plain cold water and blot dry to remove any soap residue.
6. If the cushion is removeable, I usually take it outside to dry in the sun. This not only helps it dry quicker, but sunlight and fresh air tends to kill a lot of funky smells that may linger.
7. If you do notice a smell left behind, try lightly spraying with vinegar and water.
*Mom Tip* Check your couch cushions for zippers- if it does have one, it may just be easier to treat that cushion cover as clothing and pre-treat it and drop it in the washing machine if it is a fairly large stain.
What about formula stains on leather?
Thankfully most of the time, just using a mopping up the formula with a cloth will clean a leather couch or chair, but if it has started to make an opaque stain, you will need to clean further.
Try using a leather cleaner and re-conditioner spray.
If you don’t have one handy, you can make a super quick cleaner out of dish soap and water! Mix 1 tbsp of dish soap and 2 cups of water. Use a spoon, and really whip it together so it make a lot of foam! Take a dry cloth and just get some of the foam on it. Use just the foam and rub in circles on the stain. Don’t wet the leather, just slightly moisten it with the foam. Once the stain is gone, use a dry cloth and make sure the leather surface is completely dry.
How to get Formula Stains out of Carpet?
Just like the method for removing stains in upholstery, we are going to do the same method, but we will use WARM water instead of cold.
1. Mix together 1 tbsp of hand washing soap (like dawn) with 2 cups of WARM water.
2. Using a cloth (I just grab any wash cloth I have), sponge the stain with the mixture. Kind of like a dabbing motion, not a rubbing and scrubbing motion.
3. Then using a dry cloth, (I grab a clean dish towel), blot the stain until the liquid is absorbed out of the fabric.
4. Keep repeating steps 2 and 3 until the stain disappears. Try not to add too much of the soap and water at a time, or the blotting up the moisture will take longer. I would rather repeat the steps a few times then, have to wait 6 hours for my couch cushions to dry.
5. Once the stain is gone, sponge with plain cold water and blot dry to remove any soap residue.
6. If you do notice a smell left behind, try sprinkling with baking soda or carpet fresh power, then vacuuming the area.
Can you clean dried formula stains off of walls and ceilings?
Sometimes formula doesn’t just go down it goes up too! LOL
Usually you won’t notice where all these sprays went until the next morning, and in that beautiful morning glow of sunshine, you will see dried drips of formula on your walls and ceiling.
Don’t panic! The absolute best cleaner for walls and ceilings from formula stains to crayon drawings is the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I love these things so much!
I recently found an off-brand of the eraser at my local dollar store, and it actually works just the same and lasted longer than the name brand (they didn’t crumble up as quickly). So if you ever see them, it is definitely worth a dollar to try them out!
Simply dip the eraser in room temperature water, squeeze out the excess, and rub the area on the wall. This will work on dry wall or wood paneling.
Conclusion
Please don’t get too upset over spilled milk or formula. It is going to happen to everyone and it does not make you a bad parent or care-giver. Just be prepared as much as possible in advance, and in case you don’t catch it in time, have some helpful cleaning tips at your fingertips!
