Mom Shares the Simplest Hack for Cleaning Her IKEA High Chair

From wacky to downright genius, countless how-did-I-not-think-of-that-first viral parenting hacks have innovated how we carry car seats, organize our diaper bags and store our baby bottles. There’s truly nothing better than a good parenting hack–especially when it comes to cleaning. That’s why we’re applauding one mom’s recent discovery of (literally) the simplest way to clean her high chair. Let the dishwasher do it for you. Yep, it’s really that simple.

The hack, shared on Kidspot, comes from mother-of-two Alys Gagnon. Gagnon found herself in an endless loop of cleaning her toddler’s high chair, which happens to be the the ANTILOP high chair from IKEA, a Best of Baby finalist, and also, a total bargain at just 30 bucks. This cleaning loop was a complete time suck, according to Gagnon. “182-and-a-half hours, based on rough calculations and the assumption that I spent five minutes of every day undertaking this activity,” she says of her time wasted cleaning the chair.

From that frustration, the hack was born. And what a simple hack it is.

“Not only is the ANTILOP cheap as chips, cheerfully coloured and charmingly convenient, it’s also dishwasher safe,” Gagnon says.

Say what?!

Gagnon was gobsmacked. But she was also onto something. Excluding the legs, every piece of the ANTILOP high chair is made from polypropylene, a plastic rated safe for the top rack in the dishwasher. Although IKEA’s recommended cleaning instructions for the high chair are to wipe it clean with a mild soapy solution, we can’t help but agree with Gagnon’s solution, especially for such an inexpensive chair.

Compared to some of the more elaborate hacks we’ve seen (hello, DIY changing kit), this dishwasher shortcut doesn’t blow us away. But it will certainly save owners of the ANTILOP chair hours of endless wiping and handwashing. And for that, we are glad for Ms. Gagnon.