How to Clean a Baby Changing Table

A baby lies on its back on a changing table, its shirt pulled up to show a fresh diaper underneath.

Learn how to clean baby furniture like baby changing tables with Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes or Free & Clear products to help give your tiny one a safe, healthy, germ-free diaper station.

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By Mary Gagliardi

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Use as directed.

Group shot of Clorox disinfecting bleach, wipes, toilet cleaner and multi-purpose spray products.

It’s important to be extra mindful when cleaning baby furniture, especially surfaces that touch your baby’s sensitive skin. Here are a couple of effective solutions for cleaning and disinfecting a changing table, including a regimen using Free & Clear products, formulated without bleach, ammonia or dyes.

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Cleaning with Disinfecting Wipes

What you need

Steps to clean and disinfect a changing table with Disinfecting Wipes

  1. Start with the changing pad cover

    If the changing pad has a fabric cover that’s soiled, remove it from the foam insert and set it aside for machine washing. If the changing pad doesn’t have a cloth cover, skip this step.

    Tip

    To machine wash a fabric cover, follow our instructions for disinfecting laundry.

    A person in jeans and pink shirt removes an embroidered cloth cover off a baby changing pad.

  2. Disinfect the vinyl covered pad

    If the changing table has a vinyl pad, use enough Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes, to wipe the pad clean of obvious soil, and then additional wipes to ensure the pad remains wet for 4 minutes.

    A pair of hands uses a white cloth to wipe a white embroidered baby changing table.

  3. Wipe down the rest of the table

    Wipe all other hard, nonporous surfaces on the table, including the changing pad area, with additional Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes.

    Tip

    To disinfect hard, nonporous surfaces, use enough wipes to keep surfaces wet for 4 minutes before air drying.

    A pair of hands uses a white cloth to wipe a white baby changing table with white railings.

  4. Recover the changing pad with its fabric cover.

    After machine washing the fabric cover, put the foam insert back inside the cover and zip closed. Set the pad back on the table.

    A person in jeans and pink shirt removes an embroidered cloth cover off a baby changing pad.

Cleaning with Free & Clear

What you need

Steps to clean and sanitize a changing table with Free & Clear

  1. Start with the cloth cover on the changing pad

    If the changing pad has a cloth cover and it’s not soiled, you can sanitize the fabric first: hold Clorox® Free & Clear Disinfecting Mist 6-8 inches away from the fabric surface and spray until wet — do not saturate. To sanitize, fabric must remain wet for 2 minutes before air drying. If the changing pad doesn’t have a cloth cover, skip this step.

    Tip

    Soiled fabric covers must be pre-cleaned by machine washing before sanitizing.

    Hand spraying Clorox Free & Clear Disinfecting Mist at downward angle on neutral background.

  2. Clean the vinyl covered pad

    If the changing table has a vinyl pad, use enough Clorox® Free & Clear Composting Cleaning Wipes, to wipe the pad clean of obvious soil. Or, spray with Clorox® Free & Clear Multi-Surface Spray cleaner and wipe clean with a paper towel.

    A pair of hands uses a white cloth to wipe a white embroidered baby changing table.

  3. Wipe down the rest of the table

    Wipe or spray clean all other hard, nonporous surfaces on the table, including under the changing pad area.

    A pair of hands uses a white cloth to wipe a white baby changing table with white railings.

  4. Disinfect

    Hold Clorox® Free & Clear Disinfecting Mist 6-8 inches away from the table and spray all non-porous surfaces, including the vinyl changing pad, until thoroughly wet.

    Tip

    Surface must remain visibly wet for 2 minutes to disinfect.

    Hand spraying Clorox Free & Clear Disinfecting Mist at downward angle on neutral background.

  5. Allow to dry

    Treated surfaces will air dry in a few minutes. Hard, nonporous surfaces can also be wiped dry with a paper towel after the disinfection time is complete.

    open window ventilation

  6. Replace the cloth cover

    Once the table has dried completely, put the changing pad back on the table. If you washed the fabric cover, reinstall it now.

    A person in jeans and pink shirt removes an embroidered cloth cover off a baby changing pad.