HOUSTON – Kids spend a lot of time in their car seats. Between spit up, throw up, and spilled food did you know car seats can end up with twice as much bacteria as a toilet seat? Yuck! Cleaning car seats can be a major chore! We met a savvy mompreneur who will do the dirty work for you.
When you have little ones, you discover soon enough how tough it can be to take the seats out of the car, strip off the covers, wash them, dry them and get them installed again before you need to go somewhere. Mom Jessica Huggins realized the need for a car seat cleaning service 18 months ago. Her husband Shane was not so sure about the idea at first.
“I thought it was so gross,” said Shane.
And they knew first-hand courtesy of their youngest child Maddox.
“She was our only child who got sick in her car seat pretty frequently,” said Jessica.
After searching for a service to help her with cleaning her own car seats and coming up empty-handed, Jessica decided to start her own company. The company is Hugs and Bubbles Car Seat and Stroller Cleaning. Customers scheduled cleanings online. Jessica made her business plan based on what she needed.
“I sat down and I was like, ‘I’m a mom, what do parents need? What would I want if I was using this service?’ I would want it to be quick and easy to book and I wanted them to take my things when I didn’t need them and if my kids had an accident or got sick in their seat I’d want it picked up,” she said.
A Hugs and Bubbles team member picks up your seats in the evening, cleans them while your kids and theirs are sleeping, and then delivers them the next morning in time for your morning commute.
“If you have a child who is sick or has an accident in their seat, you can take care of your kiddo while we are taking care of your seat,” said Jessica.
Carseat cleanings are $35, double strollers are $40, and delivery and drop off is included in the price. There are discounts for prepayment and other membership options.
“What we like to think about is it gives families more time with their kids,” said Jessica.
Jessica is also a certified safety car seat installer so if you dread getting your car seat in and out of your vehicle, she’ll do that too for an extra $10! She also offers personal classes to help you make sure you are properly installing car seats in all of your vehicles.