Admit it. You got tired of having the baby pull your hair and handed him a snack. Those berries (drink, food pouch, crackers, distraction of your choice) seemed like a great idea at the time. You keep your hair, baby is happy, everybody wins! But then, baby comes down and you see it. Your beautiful carrier looks like it visited a cafeteria during a food fight. What to do?!

As with most carriers, you generally want to spot clean an SSC (Soft Structured Carrier) like a Beco. Use a mild detergent, cool water, and rub gently to clean any small stains that may arise. Hang or lay flat to dry and you’re good to go.

But what do you do when it’s more than just a bit of smushed food? What do you do when, say, baby has a blowout of all blowouts while riding inside her carrier, or when she soaks that diaper that you knew you should have changed, or when it slips to the floorboards of the car and becomes a target for muddy feet? Then, my friends, it’s time to actually wash your Beco.

Per Beco’s website, their advice is to “Wash on DELICATE/WARM cycle with a mild detergent. Hang dry in well ventilated area or tumble dry on low and remove when seams are still damp. Spot clean when needed. Do not wash frequently.”

So, should you need to toss your Beco in the wash, here’s what I recommend. Depending on the model of your Beco, remove any detachable hoods or pockets, unless they also need to be washed. Connect both the chest strap buckles and the hip belt, so that the buckles and straps are less likely to get caught during washing (especially if you have a standard top loader with agitator). For extra protection, toss your carrier into a pillow case and tie up the top before washing. No loose straps! Then add your carrier to your machine with a mild detergent, set to your most delicate cycle, and choose a warm water temperature. Close the lid, start the cycle, go find out what your kid has gotten into while you’ve been in the laundry room.

Once washed, I prefer to hang to dry. By keeping the chest clip buckled you can easily hang the carrier over a sturdy coat hanger. You can also lay the carrier flat to dry, but if you’re not using a drying rack of some sort, be sure to place it on a towel and flip it every so often so that it dries evenly. If you really need a quicker option, you can tumble dry your Beco on low or the air dry cycle. I recommend the pillow case again for this, to protect the buckles.

Then you go. You should have your Beco back to shiny condition, ready and waiting for that next stain to come its way. Cupcakes, anyone?

Kate Cunha is mom to a tall 3 year old that still needs to go up on occasion. Her toddler Beco is one of her favorite choices.