Last reviewed September 2026
An UPPAbaby pram is built to do five years and two children. Whether it looks like it at the end depends less on the pram than on sunscreen, sand and where it lives between walks. Here is what can be washed, what can only be wiped, and the three habits that keep a pram looking new.
Machine wash, cold, gentle: Seat fabric, bassinet liner, canopy (check the label)
Wipe only: Harness, frame, foam handlebar, wheels
Never: Tumble dry, bleach, oil on the wheels, a wet pram in a hot boot
Free: A Tune-Up Day for the brakes, wheels and fold, whoever you bought it from
Fabrics
The seat fabric, the bassinet liner and mattress cover, and the canopy all come off the frame. Most of them carry a care label that allows a cold, gentle machine wash with a mild detergent. Zip pockets closed, wash alone, no bleach and no fabric softener. Then air dry, in the shade, fully, before they go back on. Never tumble dry: heat is what shrinks and cracks the fabric coating.
Between washes, a damp cloth and a drop of dish soap handles most of what a toddler does to a seat. The one thing to treat straight away is sunscreen: it stains, it attracts dirt, and left in the fabric it breaks the fibres down. Wipe it off the day it goes on.
The harness
Wipe, never wash. The harness webbing is a safety part and machine washing weakens it. Damp cloth, mild soap, let it dry. If it has gone stiff or stained beyond wiping, it is a spare part; replace it rather than scrub it.
Frame and handlebar
Warm water, a soft cloth, a little mild soap. Dry it afterwards, especially around the fold joints and the locking latch, which is where grit collects. The leather and leatherette on the handlebar and bumper bar want a wipe with a damp cloth only; no leather conditioner, which makes them slippery.
Wheels and brake
Sand and grit are what wear wheels and brakes. After a beach or a gravel path, rinse the wheels with a hose or under a tap, brush the grit out of the brake bar, and let everything dry. No oil, no lubricant spray: it attracts grit and makes it worse. A squeak that survives a rinse is a Tune-Up Day job.
Storage
UV is the enemy. Fabric that lives in the sun fades and weakens, and that is wear, not a defect, so it is outside the warranty. Store the pram folded, dry, and inside. A hot car boot every day of summer is the worst place for it. If it has been rained on, dry it before it goes away, or the frame joints and the fabric will both suffer.
Once a season: the ten-minute check
Push the brake on and try to roll it. Open and close the fold and listen for a clean click. Tug each harness strap. Spin each wheel and look for wobble. Check the bumper bar release and the seat recline. Anything that is loose, stiff or squeaking is usually grit, and rarely a fault. Anything that does not lock is a stop-using-it-and-call-us.
Or bring it to a free Tune-Up Day: the team checks, cleans and adjusts the whole pram in about fifteen minutes, at retailers around the country, and you do not have to have bought it from us.
Questions parents ask
Can UPPAbaby pram fabrics go in the washing machine?
The seat fabric, bassinet liner and canopy come off and can be washed cold on a gentle cycle with a mild detergent, no bleach, then air dried out of the sun. Check the care label sewn into each piece first, because a few pieces are wipe-only. Never tumble dry.
How do I clean the harness?
Wipe it with a damp cloth and mild soap. Do not soak it, machine wash it or scrub it: the webbing is a safety part, and washing weakens it. If food or sunscreen has set into it, replace the harness rather than fight it; it is a spare part.
How do I clean sunscreen off the pram?
Quickly. Sunscreen is the thing that stains and degrades pram fabric fastest. Wipe it off the same day with a damp cloth and a little dish soap, then rinse. Zinc-based sunscreens are worse than the rest.
Do the wheels need oil?
No. Brush the sand and grit out of the wheels and the brake, and rinse them with water. Oil attracts grit. If a wheel squeaks after a beach trip, rinse it properly and let it dry; if it still squeaks, a Tune-Up Day will sort it.
How should I store the pram?
Folded, dry, and out of the sun. UV is what fades and weakens fabric, and it is excluded from the warranty as wear. A hot car boot every day of summer counts. Wipe it dry after rain before it goes in the boot or the cupboard.
Parts that wear
Wheels, harness, bumper bar cover, basket fabric and the locking latch are all spare parts, and replacing one is cheaper than replacing a pram. There are short films on the common ones. Every manual is on the manuals page.
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