Megan Navarro
DRIPPING SPRINGS — Katie Trent, a mother of five kids, is taking one tiny detail off of parents’ shoulders through her newest venture: a car seat and stroller cleaning business.
The service, purposefully called Tiny Details, launched June 2 and was born from her belief that clean spaces create calmer moments and that even the smallest details — such as a fresh, detailed car seat — can bring a little peace to a parent's day.
Serving both Hays and Travis counties, Trent saw a need for this type of resource in the respective communities and also found it to be a way that she could generate income for her family, along with supporting other local mothers.
In order to ensure that she is staying in compliance with safety guidelines, and maintain the integrity of the car seat or stroller that is getting cleaned, Trent explained that she follows the manufacturer’s manuals for the specific brand.
Typically, the manufacturer’s manual will instruct users to only use a damp cloth to clean things and to not use bleach. Trent goes the extra step to use non-toxic products that are 100% biodegradable and fragrance free, as she knows that a lot of moms have kids who are sensitive to certain things.
“I want to make sure that nothing's going to trigger them. That's another way that we kind of maintain that integrity is making sure we're not having any harsh chemicals,” Trent said. “We're not scrubbing it; we're not doing anything to compromise the fabric itself. The harness itself is super important to keep clean, so we kind of follow all those guidelines that they lay out for us.”
There are multiple benefits for a parent to choose to have their car seat or stroller professionally cleaned, Trent said. This includes taking something off of their to-do list and giving them peace of mind that the product is safe and clean.
“I think it’s just making motherhood lighter. It’s taking something off of their to-do list. It's also giving them peace of mind, knowing that their car seat is safe because when you have crumbs that get into the buckles and the crevices, it can actually compromise the safety of the seat and the buckles themselves. And so, you're just taking that extra step to make sure that your kiddo has a safe car seat to be in,” she explained. “No one wants to travel with gross car seats or strollers. I have a lot of moms book me prior to vacations and then, I've also had moms now book me after they've come back from vacation and they want to just have a reset.”
Trent added that how often a car seat and stroller needs to be cleaned is going to vary based on the specific child, but generally, once a quarter is a fair turnaround.
The Tiny Details service is overnight, so the typical turnaround time is about 12 hours because they pick up the stroller and/or car seat at 7 p.m. and it’s back on the client’s doorstep the next day. When she is dropping off the cleaned item, Trent said she ensures that she communicates with the client the location and expected delivery time.
Cleaning for car seats is $49 and strollers are $45, plus there is a pickup and delivery fee based on the specific county that the parent lives in — Hays County is $15 and Travis County is $25.
Looking to the future of Tiny Details, Trent said that, even though she only started this in June, she has already had 22 people talking about franchising the business.
“I’d love to bring this service to other moms in other areas, but also use it as a way to empower women to bring income to their own homes. I'm really big on just seeing women succeed and thrive … I would love to see this be something that expands into Georgetown and expands into all of Central Texas and people know the Tiny Details name and that's who you go to for your car seat cleaning,” Trent concluded. “I hear all the time, [people say], ‘Oh, my goodness, I wish she'd been around 14 years ago when I had babies.’ So, it's about getting the word out to all the younger moms, letting them know that we are here, we're available and we'd love to take care of you.”
Every stroller and car seat are typically tied with a pink bow before it’s dropped off after the cleaning, but, as of Monday, July 7, for the remainder of July, they will be tied with a green bow as a “small symbol of support for the Camp Mystic community after the devastating floods.” A portion of the proceeds from each cleaning will also go toward helping the families who were impacted during the flooding events that occurred during the Fourth of July weekend in Kerrville and across the Texas Hill Country.
For more information about Tiny Details and to book a cleaning, visit www.tinydetailsatx.com.
