Bath Toy Funk!

Our toys get this all the time too. I fill the sink with bleach diluted with water and fill the toys with it by squeezing the toys and letting them fill up with the bleach water. I let them sit and then squeeze all the funky junk out. I keep doing this until they are clean. I then fill the sink with clean water and some baking soda - and repeat the process to make sure all the bleach residue and funky junk is gone. Hope this helps!!
J.
Giggle Moon Photography
http://www.gigglemoonphotography.com

3 moms found this helpful

Oh, I know that problem. What we usually do is soak them in a bucket of bleach & hot water, and after they've been soaking a while, I squeeze them to bring the water into them. Then, I shake them up a little and squeeze the water out. (usually little black flakes of muck come out too)I will squeeze more water into them and let them soak full for awhile, then just keep repeating the process of squeezing the bleach water in and out until I don't see anymore yuck coming out of them, changing the water as needed. Once I'm convinced that the insides are clean, I give them another soak -n- squirt in clean water.

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Try disinfecting the toys in a water/ bleach solution. I do this on a weekly basis (as a part of my routine bathroom scrub down) and it helps keep the slime funk away. If there are a lot of toys you can just throw them in the bathtub filled with water and some bleach and let them soak a few (plus duel purpose you disinfect the tub at the same time!) Good luck with the toys!

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What they use in swimming pools is chlorine, which is bleach. That gets rid of mildew as well. You will have some difficulty getting the alge out. If the water is stagnating in the toys long enough for alge to grow, think of the bacteria that have multiplied in there. It's best to soak the toys in bleach water after use and squeeze the water out so they can dry out. That's probably the best way to avoid this problem in the future.

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I soak mine regularly in bleach and put them in the dishwasher as it sanitizes them.

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Hi J., throw them away and start all over. People have a habit of leaving bath toys in the tub after the bath, I always rinsed mine under hot water, then put them in a net laundry bag in put them in the dryer on LOW, dries them out so algie does not grow inside. J.

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Hi J.,

Chances are that the algae is dead already from the vinegar and you're just squirting out residue. If you want to be sure, try soaking the toys in a general algacide that you can get from a pool store. Make sure to rinse them VERY well afterwards (a good washing with mild detergent wouldn't hurt) and set them aside to dry out completely for a few days. After that, you may still see some residue come out, but it's even less likely that it will be living algae after this treatment. It might be unsightly, but not harmful. Most living algaes aren't harmful, anyway. We even eat some -- ever had sushi? The seaweed it's wrapped in is a type of algae, if I remember my freshman botany correctly.

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Hi
Same thing happened to ours. Throw them out - you never know what is growing in there. When buying new ones looks for toys without the little holes in them.

Or if you really need to keep them for sentimental reasons, soak them in a bleach solution (get it inside too). Dry them out and use them to decorate his room, or bathroom.

Good luck

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I would try soaking in water with bleach.

Good luck!

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Plastic toys in the bath are toxic on their own without the mildew, particularly when put into warm water where the chemicals can leach. Especially with boys, since the heated plastic contains BPA's and pthalates that are estrogen mimickers (sp?) which can affect normal male development (same reasons you want to avoid soy products, they contain phytoestrogens that interrupt normal hormonal processes).
I don't really know what the best answer is besided finding BPA and Pthalate-free bath toys! We let our boys take in a die cast car to wash, which I'm sure probably has its own repercussions....
Just my two cents.....

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I used to put them in the washing machine with a cup of bleach and wash them on gentle, then rinse an extra time or two to make sure all the yucky stuff came out---worked like a charm every time!!

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Oh well about it being a gift.....throw them out and get new ones. You tried to clean them, and there is nothing else you can do.
Good luck!

Just throw them away and get some new ones; I went through the exact same thing and nothing I tried actually worked to remove the gunk out of them. Besides after soaking them for hours, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to totally remove the cleaners from them and then my son would be sucking on cleaner if he put them in his mouth. It just wasn't worth the worry; there are too many other things to worry about. Good luck!

I would toss them. We clean (disinfect) our bath toys every month. And actually the last few times we got replacement toys we just avoided the squeezy ones that can trap water all together...its just a haven for stagnate water and ickies to grow. And if your kids are anything like mine, they like to put those things in their mouths.. eww.

When this happened to me, I decided to cut them open and see how bad it really was. Trust me, you would not want your child even touching it if you could see how bad it is inside!

THROW THEM OUT!!! get some kind without holes and some that you can throw in the dishwasher if you love them that much. THe best toys for bath are really various sized pouring devices so they can practice that skill. and you can wash them!

throw them out! when my kids were young, they always got new bath toys in their Christmas stockings and Easter baskets so I could ensure that at least twice a year they had new bath toys. It can get pretty gross!

J.,

I just throw them in the washing machine with a little bit of bleach and sometimes it will clean them up. If they are well beyond saving then I just toss them. I usually don't buy ones now that are too expensive because eventually the end up yuckie and need to be tossed in the trash. I know it stinks especially if they were gifts, but I hate when my kids are bathing with yuckie toys.

L.

Hi!

Everyone I know has just thrown them out when they've gotten that way, since it's so difficult to ever get all the gunk out of them - mostly I guess because it's impossible to get them insides completely dry! I know, it's so annoying and feels like such a waste to do that!

But I'll look at everyone else's responses to see if anyone's ever found a way to clean them out - I'd love to know it if they have!! :)

C.

I have to throw mine out every so often and start fresh.

i had the same thing happen and i couldn't get them clean. i ended up throwing them out and getting these turtles they sell at target in a pack of four: two rattle, one has a mirror in it and the other has like a hypnotic ball that turns. they are self-contained so no gunk. my daughter is really happy with them. did i mention that they are magnatized so they follow each other around.

Hi...isn't that gross?! We had to throw ours out too...nothing worked. I found new bath toys from The First Years, similar little fishies, whales, etc...without holes! So of course they don't squirt...but they stayed clean and the kids love them. Good luck!

Throw them out! By two sets of his favorite ones. It is still a gift if you replace them the gift is the toys were introduced to YOU!

Time for new ones... I just saw a whole set of those at Target for like 9.99, not bad, there were about 10 of them in there.

throw them out! i too had a hard time with that one, being a recycler and conservationist/environmentalist. but after i realized i couldnt clean them, i had to just do it. i think it is ridiculous that they are even made, it is so wasteful to throw them out, just adding more plastic to our landfills. from now on dont buy any bath toys that squirt or hold water where you can not clean, and dont give them as gifts! stop the cycle! lol

Throw them out! Doing so won't take away the meaningful thought of the gift...and it's not really healthy to keep something like that around your son. As heartbreaking as it may be, I'm sure the person who purchased it, would understand...and of course, there will always be more gifts in the future to save and cherish as momentos. Hope this helped. Take care... B

P.s...

Also, take a picture of them. This is a GREAT way to remember the items you have to get rid of...and there's always SCRAPBOOKING to help preserve and "decorate" that memory.

Hi J., sorry but I think you're going to have to toss these and start over. You can continue to try cleaning/squeezing them out but once the algae has taken hold, it'll probably keep coming back unless you get every last tiny bit out of there.
With the new ones, if you faithfully squeeze them out completely until no more water comes out (not even a tiny spray) after every bath, they won't get this problem in the future (atleast, ours never did).

Good luck :-)

With my experience it is best to just throw them out. We have had numerous bath toys over they years and finally decided to get rid of all the ones that the water can get into and buy solid ones. We ended up with a set of plastic Disney princesses and a couple of the bags of farm and jungle animals. The kids love them and even though they don't float they still make for hours of bath time fun and we have had the same set now for a few years.

Sounds pretty gross, I'd throw them out! Tub toys are not not meant to keep around forever (gift or not). Try not to get too attached to your little ones stuff or you'll find yourself just like me- piled high with "keepsakes", and it will overwhelm you!!! :-)

Throw them out :o( I'm sure whoever gave you the gift will totally understand that's it's in your sons best interest. And your son will be so thrilled with new toys! Just make sure to take a few extra steps after the bath to make sure the toys are squeezed out and dried after each bath.

throw them away. and get some cheapy ones. try to find ones that do not squirt and are solid. no little hole in the bottom.
also, squirting all the water out at the end of the bath will stop it from happening next time.

Have you tried bleach? I have to bleach my sons bath toys every so often. 1 to 10 ratio. I just rinse everything very well. Good luck. Jeannie

The last thing you want to see your son do is squeeze that water into his mouth. Throw them away and get new ones. When you are done with bath time, squeeze the water out of the toys. You will still have to replace them at some point, but not as often. Target has them cheap in the toy department on an end cap.

Put them in the dishwasher and if that doesn't do the trick...start new...