Best Way to Clean Those ABC Foam Floor Tiles?

my daughter had them and what i did was took a sanatizer spray (one that is edo and family friendly) and sprayed them down. if they were dirty i would just hand wash them with baby wash so it was ok for my daughter. i dont know how they would turn out in the washing machine but maybe try the dish washer. but just remember that they are spongey and may retain soap so you may not want your baby chewing on them.

1 mom found this helpful

I agree with the bath method using non-toxic cleaner. I use a plant-based dish washing liquid (e.g. Seventh Generation, Ecover). Of course it's designed to wash something that is then put in our mouths, Clorox or disinfectant is too strong in my opinion (my daughter chews on the tiles like crazy!). The bath is a good place to do it because it's big enough to get all the squares in at once. Just rinse the soap off and let them air-dry.
PS. Are you English? I'm a mummy too!

I'm going to put some in the dishwasher right now and see how that goes. I never thought of that. I was going to put them in the bath tub with a splash of bleach. Mostly I scrub with antibacterial hand and face baby wipes a lil each day. It seems if there is no elbow greece involved, they still look shabby. When I taught preschool we used water and bleach solutions to clean everything.

My friend suggested wetting them then sprinkling with salt and baking soda... hadn't tried it yet and NO CLUE whether it will be effective but at least it is non-toxic. I recall using this mixture to clear out the coffee carafes at the end of the night when I was a waitress years ago. Good luck!

I use the Dreft wipes to clean ours and it works great.

I have those too.
Try one of those Mr. Clean "Magic Erasers." They clean almost anything.
And like Jacy said, spray with a sanitizer spray just to keep it germ free, as upkeep.

Good luck,
Susan

We used those and the dogs often walked over top of them. I sprayed them outside with the hose and let them air dry.

I worked for a headstart in a local School District and we put them in the dishwasher (:
Hope that helps (:

Maybe you could temporarily lower the temp on your water heater (so they don't melt) and stand them up like plates in the dishwasher? That's the first thing I would try, but that's just shootin from the hip :)

Hi A.,

I would suggest using something non-toxic on them since your baby will be possibley chewing on them and sitting/laying on them. Whatever method you use to clean them, Shaklee has a line of safe, natural, non-toxic cleaners that are super effective. You can scrub or hose them down with Basic-H, put them in the dishwasher with their automatic dishwasher concentrate, or use the fragrance-free laundry concentrate in the washer. They also sell a great germicide called Basic-G that is a safe alternative to Lysol and bleach which are known toxins to children. If you want to learn more about the products you can visit www.shaklee.net/greennutrition or register to win $200 of free products at www.freegreenproducts.info. Hope this helps and I'm here for questions.

C.

I use a product called LOC, liquid organic cleaner. Cleans wonderfully and children can put them in their mouth without fear.

Get it at www.we-us.mychoices.biz!

The clorox bleach site will give you tips and suggestions on how to use it to disinfect and clean toys. So much bleach mixed with so much water in the tub and let the toys soak. I don't know that this method would make them look like new (remove scuff marks, etc) but it should sanitize.

Two of my favorite, low cost, environmental and health friendly products to wash the foam floor tiles are MelaMagic® Heavy Duty Cleaner and Tough & Tender™ Multi-Purpose Surface Cleaner. I would never try putting them in the washing machine because I think they would bend out of shape or get ruined.

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I JUST finished this project this weekend and I just used warm water and dawn dish soap. I let them dry out in the sun ann they look brand new! I washed them right in the kitchen sink and popped out all the abc inserts and SCRUBBED. Have fun! :)

Ok, don't hate me because I hire someone to help me clean my house. I have my housecleaner use the Lysol Disinfecting Wipes, and the tiles come out super clean!

Hi A.!

I would not put them in the washing machine, that would probably bend them out of shape. You could try to put them in the dishwasher, but they could get thrown around from the water pressure and stuck on the bottom near the heating element.
I would suggest putting them in the bath tub and cleaning them with a non toxic cleaner which will be save for your little one. I use Tough and Tender. It is an all natural cleaner sold in concentrate at a deep discount compared to other natural cleaners. Please contact me if you would like to learn about it.
Jenny
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Hi A., YES, Try putting them into the DISH washer, not the clothes washer. On the upper shelf of the dishwasher, skip the "dry" cycle and place them outside to air dry. If it's warm enough of course.
That should do the trick!!
Happy Sanitizing!
M. A.