Cleaning Baby Toys

K. - I just throw the toys that are part plastic and part stuffed animal in my washer on gentle cycle or quick wash and then air dry them in the dryer on cool. They come out just fine. Also to wash them I use the same detergent I use on my son's clothes - just a smaller amount and sometimes I add a little baking soda. Hope this helps!

I have a great Nano-UV disinfectant light that I use after I wash things (toys, binkies, soft toys, etc.). I have a small one that's about the size of a cell phone, but they make huge wand-like ones and ones that are bins to place the toys in to disinfect them all at once. Google it! The manufacturer is Zadro. I love mine and take it everywhere with me.

i throw any fabric toys in the washing machine - gentle cycle. for the plastic, i do the same as you...

Try spraying lightly w/ Lysol disinfectant spray and let dry completely before playing with them.

I would use baby wipes. If they get the butt clean they can get toys clean. I have wiped down all kinds of toys w/ just baby wipes!

No offense to anyone out there, but please, please do not used Lysol spray or bleach. These products contain toxic chemicals that no baby should put in their mouth! If you are planning on putting toys through the washer or dishwasher, be sure to purchase chlorine free non-toxic cleaners available at Wegmans,or online. I use Seventh Generation diswashing liquid and laundry soap. Kids need germs too to build up their immune system so don't go overboard:)

I want to just let everyone know something I recently found out. Being that I have been researching how to clean the baby's toys safely, I kept coming across the Lysol thing. I went on the Lysol website and it showed how to clean toys. The lady sprayed the toys with Lysol and let it dry. Or she used the wipes. Even when you read the instructions, that's what it says. But I was concerned because EVERYTHING goes in the mouth. I called up the 800 number on the Lysol can and asked this question. The lady told me it was a good question and she said that if it's something that the baby will put in his mouth, I should definitely rinse it well with water after disinfecting it. This is directly from Lysol so please make sure whoever uses this method, that it's not safe when kids put the items in their mouth. Crazy that they show the commercial and have those instructions and NOTHING says to rinse things....doesn't everything go in babies mouths? These people must not have kids!

Hi K.,

Years ago I worked in a day care facility. They used a combination of bleach and water - a one-time mix only (used what they needed and tossed the rest.) I am not sure what the ratio was, though.

We use wipes to take off any errant fur and other stuff the animal may have picked up when it 'hit the floor'. When our son was younger (1-6 months) we would go more all out than that, detergent and hot water.

We do try not to let him have toys if we're in a place that is very unfriendly to fallen toys (ie: restroom).

Looking forward to seeing these answers, too.

Good Luck,
M.

If I can't just wipe it down then I throw it in the washing machine or dishwasher - if it doesn't survive the wash cycle then I don't want it. ; )

I wash/wipe down all play toys every other day. My 18mo old daughter sleeps with a lamb..."Lambi" goes directly into the washing machine as he is her night security and is soaked with spit in the morning....i do this once a week. would hate for "Lambi" to fall apart one day!

Hi K.,
I know of two products that really clean and disinfect part plastic/part stuffed animal toys. They work naturally and are less expensive than grocery store products and they are less expensive. If you are interested, contact me at ###-###-#### or check out my web site at www.LiveTotalWellness.com/L.
L.

My three favorite ways to clean them are; (for plastic/rubber outdoor toys etc) fill the bathtub with water and a splash of bleach and toss all the toys in for a 20 min soak. Rinse well and set on a towel to air dry (or put in the sun), for small teething things put them in the top tray of the dishwasher on any cycle, and for stuffed animals, kids soft shoes etc-if you have a front-loader washing machine, toss them in on a shorter-timed load. These machines only use a fraction of the water of a regular machine and they don't soak stuffed animals all the way thru. Then tumble in the dryer for a few minutes-finish the drying in the sun. they actually come out looking as good as new. oops-as long as you don't use a hot dryer on them!
M. P

any toys that i had for my kids that had both plastic and stuffed animal parts i put right in my washing machine, if anything i put them a pillow case and just do a regular wash cycle you can use hot water if you want i washed everything and dried them in the dryer and had nothing happen to them even when they said not machine washable...

i throw everything in the washing machine. most of the stuff does fine. just use a low dryer setting if you dry it. and stuff with electronics and batteries you can't do this, but stuff with jiggles bells etc is fine

I found that the dishwasher was the greatest for the plastic toys. Put stuffed animals in a pillowcase and then into the washing machine.

Day care centers use a water/bleach mix to disinfect toys. Personally, I think clorox or lysol wipes will do a great job.

I also remember reading a few years ago, when all the soaps (dishwashing, laundry detergent, etc) were becoming antibaterial, that items dried in the sun regardless of the type of soap had the least amount of germs and bateria.

hi K., i remember with my first i used to sterilize everything, haha! now, unless it is something special or mechanical, it goes into the washer or the dishwasher, depending on whether it has more plastic or material. to quote drago, "if it dies, it dies." most of the stuff does fine. you can put stuffed animals in a lingere bag or a pillowcase in the washing machine, they will do better. the only thing is that some things like rattles or baby things can get water trapped inside, which then can get kind of funky. i shake them out well and leave them on the windowsill to dry in the sun, that usually does the trick.

Hi K.
I use the clorox wipes to clean everything! I just wipe things down with them regularly. If you worry about your son putting things in his mouth, and using the wipes, (I never had a problem I just waited until they were dry to give them back)you can also use a rag and the clorox any where spray. I wash anything that doesn't have electronics in it. I put them in a pillow case and wash away! Everthing has come out great! The only thing I have found is any stuffed toy with "hairy hair" (like say a lion?...not yarn or string) can't go in the dryer. The hair gets all matted together.Hope this helps.