Cleaning up After Playdate Germs

I have 4 solutions for cleaners, 2 of which were already mentioned in previous posts.
Simple Green: non-toxic, biodegradable and promoted by Good Housekeeping (I purchased it at Home Depot)
Clorox Anywhere: says that it is safe to use around kids, pets and food (purchased at grocery store)
Pampers Clean 'n Play: kid-safe daily cleaner, all ingredients derived from natural sources (purchased at Baby's R Us)
BabyGanics: All natural/organic non-toxic (purchased at Baby's R Us)
I tend to use the Pampers Clean 'n Play or the BabyGanics for daily cleanup. For serious germ fighting, I use the Clorox Anywhere because it says it kills 99.9% of bacteria. The directions say to dampen thoroughly, let stand for 2 minutes then wipe with clean paper/cloth towel.
Simple Green is a much stronger solvent (it comes in concentrated form) and you have to dilute it in a 1:10 ratio, which is a pain if you do not have an extra spray bottle around to put the diluted solution in ;-)
Please note: all of the above information was taken from the actual bottles

A very effective "green" way (and extremely safe for your child) way of cleaning toys is a spray bottle filled with 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water. Just spray and wipe. Recent studies (one place of publishing is Newsweek) have shown that vinegar and water effectively kill 98% of bacteria while lysol wipes have a much lower effectiveness (I believe around 25-30%) This is also a great way to wash fruits and veggies to get pesticides off. I've been using this for the last few years (my daughter is just 1) to clean almost everything and we have a very low rate of sickness in our home. I even use it to wash floors with. Easy and inexpensive.

Hi,
I use Solugaurd Botanical. It's the first EPA approved botanical disinfectant. It's been approved by the EPA to be used in daycares, nursing homes, hosptials, kitchens, etc. I'd be happy to show you where you can purchase it as it is not a store brand product.

M.
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I agree with the Clorox Anywhere spray, I use it. The alcohol in a spray bottle sounds good also. Alcohol kills germs and is fast drying, I would maybe spray and wipe or rinse though.

One part bleach and 4 parts hot water and your handy dandy bathtub. If they are dishwasher safe run them through the sanitizing cycle.

I use vinegar and water or bleach and water to wipe down big toys. The small plastic toys go into the dishwasher on the 'temp boost' setting to make sure the water is hot enough. All the stuffed animals, fabric books, blankets, baby clothes, etc go into the clothes washer on hot. I put smaller items in a pillow case and tie it shut or a net lingerie bag. I have many soft items that say 'surface wash only' but in over 5 years of cleaning kid toys none have been ruined.

I don't go nuts and clean everything all the time but I do try to get most toys somewhat cleaned after a round of sickness because the kids just keep passing it around if I don't.

How about spraying everything with Lysol, and then washing it off in the sink or tub? I've never tried so hard, because we usually end up with a big sloppy kiss or something before the guests ever leave.... sigh.

My daughter's daycare always put the toys in a big garbage bag and sprayed them with Lysol. It was the cleanest daycare she was ever at. It kept the germs down. I think the Lysol evaporates enough not to be harmful.

I worked at a day care center for a few years, and I was taught that the best way to disinfect toys was to soak them in bleach water and rinse. Hope this helps.

I use clorox anywhere spray b/c it's so easy. I'm leery about not having to wipe it down after, though.

How about the lysol disenfecting spray?

Clorox(I think) has a anywhere hard surface daily sanitizer. I use it in my daycare on the toys.

Ash

I use Lysol Spray or the Clorox Anywhere spray.

Hello, When I worked as a teacher and now I am a Mom the way I clean the toys is first with soap and water and then dunk in bleach water mix- Add 1 Tbsp (14.8 mL) household bleach (5.25% sodium hypochlorite) to 1 gal (3.8 L) cool water.
If you can use bleach, maybe try this. Hope this helps.

http://www.clorox.com/products/overview.php?prod_id=ahsds

We use the Clorox anywhere spray on all hard surfaces.

T.

I also use Clorox Anywhere. Great stuff.

the above concerns are what I have about baby/toddler toys. Please help. taking care of an infant and a toddler doesn't leave much time to get involved in a multi step toy cleaning.
thanks

Hi ~ I remember being the same way with my kids and to tell you the truth I bought a spray bottle from the dollar store and filled it up with store bought Alcohol and sprayed the paper towels and wiped everything down ~ I still do it and my boys are 11 and 9 yrs old!

If you go the alcohol route, just remember that it is flammable

I would recommend the Clorox Anywhere Spray, also. I work at a school with special needs students and that is the only spray cleaner that they use there, especially in the classrooms where the students are.

CLOROX Anywhere Spray...you can even use it on your cutting boards, and it kills like99% of all germs. No residue either.

clorox just put out a new product that comes in wipes or spray that makes me feels things are clean-clean. or before that i used to soak and spray toys with simple green.

3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water.

I learned this from my daycare. Make a spray bottle with water and bleach and just spray down the surfaces of your toys. No need to wipe. The bleach kills all the germs and then evaporates leaving nothing but small traces of salt! I even use it on the kids stuffed animals and have yet to discolor anything. NOte. the mix is only good for a day or so before it loses its potency. Personally, would never use the lysol wipes on kids products because it leaves a greasy film behind - don't want to know what kind of chemical that is!

I also use the Clorox Hard Surface cleaner on eating surfaces when in a hurry. Check it out for yourself at Clorox.com.