Babies put stuff in their mouth all the time. And they’re not concerned with where that stuff has been. But you are!
Some bacteria and viruses can be harmless or actually helpful, while others spread infectious diseases like the cold or flu!
Thankfully there are some pretty simple steps you can take to clean and disinfect your infant’s toys and keep them safe from the sniffles.
How do you clean and disinfect baby toys? Toys come in all kinds of different materials and some require special care. Some can go straight into the washing machine, while others need to be cleaned by hand.
In this article I’ll teach you how to keep your kid’s toys free of germs whether they’re made of cloth, wood, plastic, or something else.
When Should I Clean and Disinfect My Child’s Toys?
There are some key things that should trigger you to give your baby’s toys a good scrub:
- If they or a playmate has been sick
- If milk, food, mucus, or vomit has been on a toy
- If they’ve been on a playdate where other kids put toys in their mouths
- After you’ve had visitors
- If the toy falls on the ground
- When the toy hasn’t been played with in a while
It’s good practice to wash your kid’s toys at least once a month, even if none of the things above have happened.
What’s the Difference Between Cleaning and Disinfecting?
In everyday language we use words like cleaning, disinfecting, and washing pretty much interchangeable. But there is a difference between these terms.
Cleaning is just washing away surface dirt and grime by using soap or detergent. Basically just like taking a bath.
Disinfecting is a bit more extreme. It kills most germs and stops them from spreading, either by using chemicals or natural solutions that germs don’t like or by using high temperatures.
So How Do I Clean or Disinfect My Child’s Toys?
It depends. Not all toys are the same. The way you disinfect or clean your baby’s toys will depend on what material they’re made of, their size, and other factors.
Read the label. The first thing you should check is the manufacturer’s guidelines. Usually they’ll tell you exactly how to clean their product safely. If the tag is missing or didn’t come with one, you can try searching online if it’s a popular toy and probably find an answer.
For plastic toys
Submerge the toy in a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes. Let them cool off before giving them back to your youngster. The dishwasher is also okay if the toy is made entirely out of plastic. But no fabric, batteries, or things with buttons. We’ll talk about those in a bit! You can use a toothbrush or toothpick to clean any small spaces that might get missed.
If your toy is dishwasher safe, put it in the top rack. Use regular dishwasher detergent, which usually includes a disinfectant. Wash on the normal cycle. Then use the heated cycle to dry toys and prevent bacteria or mold from regrowing. The sanitize cycle can provide some extra help killing germs and is especially a good idea during cold and flu season.
For wood toys
Don’t just dunk your wooden toys in water, because they’ll warp! Instead, wipe them down with a lint-free cloth and either a mixture of 50/50 white vinegar and water, or mild soapy water (use dish soap, hand soap, or baby soap.) Then rub them with a towel that you’ve dampened with plain water to remove any residue.
For really stubborn stains, use rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball and then a damp cloth.
For fabric toys
This includes things like stuffed animals, blankets, cloth books, and knitted toys. Spot clean them with a baby wipe or put them in your washing machine.
They’re generally safe to go in the washing machine unless labeled otherwise. Any toys made of wool should always be washed by hand though.
For a deeper clean, put them in a pillowcase and spin in the dryer on medium heat for 15 minutes.
Again, make sure there’s no battery pack or any kind of noise. The water will ruin most noise-makers even if they aren’t electronic.
For board books
Use a cloth moistened with a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water. Then stand the book upright and separate the pages so they can dry.
For bath toys
Nope, a regular bath alone won’t keep these clean! Wash them with a 50/50 mixture of hot water and white vinegar once a week. If they need a more thorough cleaning, run them through the dishwasher.
For metal toys
Trucks, trains, and other metal toys usually have rubber wheels. So avoid the dishwasher, because the heat might break them down. Just sanitize them with a mixture of bleach or vinegar and water instead.
If you want to use bleach instead of vinegar, your bleach solution should be 1 tablespoon of bleach to 1 gallon of water.
What Kinds of Plush Toys Shouldn’t Go in the Washing Machine?
I mean, you’re welcome to risk damaging toys if you want, but it’s the wrath of your child that you’ll have to deal with. But if you want to be safe from ruining your child’s favorite toy, I’d avoid machine washing the following items:
- Anything with batteries
- Any toy that contains a music box
- Anything stuffed with foam beads or beans as opposed to cotton or polyester batting (like Beanie Babies)
- Any toy that is old, fragile, or precious to you that you don’t want to see ruined
- Toys with any glued on features like ribbons, sequins, etc. As well as anything with delicate outfits that can’t be removed. Toys with glued-on eyes are usually the exception and can handle the wash pretty well.
- Toys that use batteries should be hand cleaned with warm water and soap. You can also wipe them with a diluted bleach or vinegar solution using a clean cloth or sponge, and let the toy air dry. Take out batteries before cleaning to avoid any damage or corrosion, and don’t put them back in until the toy is dry.
How to Clean Dolls with Hair (Like My Little Pony, Barbie, Etc.)
Any toys that are a hybrid between two different materials can be a bit tricky. Normally you’ll need to wash each separate piece in a different way.
You can get your little one to help give their dolls a bath!
For doll hair. Normally the hair is actually made of thin plastic strands. If the hair is woven into the scalp, you can give the doll’s hair a good shampooing with a few drops of dish soap or baby soap. But if the hair is just glued on, it’s not worth trying to wash at all, because it will probably loosen and fall out. And nobody wants a bald Barbie.
After you’ve washed the doll hair, rinse it well with cool water and let it lay flat to dry. You might want to comb the dolls hair to avoid tangling (or let your kid do it.) If the hair is really matted or knotted, soap it in a bowl of hair conditioner and water overnight, and it should come loose. Gently comb the knots and lay the hair flat to dry again.
I should point this out as well: never blow dry a doll’s hair. It’s not immediately obvious, but using a hot blow dryer will actually start to melt the tiny plastic hairs. Which isn’t ideal.
For doll’s bodies. Most dolls have hard plastic bodies. You can remove any stains or marks by making a paste of baking soda and oil. Use a Q-tip or cotton swab to rub any stains in a circular motion, and then wipe them off with a dampened cloth.
Just try to avoid any painted areas of the doll like nail polish or facial features, because you might scrub them right off.
For super tough stains, you can use a little bit of nail polish remover on a cotton swab and rinse the area really well. Just be careful, because acetone (nail polish remover) can melt some types of plastic.
Disinfecting dolls. Make a 50/50 mix of water and rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and mist the entire toy from top to bottom. Let it sit for a minute, then wipe it with a dry cloth.
Why is Toy Cleaning Important?
The most obvious reason is because you want to keep your child as healthy as possible.
Kids are always playing with toys and each other, so it’s really easy for a cold or flu to pass from one child to another.
Regularly cleaning your child’s toys is critical for keeping germs to a minimum, especially during the cold winter months when kids spend a lot of time indoors.
How Germs Spread Among Kids
Kids seem to spread and pick up illness quickly. That’s because they’re always touching shared toys with germs on them, and then either putting the toy inside their mouths or touching their mouths.
Adults can pick up viruses and bacteria from these toys (or accidentally infect their kids) in the same way.
Playdates, children’s museums, daycare centers, and playgrounds are all high traffic areas that are usually covered in germs.
I’m not trying to fearmonger, but it’s just a fact that bacteria are all around us! In some ways, it can be beneficial to expose your kids to some germs so they can build up immunity. But it’s also important to keep their hands clean to stop germs from spreading.
Conclusion
Young children are always putting toys in their mouths. That means it’s important to keep toys clean to minimize the risk of them developing a cold or flu.
There are pretty easy steps you can take to keep your kid’s toys clean and disinfected though.
You can use the info from this article to properly clean different types of toys. As well as know what things should prompt you to give your kid’s toys a good scrub.
Not only will you be keeping your own kid healthier, but minimizing the spread of germs to other children and family members as well.