Top Tips To Keep Your Children’s Toys Clean
As much as we love our children, we can all admit that they are not as clean or as tidy as we would like them to be most of the time.
Their toys in particular, are prone to becoming dirty. Children play with their toys so much, and often take them everywhere with them, so they are bound to get a bit grimey from being handled and travelling around in day to day life.
Whilst we are aware that we should be keeping things clean, in this world of coronavirus, it has never been more important to keep on top of hygiene.
Let’s have a look at how you can keep your children's toys clean, and germ free.
How Frequently Do You Need To Be Cleaning Toys?
There’s no hard and fast answer to this, as it depends on different factors.
The material of the toy may change the frequency you need to give it a deep clean, some toys are easy to wipe down, whereas others will need a more thorough cleaning in the washing machine for example.
How often the toys played with will also affect how often they are cleaned. If your child has a toy that is only played with once a month, then that particular toy will not need cleaning that often. However, if your child has a favourite toy that they take everywhere with them, and sleep with at night and play with all day, then that will need much more frequent cleans.
If you child becomes unwell, then the toy should be cleaned daily, and then again once they are on the mend.
If your child is a baby and likes to put their toys in their mouths, then these toys will need to be cleaned every day, but usually these toys are not made of a porous material, and so are easy to clean.
Why Should You Be Cleaning Your Child’s Toys?
Well, the toys that your children are handling should be kept clean to help stop them picking up bacteria or viruses that can become attached to them through day to day life.
That’s not to say that you need to overly worry all the time, we know that our children’s immune systems need to be challenged a little bit in order to become stronger, but it is still important to keep things hygienic.
Especially if your child has been ill, and has been cuddling a particular toy, this should be cleaned as they are recovering, to help stop the spread of the illness around the household, or to their friends.
Keeping toys clean will also give you the opportunity to keep them in good condition, so that your child gets to enjoy them for longer, and can even be passed to siblings or friends once they grow out of them.
Cleaning toys also gives you an opportunity to inspect them for damage, and make sure there are no sharp edges or holes that could cause a problem. You can take the time as well to make sure they are in good condition, and even untangle doll hair that gets so easily matted.
How Do You Clean Plastic Or Rubber Toys?
Plastic or rubber toys are normally things like rubber ducks, building bricks, plastic balls and the like.
These can be cleaned by placing them in the dishwasher. The larger toys can go in as they are, and smaller toys can be put in small washer bags to ensure they don’t go missing and block the outlet pipe to your dishwasher.
Then run a regular cycle, and afterwards ensure the toys are fully dry.
Rubber toys like rubber ducks that are used in the bath, usually have a hole in the bottom, unfortunately, if the inside of the toy stays moist, it can quickly become a breeding ground for mould. Any toys with mould in should be thrown away.
You can negate this by ensuring these types of toys are always free of water after bath time, and are left to dry completely.
If you don’t fancy using a dishwasher, you can always wash these toys in the sink, or wipe them down with cleaning wipes. Make sure they are thoroughly rinsed off afterwards and left to dry.
How Do You Clean Soft Toys?
Most soft toys will have a label on them, directing you how to clean them, and most can be washed in the washing machine.
To do this, place the soft toys in a mesh washing bag to stop them getting caught in the drum of the machine, and wash them on a delicate cycle.
They can then be dried in a tumble drier, or on the washing line. A tumble dryer is better as the heat will continue to kill bacteria, but the washing line will also work if you can’t and direct sunlight will have the same effect of killing germs.
Some soft toys can’t be washed in a washing machine, such as those with electronics inside. For these toys it is best to spot clean them with a cleaning cloth soaked in a cleaning solution, clean the outside of the toys and then go over it again with a clean cloth.
Dry on the washing line, or with a hairdryer on a low setting.
How Do You Clean Electronic Toys?
Electronic toys such as remote control cars, or a talking doll, can not be put into a washing machine or dishwasher, for the obvious reason that it would ruin the electronics.
These toys just need to have the surface cleaned, and you can do this with either cleaning wipes, or with a cloth dipped in a cleaning solution.
Wipe over the outside of the toy thoroughly with the wipe, making sure you get into all the small nooks and crannies, and then go over it with a clean cloth to remove all the cleaning solution.
Some cleaning solutions need to be left in place for a certain amount of time to kill and germs, so always follow the manufacturer's instructions.