How Do I Clean Mildew Out from Inside a Bath Toy?

Toss them. Gross. I've chucked toys that were getting funky inside... better than bleach water solutions every so often.

Yes, toss. The only toy my 3rd had was nesting cups i could put in the dishwasher. Otherwise, yuck city.

She had a bath book as a baby i could wipe clean but most toys just shouldnt go in the bath tub.

Never met a tub toy I couldn't replace

say goodbye to 'em.
khairete
S.

Well, mold and bleach are both hazards for kids. Particularly when they get into their mouth, nose, ears...
You get the picture.

Replace the goldfish with other toys which are fun to play. Water crayons/paint, empty travel size shampoo bottles my kids loved to play with in the bath tub. Build little boats out of paper etc...

I would think that they are not that expensive and I would personally toss them and start fresh with a couple of new toys.

I wouldn't want the gunk getting in the bathwater, yuck

B.,

What I did when we had bath toys is soak them in vinegar every week. Straight vinegar. I would squeeze them to suck the vinegar INTO the toy and let them set for about an hour.

I tried not to use bleach because I didn't want my kids ingesting bleach. Vinegar is bad enough! :) If the mildew didn't come out? I would toss.

I struggled with this too..Hate the idea of land fill. But that was what it ultimately came down to.

Updated

I struggled with this too..Hate the idea of land fill. But that was what it ultimately came down to.

Updated

I struggled with this too..Hate the idea of land fill. But that was what it ultimately came down to.

you don't. you just throw them out and buy new ones.

i toss them when they get gross inside.

In my experience, you don't. You can prolong their lives by giving them a vinegar rinse each week, but once stuff starts growing in there, they're done.

Most of my preschool teacher friends use a bleach solution to soak and then rinse. Sometimes it works, sometimes the mold is too far advanced. Please protect your hands and eyes, do it in a ventilated area (like a bucket in a bathtub with window open but the door closed to keep from losing heat), and wear old clothes.

Sometimes vinegar or baking soda work on odors, but they won't work on mold. But don't use them together, and don't combine with chlorine bleach!

But if these aren't important toys of great sentimental value, I'd consider just tossing them. It's more expensive/wasteful to use the water and the supplies than to replace the toys.

I had one that my son loved loved loved. So that particular one, I would bleach out periodically. But if it's not a beloved toy, pitch it and replace.

I used diluted bleach mixture if it was a favorite toy but would chuck if got nasty.

I have heard of gluing those holes shut to avoid the problem altogether - with hot glue gun, little dab in hole. I haven't tried this myself, but heard it solves the problem of water getting inside and turning nasty.

Hollow bath toys should be cleaned (filled) in a bleach solution every week so that they do not develop mold. Once they do, it is best to toss them.

If they can easily be replaced, do it. If not, favorite or hard to find, you can soak them in a diluted bleach solution. Get water inside and let it sit a bit, squirt it out and do it again. This has worked for me but when they get really bad they've gone in the trash. I have plugged the hole with glue but I used Gorilla glue or something like that. A hot glue gun would probably work well too. I used a toothpick to make sure the glue got into the little hole.

Try a very skinny bottle brush. Many sizes are available online. Might find one that can fit in the little hole, or can cut the hole to be just enough bigger.

It's hard for me to advise throwing out a toy without knowing the big picture of how often your children enjoy it, etc.

Fill the washing machine with hot bleach water. Squeeze the fish to suck up some of the water. Then throw them in the washing machine and let the cycle run.
When the machine stops squeeze out any remaining water and your toys will be good as new.

Kids put those in their mouths. So toss them and by new. Maybe buy a pack and use one at a time. After about a month, I'd toss it. I'd be more worried about the bleach than the mildew.