What products out there are safe to use to clean baby toys? I don't know if I should use Lysol or Clorox wipes to clean my son's toys after use. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
Greetings - I am a former infant/toddler preschool director.
If the toys are plastic or can stand water without damage, use 1 part clorox to 10 parts water in a pray bottle to clean, rinse and then let dry until you baby can use again.
If it is a stuffed animal/pillow, you wash it in the washing machine.
Good luck
I am also a Director of a pre-school center and I am wondering why you are even cleaning your son's toys after he plays with them. If he is the only child playing with the toy, it doesn't need cleaning...It's only after ANOTHER child plays with/mouths the toy that it needs cleaning. Of course I understand the need to clean them if they are dirty, fall on the floor etc., but I believe there is such a thing as TOO much cleaning. If you keep your baby in a sterile little bubble, one day when he goes outside and interacts with other people and children he will get even sicker b/c he's never met a germ in his life. If you are breastfeeding rt now, it's actually the best time for him to be exposed to some germs b/c you pass your immune system to him through the breast. When he's that little he doesn't feel the symptoms of sickness as much. In fact, a nurse who does health and safety trainings said it's BETTER for children to get sick when they are younger, more resilient and feel the symptoms less, than when they are older. As much as we, as mothers may not want our children to get sick, they will eventually get sick. Our paranoia over germs will not help the situation any, rather it will stress us out and make being a mother even harder than it needs to be, lowering our immune system and we will get sick, then what good are we to our children?
But, if you must clean the toys, do what Revonda said, she's right.
Hi Annie,
Depending on where the toys have been and what you are looking to accomplish, you can just use soapy water. Many believe that keeping kids in an overly clean environment can lead to increased allergies. At the same time, if another kid just coughed all over or puked on your child's toy, I would personally want to disinfect them too! A disclaimer here -- I worked at Clorox, though left almost a decade ago. The disinfecting craze was going strong at the time. From the science I read while there, all disinfecting products, except pure bleach, leave a residue. The residue is not only something I would not want my kid around, but it potentially creates an environment for germs to mutate and adapt to these products, growing even stronger. Most scientists believe that overuse of antibiotics, not antibacterial cleaning products, is what is leading to the emergence of super bugs, but why leave a residue if you do not have to? Clorox sells products that leave a residue just like any others, but bleach (Clorox or not) does not leave a residue. A few cautions though: dilute the bleach according to the instructions on the bottle and wear gloves; test the product in a small area to make sure the color will not be affected; use in a well ventilated area; and, most importantly, do not use bleach where any other cleaning products have been used and do not use other cleaning products in the same area of your house for at least a couple of hours. Bleach and ammonia, if combined, create toxic fumes. Other cleaning products might contain ammonia, and you do not want to take a chance. Hope this helps.
Karen
For hard plastic toys use one gallon hot water with 1 tsp ordinary bleach in it(no perfums). Soak the toys for about 45 seconds and then let air dry
Cheaper than the wipes, safer for your kids, and better for the environment since your not throwing the wipe into a landfill. I know a lot of people worry about using bleach around their kids but it is safe you just have to let it dry. The drying denatures the bleach and turns it back into salt. Exposure to light also denatures bleach (that's why it doesn't come in clear bottles.)
I fully agree with the moms about over cleaning not being a good thing....
I wanted to add a natural option.... bleach is not "green" or healthy for anyone including the earth.
But you can use water and tea tree oil as a nice alternative, tea tree oil is a natural disinfectant, so safe you can use it to clean wounds. You can find it at any health food store or apothacary.
Hi Annie,
My name is Dawn, I read your request, and I wanted to share with you that I worked in a pre-school center for many years as a qualified pre-school teacher.
We simply used bleach water on children's toys, table tops, chairs, and cots. 1 part bleach and 3 parts water, this solution works really well, and it kept down germs in the center.
Best regards,
Dawn
I use hot water, mixed with a little white vinegar and dish soap to clean my son's plastic toys about once a month. I am not a fan of bleach or other "toxic" cleaning products. I use vinegar and water to clean my tile floors and it does a great job! A very natural and inexpensive way to clean.
Pampers has put out a "safe" cleanser for toys, tables etc. I found it at Toys R' Us. But I agree with the other responses. Don't clean them all of the time. They need to build up resistance. I only clean toys after we have had a bunch of other kids playing with them.
how about good old fashioned soap and water? I'd avoid anything that is potentially toxic.
Vinegar kills most germies, so you can put some in a spray bottle and wipe it down. Rinse with water. Safe to ingest.
There is a product called "Clean Well". It is a hand sanitizing spray made with thyme. It's supposed to be as effective as Purell, but safer for kids because it is not alcohol based. Purell is not safe if ingested, and since people use it a lot, it's better to find an alternative.
A good ol' dunk in soap and hot water should be fine too.
Don't be so so concerned about erradicating germs. Germ exposure is good for strengthing the immune system.
Vinegar kills bacteria and is 100% all natural;-P. I know that Heloise of "Helpful Hints from Heloise" has a full pamphlet on vinegar. I'm sure you could google this and find more information on how useful vinegar is.
I run an in home daycare and disinfect my toys in the bathtub. Run a full tub of the hottest water and then pour in 3 cups of white vinegar. Let soak for an hour or so, stirring occasionally (I use my swiffer mop head),then drain and wipe dry. Be sure to keep the bathroom door closed so your little one doesn't get in and burn himself in the bathtub! If you don't want to dininfect that way, I would suggest the wipes, I have read articles in Parents mag. that state that the spray cleaners can be harmufl to children b/c the aerosol particles can get into their lungs and be harmful. Better safe than sorry! Best of luck to you!
~A
Mommy to Ryleigh 3 1/2y, and Teagan 19m, wife of David for 7y, and a Day Care Momma!
There is some stuff by Clorox I think called Anywhere Spray. It is in a blue spray bottle. I use it all the time to clean my daughter's toys and even her tray for her highchair. After I use it though, I wipe down the surface with water. Even though this stuff is gentle and harmless, I don't want it on her toys. Hope this helps...good luck!
Hi Annie,
Clorox makes an Anywhere Spray that is safe for kids toys or for just about any surface. It comes in a light blue bottle and you can buy it at Target, Walmart, etc. Also, I bought a bottle of cleaning spray at Babies R' Us that was designed especially for kids toys too. I don't remember the name off hand, but it worked great and I am happy with both products.
Take care and enjoy your beautiful 6 month old!!!
Charlotte :)
I have seven children and the twins just turned 18 and i'm at just about to end the high school run.....when my kids were smaller, it was easy to just throw all of those toys through the dish washer as long as they didn't have little holes to absorb any water....they came out very clean and actually lasted longer...good luck Toni
Most of the acceptable options have already been mentioned, but the one I haven't seen is that if a toy will withstand the heat and water, simply putting it in the dishwasher will work. For small items, put them into a zippered mesh laundry bag to keep them together and from falling into the heat element.
I do agree that sometimes we overly worry about cleaning and therefore keep our kids from developing immunity. Probably a combination of several of the suggestions that have been made would be the best option. Just wipe toys off with a safe solution most of the time, but if you feel they need more on occasion, use one of the other alternatives.
I would recommend the Method wipe brand. they can be found at target and most grocery stores, they are non-toxic.
Hi Annie,
I too was looking for cleaners that are better for my family and I recently found a wonderful company that you order from over the internet. They make products that are eco-friendly, safer for your family without using toxic chemicals and the products actually work great!! I don't want to seem like a 'sales person' in my response, so if this is something you think you'd be interested learning more about, let me know and we could talk. Good luck!!
We use Simple Green. Gymboree also uses Simple Green. It's non-toxic.
If your son is like my daughter when she was his age, she put everything in her mouth. I wouldn't want her to put the chemicals from the Lysol or Clorox wipes in her mouth.
Good luck!