To soak toys, add about ½ cup of white vinegar into a sink full of water. Using cold water will help prevent the smell of vinegar from flowing throughout the room. If you don't want to use bleach, vinegar is a natural cleaner and disinfectant and an excellent alternative. Mix 1 gallon of water with ½ cup of white vinegar and allow the toys to soak in this solution for about an hour.
Rub once the mold is loose and then let it dry. If they still smell like vinegar, simply lift them up and dry them before putting them back on the toy net. A solution of vinegar and water is an environmentally friendly and proven solution for washing toys and a great choice for toys that are not dishwasher safe. For example, if you have any wooden toys, create a 50% solution of vinegar and water, dip it into a kitchen towel and wipe the toys with it.
Do not submerge toys in water, as wood may become deformed or rough. You can also use a vinegar solution to clean stains from cloth and plastic toys. Bath toys, with their squeeze holes that collect stagnant water, are usually stored in poorly ventilated bathrooms, creating the right conditions that mold needs to grow. Karen Sokal-Gutierrez, professor and child health expert at the University of California's Berkeley School of Public Health, it's a good idea to clean children's toys regularly, about once a month.
Once you've got your bath toys immaculately clean, keeping them free of mold and mildew also requires a few steps, every time your baby finishes spraying you with them. Start by turning off and disconnecting the toy or removing the batteries (but replace the battery compartment cover) before cleaning it. If you wash wooden toys in the sink, dry them immediately after washing to avoid damage to the wood. They come in many shapes and sizes, from a simple rattle to a battery operated toy with lights and sounds.
If the toy is exceptionally dirty or stained, you can use a cleaning solution made with soap instead of running water and rub gently with the washcloth. After bath time, squeeze out the water inside the toy, and then clean the outside of the bath toy and rinse. Since these toys usually go directly into the baby's mouth, it's important to keep them as clean as possible and disinfect them regularly. If your bath toys have holes so they can spray water, make sure you also fill them with bleach water while they are soaking.
Learn how to disinfect toys and then practice your new knowledge regularly to prevent the spread of germs. Obviously, you can't escape germs completely, but you can make sure your baby's toys are as clean as possible. If you didn't have a chance to seal your child's toys and want to make sure they're safe, take the toys and boil them in hot water and squeeze out anything “disgusting” from the inside with tweezers. Molly Maid doesn't offer this service; however, here are some cleaning tips you can use to keep toys germ-free and ready to play.
SafeSpace Disinfectant & deodorizing disinfectant is an EPA-approved ultra-fine disinfectant spray that leaves no residue on toys and is not toxic to children if ingested. The vinegar stain cleaning method works great for hard toys, but is not ideal for stuffed animals or stuffed animals.
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