Wondering how to clean baby toys? We’ll go over our top tips below!
Babies put toys up by their faces, in their mouths, and up their noses, so it is super important to keep them clean! You should clean the toys every couple of weeks, anytime your little one has had a playdate where the other baby might have been sticking toys in their mouth, and when any family or friends that you spend time with regularly are sick.
5 Tips on How to Clean Baby Toys
Plastic Toys
Method 1: Use the Dishwasher
Take the easy route if you can! For little toys that have no batteries, I would recommend just putting them in the dishwasher. You can just add a couple of drops of dish soap and run a quick cycle with hot water.
Method 2: By Hand
For bigger toys, silicone toys, and toys with battery compartments, you will need to clean them by hand. A simple wipe down with a disinfecting wipe will do on a regular basis, but if you are wanting to do a deeper clean follow the steps below.
Remove any batteries. Rinse your baby’s toys with soapy water in your sink until the water runs clear to clean them. Fill a 1-gallon bucket with water (you can find these at hardware stores super cheap and they will come in handy for cleaning many things with this same method!) and 2 tablespoons of bleach.
Let the toys sit in the bleach solution for a couple of minutes and then set them out to air dry. This second step will do the disinfecting!
Plush and Fabric Toys
You will definitely need to know how to clean plush and fabric toys, especially if your baby becomes attached to Mr. Bunny or Teddy and cannot sleep without him.
Check the toy’s tag for washing instructions. Luckily, you can typically just throw these toys in the wash with baby detergent. They come out looking as good as new (at least for the first year or so)!
If the toy is getting worn down or seems fragile, I would stick to hang drying. As for newer toys, they can be tossed right into the dryer. It also helps to throw some tennis balls in along with the plush toys to keep the inner stuffing fluffed up all around.
Bath Toys
Bath toys are notorious for harboring germs. In fact, you should actually make sure to rinse and dry them out after every bath. Making sure the water completely drains out of them us very important.
For a deeper clean, follow the gallon bucket method from above.
Wooden Toys
Wooden toys are definitely one of the trickier baby items to clean. You do not want to soak or submerge them as that can warp the wood. Instead, wipe them down with a disinfecting wipe on a regular basis.
Check out the video below for more tips & tricks on how to clean toys & how to make a DIY cleaner!
Safe Cleaners to Use on Your Toys
Obviously, you want everything in your home to be clean and disinfected, but when there’s a baby around you also want to use safe nontoxic products. Here are some of our favorite soaps, wipes, and detergents to aid you in cleaning your baby’s toys.
Babyganics Foaming Dish & Bottle Soap
Babyganics is a popular brand that makes safe products for babies. This foaming dish soap can be used to clean your bottles as well as dishes and toys. It is plant-based, free of toxins, and has been tested by both pediatricians and dermatologists. Shop here!
Elysium Premium Natural Baby Bottle Liquid Dish Soap
Elysium is another soap that can be used to clean your baby’s toys. It is antibacterial and organic, as well as being completely free of parabens, alcohol, phthalates, and sulfates just like the other soaps on this list. This soap is also vegan if we have any mamas out there who are looking for that! Check it out.
Hello Bellow Surface Wipes
You need all kinds of wipes with little ones in the house! These Hello Bello Surface Wipes are perfect for wiping down both big and small toys. You can also use them on your counters, high chair, car seats, and more. They do not have any artificial dyes or fragrances and are made of plant-based cloth. Check out all of Hello Bello’s awesome products here!
Dreft Multi-Surface All-Purpose Gentle Cleaning Wipes
Dreft also makes great cleaning wipes that are safe to use around little ones. These are very similar to the Clorox Free and Clear, but they are not fragrance-free. They have a gentle, light scent. Shop here!
Babyganics 3X Baby Laundry Detergent
As for the baby toys you will be tossing in the laundry, Babyganics 3X Baby Laundry Detergent works great to clean them! It is fragrance-free and formulated from plant-derived ingredients. It is totally safe for your baby, nonallergenic, and has been tested by dermatologists. However, it still has good stain-fighting power! Grab yours here.
Honest Baby Laundry Fragrance-Free
The Honest Company also makes a great fragrance-free laundry detergent that you can use to clean toys in your washing machine. Just like Babyganics, it is hypoallergenic and made of plant-derived ingredients while still providing stain-fighting power. Check it out.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you disinfect baby toys?
Take the easy route if you can! For little toys that have no batteries, I would recommend just putting them in the dishwasher. Another option is to fill a 1-gallon bucket with water and 2 tablespoons of bleach. Let the toys sit in the bleach solution for a couple of minutes and then set them out to air dry.
Can I use Lysol wipes on baby toys?
You can use Lysol wipes, but I prefer to use Hello Bello surface wipes as they are made specifically to be kid safe.
Is it safe to clean baby toys with alcohol?
It is safe to use rubbing alcohol to clean baby toys. Use a one-to-one ratio of rubbing alcohol and water to soak them in. After they have soaked, rinse the toys off well.
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