Cleaning toys made easy
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By
Vanessa M.
How can I clean toys quickly and easily?
When it comes to children's toys, hygiene is an important issue. But how can you clean toys quickly, easily and effectively?
That's exactly what we're talking about in this article, which provides you with lots of information and practical tips on how to clean toys.
Why should toys be cleaned regularly?
While hygiene and cleanliness are a matter of course for us adults, children are often not yet aware of this. They have no problem burying their hands in the sand of the public sandpit or in the mud and leaving traces of this on their favorite toys immediately afterwards. After going to the toilet, they may occasionally forget to wash their hands - and even freshly washed children's hands rarely stay clean for long. It is therefore almost impossible to avoid dirt and germs ending up on toys.
Regular toy cleaning is therefore essential, especially for toys that are used a lot and come into close contact with the child. This is especially true for baby and toddler toys. After all, little ones like to explore their toys with their mouths.
How often should toys be cleaned or disinfected?
It's clear that you can't do without cleaning toys. But how often should you clean toys? When is "normal" cleaning enough and when should toys be disinfected? We get to the bottom of these questions below.
Difference between cleaning and disinfecting
By definition, there is a difference between cleaning and disinfecting. Cleaning toys removes visible dirt and can eliminate up to 90% of germs. Disinfection, on the other hand, aims to kill germs and removes up to 99.9% of germs.
You should disinfect if ...
... the children have been ill 🦠
If your child has recovered from an illness, this is a good time to thoroughly disinfect their toys. This way you can ensure that no pathogens remain on them. This applies not only to illnesses caused by bacteria and viruses, but also to infestations with worms or lice.
... used toys are played with 🎲
Clean used toys? Absolutely! Even disinfection makes sense in this case. After all, you don't know how many hands the toy has been through and how carefully it has been treated.
... several children have shared a toy 🚸
Whether in the playground, at a child's birthday party or during an afternoon of play with friends: If several kids have shared a toy, you should also clean it.
You should clean if ...
... soiling is visible 🧫
Visible dirt, such as traces of mud or leftover food, should be removed from the toy. These can occur quickly in everyday life with a child, so you may well have to do this regularly.
... notice unpleasant or unusual odors 🦨
Unusual or even unpleasant odors on cuddly toys, teething rings or water toys are always a good reason to clean and, if necessary, disinfect them.
How often you should clean toys also depends on how much they are used. Toys that are used every day should of course be cleaned more often than those that your child only uses occasionally. Some products, such as water toys, can also be cleaned quickly after each use.
As babies still have an immature immune system, you should clean their toys particularly frequently. However, when it comes to cleaning toys, there is such a thing as too much. Because in order for your child's immune system to build up, it also needs to come into contact with germs. So letting your child only play with virtually sterile toys is not a good idea either.
How should you clean water toys properly?
Water toys, such as those you can buy from AquaPlay in a colorful variety, are quite easy to clean. You can clean the special toy by rinsing it under running water or wiping it with a damp cloth. Mild washing-up liquid is recommended as a cleaning agent. However, you should avoid aggressive cleaning agents when cleaning toys so as not to risk damaging the material.
You can dry the clean water toy, e.g. your AquaPlay water ride, carefully or leave it to air dry in a well-ventilated container or in suitable nets. Make absolutely sure that the toys are completely dry when you store them. This is because residual moisture encourages the formation of mold and unpleasant odors.
How to clean the different types of toys
In addition to water toys, there are of course many other types of toys that should all be cleaned occasionally. You don't necessarily have to do the cleaning yourself. Your children can help you clean the toys to an age-appropriate extent. This will teach them to take responsibility for things that belong to them.
Washing cuddly toys 🧸🧼
Cuddly toys are among the toys that children usually have a lot of physical contact with - after all, the soft animals are even allowed in bed with them. To ensure proper hygiene, you need to wash the cuddly toy regularly. This is particularly easy with cotton or viscose models that are filled with polyester wadding. These normally tolerate machine washing without any problems, provided you put them in a pillowcase or laundry net, choose a gentle wash cycle at 30 degrees and do not spin the soft toys or only spin them gently. If you also avoid using fabric softener, which can cause the filling to stick together, you can safely machine wash these soft toys.
Other materials are a little more demanding and can be damaged in the washing machine. Products made of synthetic fibers and various types of wool (e.g. mohair or alpaca) should be washed carefully by hand. The same applies to cuddly toys with wooden components. Here it is important that the wooden components come into contact with the water as little as possible, which of course makes hand washing more difficult. Whether hand or machine washing: don't overdo it with cleaning children's toys! Washing too often can cause the cuddly toy to become deformed.
You don't normally need to disinfect cuddly toys unless it's to prevent infection. In this case, you can use a disinfectant hygiene rinse aid. Alternatively, you can freeze the toy in a freezer bag for 24 hours to remove lice, for example.
Cleaning wooden toys 🪀🧼
Wood is a material that naturally contains antibacterial tannic acid, which logically has a positive effect on germ contamination. Nevertheless, you also need to clean wooden toys, for example if they are very dirty. You can safely clean varnished or painted wood with a sponge, for which a disinfectant mixture of water and vinegar or a mild washing-up liquid is sometimes suitable. Untreated wood, on the other hand, is very sensitive to moisture. If you want to clean untreated wooden toys, only wipe them with a damp cloth and never hold them under running water or immerse them completely in water. This would cause the wood to swell and the toy would probably no longer be salvageable.
If you notice splinters in the wood when cleaning the toy, you can smooth them out with fine sandpaper to nip the risk of injury in the bud. To care for the wooden toy, you can then rub untreated products with olive or linseed oil. These oils not only emphasize the grain of the wood, but also offer natural protection against water and make the wood more elastic, making cracks less likely.
Cleaning rubber and plastic toys 🎯🧼
Cleaning rubber and plastic toys is quite simple. You can simply use warm water and washing-up liquid or clean the toy in the dishwasher. One exception is battery-operated products, which are of course not suitable for washing in the dishwasher. If you are unsure about this, our tip is to clean the toys by hand as a precaution.
In any case, make sure that the temperature is not too hot. Otherwise there is a risk of the toys melting or chemical degradation processes being set in motion during cleaning. You should also only use rinse aid for the rinse cycle in the machine. Just like cuddly toys, rubber and plastic toys can also freeze.
If cleaning is not enough and you want to disinfect the toy, you can do this with a mixture of water and alcohol for rubber or plastic products. Apply the mixture, leave it to work for about a minute, rinse it off and leave the toys to dry - done! However, disinfection will probably not be necessary too often, as the smooth surface of rubber and plastic toys makes it comparatively difficult for germs to survive.
Bath toys 🛁🦆🧼
The following applies when cleaning bath toys (inside and outside): Take a short time to clean the toys after each use. It is sufficient to rinse them with clear water and dry them thoroughly so that any remaining moisture cannot cause mold. You can clean the inside of squeaky toys by "soaking" the toy in a mixture of water and vinegar and then leaving it to work for a short time before squeezing the liquid out again.
Electronic toys (with batteries or rechargeable battery) 🎮🧼
If you want to clean electronic toys, make sure that no water gets inside. Use a damp cloth to wipe the surface of the product. If you want a disinfectant effect, you can also use some rubbing alcohol.
Regardless of whether you want to clean wooden toys, electronic products, soft toys or other toys, in most cases you are well equipped with water and washing-up liquid. Stronger and therefore more aggressive cleaning agents are not normally necessary and, above all, not beneficial. After all, they can irritate the skin and possibly cause allergies. To kill two birds with one stone when cleaning toys, you can keep an eye out for any damage to the product. Sharp edges, cracks, holes, etc. pose a risk of injury, so it may make sense to repair or replace the toy.
Are you unsure about what you can use to clean a children's toy, whether it can go in the dishwasher or whether it will "survive" the washing machine? Then you should strictly follow the manufacturer's specific cleaning instructions. These usually tell you exactly how you should clean the toy - so you're on the safe side!
Conclusion: The AquaPlay cleaning tips: For clean and safe play
Really safe play is only possible with clean toys. That's why it's important to remember to clean your child's toys regularly. How and how often you should clean toys depends on individual circumstances, the frequency of use and the type of toy. Our cleaning tips will help you - for safe, hygienic play!
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