Cleaning Bath Toys, An eye opening experience!

My children have cute, little bathsqueezy toys that shoot water out when you apply pressure to them. They’re fun and make for a great distraction when you’re washing hair. We even have Thomas the Tank Engine toys that my three and a half year old son, Buggie, adores. The problem: That nasty black film-like gunk that will occasionally make its way out of the toy when it’s squeezed. Add to that gunk the thought that your child is probably like mine and squeezing that water into their mouth and you’ve got yourself totally skived out!

I had been toying with the idea of just throwing them away but then the thought of these plastic toys just sitting in landfills was almost as sickening as the black gunk that make an appearance in the water during bath time. I have excellent news for you; there are ways to clean those toys. Here they are:

Good ‘ole White Vinegar

White vinegar is the mother of all natural cleaners. Relatively easy and definitely void of harmful chemicals white vinegar is probably the best route to go with cleaning bath toys. Simply fill a bowl with hot water, 2 parts water to 1 part white vinegar. Let the toys soak up to 15 minutes. Once the toys are finished soaking, place the toys (water squeezed out of the squeezy toys) outside to dry in the sun.

According to a few articles I read on the Internet this should be done weekly.

Bleach: An absolute Last Resort

If the vinegar soak isn’t working to get those yucky toys cleaned then use bleach. When in doubt bleach it out! That’s what I say. To do this you’ll need to fill a gallon bucket with hot water and add ¾ cup bleach to it. Then, by using a small brush or toothbrush (one that you won’t use again) scrub off any visible signs of mold on the toys. Rinse the toys off in warm, clean water. Any toys that still have mold or mildew on them should be discarded. *Sigh! What about the landfills!?*

As a general rule be certain to squeeze out any excess water left in toys after bath time, store toys in a dry room (so not inside the bathroom) or in the bathroom with the fan kept on so that the moisture doesn’t build up. You can also wash toys in the dishwasher weekly.

Elizabeth (aka Bert) is a stay-at-home-mom and contributing writer for She Thinks Media. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband, Ben, her son Buggie, and daughter Lady Bug.  When she's not trying to convince Buggie to expand his interests beyond Thomas the Train or put his pants back on she's writing about her experiences as a mom on her blog, First Time Mom (FTM). After all, Bert maintains there's a first time for everything, even if you  have more than one child!