How to Wash Your Baby’s Talking Toys
Jolie Kerr is a cleaning expert, advice columnist, and New York Times bestselling author of My Boyfriend Is Boiling In My Purse … And Other Things You Can’t Ask Martha About . Her flagship column, Ask a Pure Man, debuted in 2011. Here at Offspring we’re launching a new iteration of it, with a focus on parenting and all the mess it brings.
After the column on cleaning plush toys last week, some of you have further questions about cleaning hard plastic toys like dolls or legos and toys that should not be submerged in water because they contain electronic or audio components. So I figured I’d do something like a follow-up to answer those questions! Let’s get down to business.
Hard plastic toys
There are several ways to clean hard plastic toys, each with their own pros and cons.
Wash them like dishes
Plastic toys can be washed in the dishwasher or washed by hand like dishes using hot soapy water and a sponge or dishcloth.
If you use a dishwasher, be sure to place toys on the top rack. Most dishwashers have a heating element at the bottom of the appliance, so using the top shelf will help prevent damage from overheating. A dishwasher-safe basket or mesh bag can dip into small toys like Lego, toy soldiers and matchbox cars that might otherwise slip through dishwasher shelves.
One caveat, however, is that many dishwashing detergents can have a slight bleaching effect, and some toys are not stain resistant, which can damage them with escaping dyes or discoloration.
Wash them like clothes
As with plush toys, many hard toys are machine washable. This is less ideal than the dishwashing method as stirring the washing machine is more likely to cause damage, but it is still worth throwing away as an option. Using mesh laundry bags can help prevent tangles in, say, Barbie hair, and padding the drum with towels can help prevent damage and / or a huge racket.
Wash them like a baby carcass
Baby wipes AVAILABLE to quickly wipe dirty, sticky and overgrown toys. Baby wipes are not antibacterial, so they don’t kill viruses, but as a last resort, they can be used to wipe up drool, food, and even vomit.
Toys with electronic or musical / vocal components
Toys that contain voice boxes or music boxes that light up or otherwise move make cleaning difficult because they cannot be immersed in water. Before I move on to the instructions on how to remove stains, dirt, and grime from toys with electrical components, it’s important to note that it’s rather annoying that regular cleaning of such toys is very important. Uh, I know. It makes me cry just thinking about it, but I have to be honest with you guys, even when it means breaking news that makes me want to lie prone on the floor and punch wood. The reason for this is that if you let a toy that cannot be immersed in water and detergent be cleaned for too long, the accumulation of dirt and the like will become so united with the toy that you cannot completely clean it. …
For dirt
With this bad news out of the way, let’s turn to the good ones, namely, these toys are very easy to clean, and the whole operation won’t take you more than 5 minutes. Here are the steps you will take:
- Start by removing the batteries and, if the design of the toy allows it, the entire battery pack;
- Fill a small bowl halfway with warm water and a very, very, very tiny amount of liquid or powdered laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, Dr. Bronner’s, etc. When I say tiny, I really mean, for example, a quarter teaspoon … If you use more, there will be residual detergent on the toy, which is not what we are doing here. So be economical! You can always add more detergent if needed;
- Dip a light-colored rag, such as a dishcloth, dishcloth, or cut T-shirt, into the solution, and wring it out to keep it damp but not dripping;
- Rub the toy gently by reapplying the detergent solution to the rag;
- When the toy is clean, repeat this process with clean water to remove any foam;
- Wrap with a towel to absorb moisture, then air dry;
- If the toy looks a little tangled after cleaning, use a cool or low heat hair dryer at the very end of the air drying process to whisk it.
For smells only
Sometimes these toys get a smell or the smell remains even after cleaning. No sweat, here are two ways to get rid of the smell without using liquid cleaners.
- Bury the toy in clean cat litter or loose active charcoal (the latter can be found at aquarium supply stores) for 12 to 48 hours. After burial, quickly clean the toy using the method described above to remove any litter or charcoal residues.
- Bury the toy or sprinkle it with plenty of baking soda. Let the baking soda absorb the odors for 12 to 48 hours, then shake or vacuum the baking soda.
Do you have a super-ingenious toy cleaning method? Please share in the comments!