Did you know that the toys your kids are playing with can have germs on them just about any time that could be transmitted to your child? It’s true, children’s toys are a great way to get sick! Especially if your child has little friends and they all play with each other’s toys.

Your child’s toys can be safely cleaned but you should educate yourself about the correct way to properly disinfect and clean all of the toys your child plays with or comes in contact with. It sounds like a tedious task but one that should be taken care of routinely.

Remember that not every cleaning product will be safe for cleaning children’s toys, and many products are not only not safe but quite harmful if used on your child’s toys or anywhere they will be playing. You may think it will be okay because you are going to wash it off, but some cleaning products will leave a film or residue on the toys that might be harmful.

For simple plastic toys and other toys that can be easily washed off, even wood toys, you can just wash them in the sink with some soapy water. I just use dish soap, it works just fine. Remember to rinse them well. I would not put them in the dishwasher because certain plastics will react with very hot water and could make them unsafe to play with. You can use your own judgment on that but I avoid the dishwasher with plastics if possible.

You can use a mild bleach solution but rinse well. Don’t use bleach on cloth toys as it may damage the toy.

For large activity toys, mix up your own solution of soap and water and perhaps a few drops of bleach and place into a spray bottle. You can then easily spray the toys down on a daily basis and wipe them off.

For plush children’s toys, many of these toys will come with a tag that will let you know whether or not the toy can be washed, what temperature the water should be, and how to dry the toy. If you plan to use a washing machine, do use the gentle cycle.