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Toys are pretty disgusting when you think about it. Babies and even kids will stick toys in their mouths, put toys on the ground, cover toys in food, let dogs chew on them, etc. Like I said, disgusting.
Needless to say, you will want to wash toys at some point.
The problem is that you need to make sure your cleaning products are safe for a child to put in their mouth. That means Lysol is out!
Did you know that lysol is meant to be sprayed on and then wiped off?! I had no idea and I can attest from working in nurseries that most people do not realize that we are supposed to wipe off lysol! And of course if we aren’t wiping of lysol then that just means our kids are touching and ingesting all those nasty chemicals! Yikes!
If you are looking for natural ways to clean toys, keep reading!
How To Clean Toys Naturally
How to Clean Hard Toys Naturally
Hard toys refer to wood toys or plastic (although you might want to read why we do not like plastic toys)
Mix equal parts water and vinegar in a spray bottle simply spray and wipe toys. You do not want to soak wood toys and it is best if they are wiped dry. The vinegar smell will disappear once it has dried.
FYI, this mixture is the same mixture as my all-purpose cleaner so make a big bottle of it and use it for pretty much everything!
How to Clean Soft Toys Naturally
Soft toys would refer to toys made of cotton or fabric.
Most soft toys can be cleaned in the washing machine. Read tags to make sure you will not ruin the toy by washing it but in general you can simply wash stuffed toys on warm with your usual laundry detergent. Tumble dry low unless the tag instructs to air dry.
How to Clean Wool Toys Naturally
Felted wool toys can be washed in the washing machine inside a pillow case or mesh bag. If the wool is not felted, you will need to be extra cautious. Follow any instructions and/or carefully spot clean. Use a mild wool soap to clean and let air dry.
How to Remove Stains From Toys Naturally
Instead of using bleach, try using the sun! Sunning is a great method of getting rid of stains.
Simply lay wet white toys in direct sunlight in a few hours they should be dry and the stain should be gone. For difficult stains you can spray lemon juice onto the stain and then proceed with the sunning process.
