How Do You Sterilize Toys?

[WImom]

delete - my post posted twice?

[laundrymom]

I don't ever sterilize them. I wash when visibly dirty or if spit upped on or wet with drool. If we have a real bad cold or flu I will Be more viligant but I never use bleach. I figure some germs are good. I'm probably doing it wrong, but I'm on year 23. And probably wont change my habits.

[KEG123]

What about wooden blocks?

And wooden magnets? Like Melissa and Doug style?

[Meeko]

I don't buy anything that can't be thrown in the bathtub with hot water and bleach.

Friday afternoon we have movie day. No toys. We make tickets which the children "buy" with a hug. As they enter the TV room, we have a booth set up. They give us their ticket and get a bag of popcorn or some other treat. And they watch a movie. After that we color, read, play outside etc.

In the meantime....all the toys are soaking in the tub with hot water and bleach.

End of the day...drain the tub. Air dry over the weekend.

[Kaddidle Care]

We make tickets which the children "buy" with a hug.

Awwww! Too cute - I love that!

We use the industrial dishwasher for most of the things. If they don't fit it's bleached in the sinks.

[dEHmom]

Is simple green D good for sterilizing toys? I'm just wondering because it seems better than lysol and other stuff. I was always using the bathtub and bleach/hot water, then rinsing off, but the fumes from bleach in any amount make me really ill. I prefer not to use the bleach anymore, and last time i sterilized/sanitized I used the simple green D, then thoroughly rinsed and dried.

[countrymom]

I don't ever sterilize them. I wash when visibly dirty or if spit upped on or wet with drool. If we have a real bad cold or flu I will Be more viligant but I never use bleach. I figure some germs are good. I'm probably doing it wrong, but I'm on year 23. And probably wont change my habits.

I'm with you, i thought i was the only one who doesn't wash toys. I lysol in the winter or when kids are sick, but if I see that they are dirty I wipe them down with good old soap and water.

[unregistered member]

I'm with you, i thought i was the only one who doesn't wash toys. I lysol in the winter or when kids are sick, but if I see that they are dirty I wipe them down with good old soap and water.

I'm the same. My own kids have never even had the flu or a virus before and I'm sure it's because soap and water is all we use around here.

[countrymom]

I can honestly say that the kids that come here rarely get sick, I had one kid who got everyone sick and I termed him and voila the kids never became sick again (he's been seeing spec. since march) I think it has to do alot with not wiping and steralizing things like crazy.

[jen2651]

whew- it makes me feel better to know that I am not the only one who isn't bleach crazy! (not it a bad way!). I of course clean things that are dirty, but if I was picking up everything that touched a kiddos mouth and putting it in the bucket, we wouldn't have any toys left by the end of the day! Our kids are very rarely sick and I do think that may be due to their exposure to germs. I do however mop my floor everyday with pinesol...I love that smell! And with 3 little ones crawling/walking on it, that is where I draw my line!

[dEHmom]

whew- it makes me feel better to know that I am not the only one who isn't bleach crazy! (not it a bad way!). I of course clean things that are dirty, but if I was picking up everything that touched a kiddos mouth and putting it in the bucket, we wouldn't have any toys left by the end of the day! Our kids are very rarely sick and I do think that may be due to their exposure to germs. I do however mop my floor everyday with pinesol...I love that smell! And with 3 little ones crawling/walking on it, that is where I draw my line!

yep, i normally do not go crazy with cleaning the toys. if they are visibly dirty, or i know they are dirty from something else (like a spill and they get wet) I wash them. However because I had 2 snotty dcb's with green boogery noses and they got my youngest ds sick, I was making sure to wipe/disinfect every toy they touched 1-2 times a week. no one is sick now, and so i am not so worried about it.

I agree 100% that over doing the cleaning and everything doesn't help build immune systems. Some germs are okay, but something like flu or strep throat, etc is not cool.

[melizaheins]

I imagine everyone has their own methods depending on what is actually being cleaned.

So I was wondering how you clean/ sterilize your toys? Dishwasher? Bleach? Hot soapy water?

Does it depends on if it's a wooden or a plastic toy?

I think, disinfecting is better. Because there are actually toys that can easily be water burnt.

[ajc4290]

So I see some of you put them in the dishwasher, in a lingerine bag. But what if I don't have a lingerine bag?

If you do not have a lingerie bag, you can use a pillowcase and tie it off on the end. The lingerie bags are actually rather cheap at Wal-Mart and Target.

[mia]

90% of mine i through in the washing machine ( on sanitize cycle bleach) or bath tub with mr clean and rinse well then soak with hat water and bleach air dry...

[Unregistered]

I've used blockwash by kuitsok, The fabric is really designed to scrub all the little parts of the toys and blocks. makes running the daycare easier.