Your child’s soft toy or building blocks can be the perfect place for many unpleasant surprises and harmful bacteria are just one of them. There can be dust mites, germs or even mold to make the matters worse. Allergies, common cold, deep rooted illnesses and breathing disorders like asthma are quite common due to lack of hygiene adopted in everyday care of kids’ toys.

Just like the routine washing and cleaning of hands, the baby toys also need to be safely disinfected to avoid any illnesses in the family. Here are some tips on how you can do this and how you can keep your baby healthy.

Bleach as a disinfectant

Bleach is considered as a very strong substance to kills germs and bacteria. To disinfect toys, you need to add 1 tbsp of bleach in 1 gallon of water and soak the toys in it. Make sure that the toys are washed with clean water very well as there should be no trace of bleach on them. Honestly, this method is something I am reluctant to use with my baby due to the chances of leaving behind some bleach that can be harmful.

Vinegar

Vinegar is the safest method of disinfecting kids’ toys as it is considered as a mild disinfectant. The advantage of using vinegar is that along with bacteria, it also kills mold. You can add vinegar to soapy water and then wash the toys. You can also dilute it and spray it on toys and let them dry. It is very effective and equally safe.

Warm soapy water

Many of the toys can be cleaned by just washing them in warm and soapy water. You can use washing machine to clean soft and stuffed toys and a dishwasher for hard plastic toys. Make sure to put the toys on the top rack in the dishwasher to avoid melting of plastic. Be careful while dealing with electronic toys. It is better to wipe them with disinfectant solutions or wash them with hands as it is not safe to clean them in a dishwasher.

Deep freeze

Yes, you read it right. If your child has dust allergy, make sure to keep his or her stuffed toys and stamp sets in plastic bags and deep freeze them for 3-5 hours every week. This procedure kills all the dust mites.

If you are buying a cleaning chemical from the shop, please read the instructions and usage carefully. Very few disinfectants are actually meant for cleaning baby toys. Clear all your doubts as it is you baby who will be at the receiving end. As soon as you find a toy that cannot be cleaned, just throw it away. And most importantly, keep washing your child’s hands. Follow these tips and you can provide an ideal environment to your baby that is healthy, safe and germ-free.