How to clean your bath toys.

Did you know that many kids bath toys are the perfect breeding ground for mould and bacteria.  Sounds disgusting doesn't it....and our kids play with these things, and put them in their mouths.  Ewwww!

Do you see the mould in the toys and hide the toys and think - 'I really should clean them', then you forget about it until the next bath time.  I do.

Mums have so many things on our to-do lists. Washing the bath toys is surely down there with re-folding our fitted sheets!   Who has the time - the energy - and the motivation?   Give me 5 minutes and you will have all that! 

 

 It's simple - it's cheap - it's easy and you really should do it. 

Mould grows in warm, moist conditions.  

We love a warm bathroom when the kids are getting clean, and, well, WATER EVERYWHERE means that it's pretty soggy there too.

 Here are some quick tips to reduce the amount of those fun killing nasties! 

1 - Make sure you let the toys dry between uses.  

    No putting them in a bucket, or leaving them in the bath. 

    And empty the water from the any toys that hold water.  

2 - Regularly check your bath toys for mould.

3 - Clean them often.

 The other day when we were chatting  I asked Martha Stewart how to clean bath toys  (ok - so I googled it, same difference)

Martha Stewart's suggestions for cleaning bath toys.

 A monthly wash will help keep bacteria and mildew at bay.

• Add 1/2 cup white vinegar per 3.5 litres of warm water in a bucket.
• Soak the toys in the solution for about 10 minutes, then rub them gently with a sponge.
• To clean the inside of squeeze toys, suck up the solution, shake, and squeeze out.
• Allow to air-dry.

I adore that she is suggesting that you use vinegar to clean the toys.  Not only great on top of your fish and chips, it's a super cleaning solution.  And cheap as chips.  he he he 

Best thing is that vinegar is not harmful in any way to the kids.  I end up worrying that I have left cleaning chemicals everywhere when I clean the bathroom  #bleach  

It is always a good ideas to keep you toys dry between uses. That means taking them out of the bath.

Bath toys can be fun and engaging, just take a look at these!

So here you have it folks. You can clean your toys with products from the kitchen cupboard and it would only take you about 5-10 minutes a month.

Thanks Martha. 

NOTE:  I also want to point out that you should NEVER leave your child unsupervised in the bath.  And always empty the tub when you are finished. A child can drown in as little as 2.5 cm of water.   #safetyfirst   *advice from KidsHealth.org

Check out our new blog on how to clean your toys?.

- Helle.

 Helle is the owner and head toy lover at Lucas loves cars.  She has been playing with toys for over 5 years, and still hasn't got it quite right, so will continue to play for a while yet.