Toys are fundamental to every child’s growth. This is where your child begins to learn the basic things in life. Toys also help keep your child entertained and keeps your baby lively and active. But then, it’s equally essential that you keep their toys clean and free from germs and bacterial infections. This can only be achieved through frequent washing and sanitizing.
Now that airborne diseases are gradually spreading across the globe, it’s imperative to maintain a high level of cleanliness. Pay much attention to their hygiene and safety. There are so many ways through which you can keep your baby’s toys clean and disinfected.
Why do you need to clean baby toys?
Well, it may sound unrealistic to some people, but cleaning your baby’s toys is quite essential. There are so many viruses that your baby can get infected with from interacting with the toys. If you have associated with a baby of around seven months of age, you must have noticed how much they like stuffing everything they handle into their mouths.
With that said, imagine your little angel feeding on a dirty and stained toy. It will be quite unsafe for them. I mean, that could expose your baby to infections like typhoid and cholera. These are deadly diseases that are even life-threatening to grownups, let alone babies. I am sure you would never wish to expose your little one to such dangerous infections. They say prevention is better than cure. So to avoid all this, it will be better if you frequently wash and sanitize your baby’s toys. If not for anything else, do it for the sake of the baby’s health.
Dirty toys will start to produce some unpleasant smells if kept for so long without washing. It will be quite embarrassing inviting your prominent working colleagues for dinner or lunch only to bump into some dirty and stained toys.
It wouldn’t be a decent show if your guest keeps seeing your baby play with dirty and stained toys. Being decent and hygienic will cost you nothing. Just do it to stay away from some complicated issues.
Why should you use vinegar?
Most of us only know vinegar from baking. Well, the news is that the same substance can be used as a sanitizer.
Vinegar is habitually prescribed as a home sanitizer/cleanser and can be powerful on certain stains and surfaces. Vinegar is economical, simple to acquire, and ecofriendly. There are several types of vinegar, but only two of them can be used to clean baby toys. These are:
- Cleaning vinegar
- White vinegar
These two are commonly recommended for all types of household cleaning.
Be that as it may, it’s imperative to recall that while vinegar can be used as disinfectant somewhat, it isn’t as powerful as bleach or any other commercial sanitizers out there with regards to eliminating germs.
If you are planning to use a vinegar solution, it’s critical to choose whether your definitive objective is to clean or to sanitize. If you need to sterilize, you may wish to utilize a disinfectant splash or chemical that can eliminate germs.
Vinegar is around five percent acidic, which helps it break the dirt bonds, oil stains, and bacteria. In any case, that acidic operator can likewise be harmful to a few surfaces, so test it in a subtle territory. Vinegar isn’t prescribed for use on common stone, waxed wood, cast iron, or aluminum. “Set time,” or the time a disinfectant must lay on a surface to work viably, is likewise significant.
The set time for vinegar can be as long as 30 minutes. For instance, to clean the inner parts of nourishment recolored pots and dish, absorb them a blend of one-half cup of white vinegar weakened with one gallon of water for 30 minutes. At that point, wash in hot, sudsy water.
How to clean baby toys with vinegar?
As I mentioned earlier, vinegar is a very effective disinfectant when it comes to sanitizing baby toys. As powerful as it is, vinegar has zero side effects and will not affect your baby’s health negatively. If you are new with using vinegar, the instruction below should help you out with the cleansing process.
For a less complicated, progressively typical cleansing solution, consider including equivalent amounts of water and white vinegar to a shower bottle. Spritz the toys with the vinegar cleaner and let them sit for around 15 minutes. Fifteen minutes is essential because it gives the cleanser time to breakdown the solid dirt and stubborn stains from the toy.
Be sure to wipe away any outstanding solution. This helps limit the lingering smell from the vinegar solution remains. The vinegar spot cleaning technique works extraordinary for hard toys; however, it isn’t perfect for extravagant toys or soft toys.
Cleaning Electronic Toys
Electronic toys have recently increased in the market, and babies are falling in love with them. It is similarly as imperative to keep these toys as perfect and clean, just like the other toys. The initial phase in appropriately cleaning these sorts of toys is to go through the manufacturer’s suggestions and guidelines. When you have done that, follow these basic instructions for cleaning every single electronic youngster’s toys:
- Disconnect the power batteries. This will help prevent short-circuiting while cleaning the toy.
- Utilize a cloth splashed with a dish cleanser/water blend to wipe all the surfaces of the toy; however, be mindful not to leave a lot of excess water on the cloth since water saturating the toy can harm it.
- When the toy has been cleaned off to expel any dirt, the next stage should be to sterilize the toy. To ensure that you sanitize your baby’s toys perfectly, use a clean towel soaked with a non-toxic disinfectant to ensure no germs are left surviving.
- After the toy has dried completely, use a clean wet towel to wipe off any remnants of the disinfectant solution.
Take Caution on Using Bleaching Agents
Bleach can be dangerous whenever used in the wrong way, so it is critical to use it with a lot of care. It should be in a predefined place for the blending of water and the bleaching agent solution that is well-ventilated and blocked off to kids. The person blending the solution should ensure that he has gloves on their hands and eye protection, as well as the person using the solution. Abstain from mixing bleach in with some other synthetic compounds or in any event, combining in compartments that may have held different synthetic substances. Bleach responds savagely with specific synthetic compounds and can create incredibly dangerous gases.
However, bleaches can be compelling and alright for cleaning toys but only when utilized appropriately. It can be extremely unsafe without anyone else and should be put away securely. A bleaching agent ought to be put away in a very much ventilated place as they can, at times, emit some unsafe gases.
If you decide to use bleach, you must put it away from sunlight. Direct sunlight is said to lessen the germ-killing capacities of the sanitizer or bleach. Make a point to keep all detergent marked, so it isn’t coincidentally utilized or blended. The territory where the soap is put away should be made sure about, and kids ought to never approach it. Keep all sanitizer dealing with Personal Protective Equipment put away close to the detergent and blending region. It is likewise a decent practice to keep the sanitizer SDS (Safety Data Sheet) to react to any spills or incidental exposures appropriately.
To sum up, note that keeping baby toys clean is essential. This will help keep our babies safe from deadly infections linked with dirt and germs.