Toy Cleaning

I saved a number of infant toys from my son for my daughter to play with.  They were stored away in a container in the garage some place for almost two years before making their recent debut.  There were a number of techniques I used depending on the type of toy being cleaned.

The plastic key type toys and rattles were easy.  Without actually fully submerging in water, you can simply use hot soapy water in the sink.

There were a few toys that were either plastic or plush, but that had some sort of electronic component to them.  I have a set of keys with a stop light type handle that lights up red and green when you push the buttons.  And my favorite toy of my son's infancy, a plush inch worm with sections that either make sensory sounds like crinkles or squeaks and also plays a song when you squeeze it's head, required special handling.  These types of toys you can surface wash.  But, I these toys were in my son's mouth.  The inchworm was taken to Europe and I must admit, hit a dirty train station floor or two before the trip was done.  I did some research on the web before going with the Lysol technique.  Follow the instructions on the bottle for the disinfectant spray.  Essentially you can mist the toy until covered, but not soaked, and let dry.  Repeat this process for especially filthy toys.

Lastly, there are the occasional stuffed animals that require another technique.  My son has a favorite, his hop-hop.  This is a dare I say cheap Easter bunny, who at last Easter was practically the size of my son, who has been his lovey ever since.  Finally after spotting actual stains on his white cheeks, most likely caused by a milk drip or two from a breakfast on the couch watching cartoons on PBS, I decided Hop needed a bath.  I simply put Hop in a pillow case, tied one end, and put him through the wash.  I washed him with the baby blankets from both cribs on the gentle cycle.  Then I dried the whole load on low.  Hop came out stain free and looking like a million bucks!