Disinfecting toys

What do you find is the best way to disinfect all your toys? How often do you do it?

Toys put in the mouth should be disinfected daily, but I do find it hard to find the time. I use bleach and water. I hate the smell and end up with a headache, but it works! I do a weekly disinfecting of major toys, surfaces, I will empty bins of toys into a sink full of water and bleach and then rinse and let dry.

Toys put in the mouth should be washed daily or after each individual toy has been put down (depending on how many infants in care), toys on shelves are washed on a monthly basis, and toys in bins because I have them on a rotation are washed when they come out of storage.

I use detol to clean the toys, the smell isn't so pleasant but it works. I would use bleach but I always bleach my clothes if I even open a bottle, lol.

I use hot water and soap, the sun for bleaching, and a great non-toxic cleaner as an all-purpose. I keep clorox wipes on hand for pottys but really try not to use it.

I use a bleach solution too. 1:8 ratio of bleach to water, approx.

The only child I have who puts toys in his mouth is my own...so his toys are seperate for now. Everything else gets washed once a week.

I'm not a huge fan of bleach but I've yet to find a gentler method that disinfects as well as it does.

Vinegar and water works just as well and is safer and gentler. :)

I use Tea Tree Oil for cleaning...works great.

I use dishsoap and hot water, vinegar and hot water, bleach and hot water - depends what else is going into my sink at that time! On big items that I can't fit into my sink, I use Lysol wipes. I let it air dry (and luckily the sun hits our kitchen doors in the afternoon).

vinegar and water works fantastic!

There is a difference between cleaning and disinfecting and not all solutions that "clean" do a strong enough job of disinfecting for what we are expected to do.

On the other hand I wonder if we worry too much about the disinfecting to the point we waste our time since by the end of the day the kids have all touched and played with the same surfaces anyway transferring the germs amongst themselves. Which does explain why spending hours sanitizing doesn't always prevent the spread of colds and flu in the daycare just tires us out when we should have been taking care of ourselves all evening so can fight off the viruses too.