Sterilization 101

I have never really had to deal with much illness at my daycare. I clean weekly but never really do a major sterilization. I think germs are good for kids and like I said, except for the odd cold, we are a healthy bunch.

Well, I had 3 kids stay home today due to throwing up. According to their parents they all seem fine today but they will let me know if they are well enough to return tomorrow.

So I only had my daughter and one DCB so we spent 1.5 hours this morning cleaning all the toys. I washed them in hot soapy water with some bleach added, rinsed and they are air drying in a huge pile in my bath tub.

1) How do you all dry these toys properly so they actually dry? They still all have water stuck in them/dripping everywhere.

2) How do you wash the toys you can't submerge? I just wiped them down with cloth dipped in the bleach solution then wiped with a clean wet cloth.

3) Do you do anything with the books?

I washed the barbies and dolls in my washing machine with the doll clothes etc.

I figured it can't hurt to do this, even if it is over kill it is probably good to do this at least once a year!

Sounds lik you done a good job! Probably nothing but air dry to get the toys completely dry. Beware of any toys that may keep water inside of it. Such a a squeeze toy/rubber ducky type toy. The water will turn stale and attract bacteria. Maybe toss them in the dryer if this is possible?
Any stuffies can be sterilized by throwing in the dryer, or wrapping in a garbage bag then into the freezer for a couple days.
The books, wipe down if hard cover, but paper books, I'm not too sure. What about putting outside in the sun for the afternoon in a bin maybe?

I agree with you, germs in moderation are good to help build up our immunity. However, I clean and sterilize my toys on a fairly regular basis just because I don't want illnesses to spread too much. I also have a group right now that mouth everything!! The toys are disgusting by the end of the day but there is no way I'm washing them all daily. If I see something that has been mouthed a lot, they are to put it in the sink and I'll wash those before the day is over.

I have cut back on my cleaning (partly due to reading this site and seeing I was doing it too much and partly because I'm lazy LOL) I now clean the toys every 1-2 weeks and disinfect them about 1-2 times a month. If a bad cold or flu is going around though, I do it more often. I wipe down the big stuff (play kitchen, doll cribs, library shelf, shopping carts, shelving cubes etc) almost weekly though just because our house is so dusty so I figure if I'm going to dust them, I may as well wipe them down. I also wipe down the light switches and doorknobs weekly. Playpens get wiped down on Fridays and the bedding is done on Friday afternoons.

My books that are accessible to the kids are all board books so they get a wipe down about once a month. Toys that I can't submerge just get wiped down. I sometimes use a damp cloth with a bit of dish soap if they are dirty.

When I need to wash a bunch of toys at once, I throw them in the tub on a Friday and let them air dry all weekend. This usually works fairly well.

I too use the bathtub for the submersibles. And as for the drying, well that's what the weekend is for! lol. I don't do this every week, as a result. For disinfecting, mostly, I use diluted rubbing alcohol. Bleach and other chemicals are toxic and leave residue that you have to rinse off. Alcohol kills all and then evaporates away. Board books are wipe able. Paper books usually have plasticized covers you can wipe too. You washed barbies in the machine? Aren't they submersible too? Ok. Stuffed animals and soft dolls, sure, actually, it is soon time for that for me because I like to hang these out to dry on the line in warm weather.

I have a spray bottle with bleach solution - 1 cup water to 1 tsp bleach. Then I can spray down things that can't be submerged in water. The solution needs to sit for at least 1 minute, preferably let it air dry if you want it fully sanitized Then you can wipe with a wet cloth to remove any residue.

But any stuff I wash in the bathtub I just lay it out on bathtowels until everything is dry.

Lysol is my friend!! Lol. I have way too many toys to clean them all. If there is something going around then I just spray what I can with Lysol at the end of the day. Other than that nothing. I always thought that viruses and bacteria cannot live on certain surfaces for long lengths of time. Who knows I could be wrong.

I have totally given up disinfecting almost altogether. The only things that get disinfected these days are the bathroom sink and toilet and the change pad and it's done daily. I haven't cleaned toys in a long, long time and coincidentally, we have had the best winter so far in my career. Only one cold so far! I clean for "cleanliness" not sterilization if that makes sense. There was one winter when I reopened where I would spend every naptime spraying all the major surfaces down with bleach and I don't know if it's just coincidence but we were so, so sick that winter, I mean it was NONSTOP.

I'm also almost a little embarrassed to admit that ive totally cut back on handwashing too. I mostly wash after meals, no longer before. I just find it such a waste of time. They are constantly mouthing everything (even the older ones sometimes) and doing things that totally negate the handwashing anyways so I just don't bother anymore. Like I said though - we actually seem better off.

I have also never actually been able to keep the stomach bug from spreading through the whole daycare despite cleaning and disinfecting like a maniac so don't stress out too much! It sounds like what you are doing is fine...whatever can't be submerged should be sprayed down with bleach and let air dry (it's diluted bleach, I can't remember the ratio but you can find it online). I find letting them air dry on a towel works best than in the tub.

I have no idea what should be done with books, and I often wonder about crayons too!

Bleach loses it's "bleachiness" after about a day exposed to light. Don't ask me why... but apparently it does. So in order to have that spay bottle of bleach, you're supposed to mix a new batch every day. I'm too lazy for that, personally. Or, I guess, if your bottle keeps it dark in there. Like to original jug does.

I use a Clorox hard surface spray designed for children and pets which requires no rinsing. I order it online after I did a lot of research on what I could safely use. It is not a natural cleaner which actually doesn't disinfect, but it has been deemed safe to use in nurseries and around children and animals so I'm happy with that. I feel uncomfortable using bleach to be honest and I am yet to find another product that is approved for childcare so I stick with this. I spray that stuff on everything from toys and books, to play pens and highchairs. No more soaking in the bath tub....I remember doing that and boy what an ordeal!!!

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Originally Posted by bright sparks

I use a Clorox hard surface spray designed for children and pets which requires no rinsing. I order it online after I did a lot of research on what I could safely use. It is not a natural cleaner which actually doesn't disinfect, but it has been deemed safe to use in nurseries and around children and animals so I'm happy with that. I feel uncomfortable using bleach to be honest and I am yet to find another product that is approved for childcare so I stick with this. I spray that stuff on everything from toys and books, to play pens and highchairs. No more soaking in the bath tub....I remember doing that and boy what an ordeal!!!

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Could you post a link to this? I'd like to use this spray for disinfecting but I'd still like to wipe down the toys once in awhile to get the "gunk" off them

I have a 5 small mesh bags (for laundry). I fill them with small plastic toys. Put them on the rocks in the dishwasher (making sure the toys inside are lying so they don't fill up with water). I add a small amount of dishwasher detergent and run it on a short cycle. The hot water and heat should be enough to kill most germs.

Once done I shake them over the sink to get rid of excess water and then air dry.

Larger plastic toys go in the dishwasher without the bags. I don't do this all that often. It will take the stickers off some toys.

In the daycares we used to run all the toys through the sterilizer that washed all the dishes. Fast and effective.

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Originally Posted by kindertime

Bleach loses it's "bleachiness" after about a day exposed to light. Don't ask me why... but apparently it does. So in order to have that spay bottle of bleach, you're supposed to mix a new batch every day. I'm too lazy for that, personally. Or, I guess, if your bottle keeps it dark in there. Like to original jug does.

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Yes, I have to refill my bottle every day or two. For some reason adding water affects it, even if you don't have it sitting out in sunlight. But it is definitely an expensive cleaner - A $2 jug of bleach can last me pretty much a whole year with it being diluted.

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Originally Posted by Lee-Bee

I have a 5 small mesh bags (for laundry). I fill them with small plastic toys. Put them on the rocks in the dishwasher (making sure the toys inside are lying so they don't fill up with water). I add a small amount of dishwasher detergent and run it on a short cycle. The hot water and heat should be enough to kill most germs.

Once done I shake them over the sink to get rid of excess water and then air dry.

Larger plastic toys go in the dishwasher without the bags. I don't do this all that often. It will take the stickers off some toys.

In the daycares we used to run all the toys through the sterilizer that washed all the dishes. Fast and effective.

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We used to do that too (run toys through the sterilizer) and than were told it was unsanitary?? However, we still did it occasionally....shhh h!!! Lol

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Originally Posted by 5 Little Monkeys

We used to do that too (run toys through the sterilizer) and than were told it was unsanitary?? However, we still did it occasionally....shhh h!!! Lol

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I don't claim to know what a sterilizer is, but assume it's like a dishwasher, so... if it sterilizes things... how could it be unsanitary? I honestly never considered used the dishwasher for toys. I run a very full load everyday as it is now but will give this a try.

Something about the cross contamination between toys and dishes if I remember right?? I never paid much attention then so can't remember for sure lol

If I had a dishwasher, I'd definitely use it for cleaning toys!!

Edited..The difference....A sterilizer only sterilizes, doesn't wash. When we had our restaurant we had the same one as the centres. Dishes needed to be washed before being put in the sterilizer.

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Originally Posted by 5 Little Monkeys

A sterilizer only sterilizes, doesn't wash. When we had our restaurant we had the same one as the centres. Dishes needed to be washed before being put in the sterilizer.

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Okay, that makes sense now, if it uses just heat and maybe steam then it won't necessarily take away the gunk. And of course there'll be gunk. Achooo!

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Originally Posted by torontokids

So I only had my daughter and one DCB so we spent 1.5 hours this morning cleaning all the toys. I washed them in hot soapy water with some bleach added, rinsed and they are air drying in a huge pile in my bath tub.

1) How do you all dry these toys properly so they actually dry? They still all have water stuck in them/dripping everywhere.

2) How do you wash the toys you can't submerge? I just wiped them down with cloth dipped in the bleach solution then wiped with a clean wet cloth.

3) Do you do anything with the books?

I washed the barbies and dolls in my washing machine with the doll clothes etc.

I figured it can't hurt to do this, even if it is over kill it is probably good to do this at least once a year!

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My little next door neighbor is leukemia sufferer. She come my house a lot. Her Mommy and my oldest son went school together. Family friends for long, long time.

So we must take extra care to keep her safe because she not able to have immunizations like her siblings. This is reason no children who not had immunization in my care. We need herd immunity for her.

Plus, our house not big house like some modern home. It old fisherman's cottage. We live her for long time, since we marry so have to be quite tidy when spaces are smaller.

My routine is lots of disinfectant and disinfectant wipes and also bleach. It is lot of chemical but green cleaners not have same qualities we depend on here.

I have two sink in kitchen. Once always have bleach water for wiping down hard surfaces. Counter, high chairs, toilet seat, little stool smaller children use to get up to toilet, all wiped every use. It just take a couple seconds but once part of routine. Can seem like lot when not part of routine.

Every day after children go homes, every single toy is sprayed with aerosol Lysol. Everything. In Summer we try and be outside a lot because it does mean less spraying.

Every Friday night, my husband help me tip all toys into the tubs. We have two full bath and a shower room so the tubs not used really. We fill hot water and bleach and it all soak over night. Then we empty water and sort toys. For dripping toys, we stand so hole which water drip from is down in tub. They drip, drip, over Saturday and Sunday and normally dried out fully by then. Some toys we have to squeeze so water squirt out hole. Then leave to air dry.

Toys with battery that can't be in water, we sit in front of TV on Friday night and between us we wipe good with Lysol wipes. - Not so much rock and roll lifestyle in this house!

Baby book which thick or plastic we would wipe too. The lovely story books we have, we tend to spray but we put them away when neighbor little girl here because we know not so clean as other items. We have a plastic box with lid and they go there. What really good is my husband have Kindle so some of favourite story books now on there and we can wipe that down good.

Washing machine good tool to use. We sometimes fill and add bleach to top loader, then put toys inside little net bags from Dollar store and then add to the barrel of bleach water. This is our go to if having guests and need access to tubs in bathrooms. Can do same thing with nets in top of dishwasher too.

We likely do lot more than many people but this little girl special to us so we take extra care to make sure this place she able to come.

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Originally Posted by kindertime

I use diluted rubbing alcohol. Bleach and other chemicals are toxic and leave residue that you have to rinse off. Alcohol kills all and then evaporates away.

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This very interesting. I never considered this option.

Yes, the sterilizer is just a dishwaher looking machine that super steams everything. I suppose I can how a dishwasher isn't as good as a sterilizer. I don't run the toys with any dishes...just toys not sure if that would make a difference.

But, as far as I'm concerned if we lick the dishes that come out of the dishwasher then the toys are lick-able too! They come out clean but not sterilized.

Pretty sure bleaching toys in a bath doesn't result in completely sterilized toys either. There would be many points of contamination while taking them out and drying them. I just like to get the snot off the toys!

I don't believe we NEED to sterilize toys. The kids are in contact all day if they have something that contagious, odds are the kids are exposed before we have a chance to completely sterilize the toys.

But hey, I'm the parent that lets my kid eat food that fell on the floor, roll in mud and just get plain old filthy while exploring. We've never sterilized anything for her and she's only really been sick once.

Okay, so I got interested in this and decided to Google disinfect, sanitize and sterilize 'cuz I didn't actually know the difference. While doing this I came across a PDF from the University of Waterloo. I didn't read the whole thing, it's 18 pages but I looked up alcohol and bleach. So according to this, alcohol is not so good for surfaces after all, not bad exactly, but not as effective as I thought. The bleach section (hypochlorites) was interesting too. It loses effectiveness after 30 days (not one) and organic material inactivates it. (Blood, feces, etc)

Oh, and it says about Lysol (Phenolic Disinfectants): "The use of phenolics in nurseries is questioned because of toxicity to infants."

So in case anyone is interested.

https://uwaterloo.ca/safety-office/s...infectants.pdf

Oh, and one more thing. Does anyone else use bleach in the sand box? I spend a good deal of time in the spring (2+ hrs) with the garden hose and diluting attachment with bleach spraying the sandbox. Mine is a 14'x16' hole in the ground filled with sand. I'm in the country and there's lots of creatures around at night. Plus I have a cat (that's her to the left.) And even though I think I finally figured out the perfect way to keep the sand useable all summer, I still wonder what could possibly be in there.

I never clean the sand box. The thought actually never crossed my mind but I am not super big into disinfecting anything really. This was just a one off for me. I also don't stress if the kids eat it, heh heh

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Originally Posted by Lee-Bee

Yes, the sterilizer is just a dishwaher looking machine that super steams everything. I suppose I can how a dishwasher isn't as good as a sterilizer. I don't run the toys with any dishes...just toys not sure if that would make a difference.

But, as far as I'm concerned if we lick the dishes that come out of the dishwasher then the toys are lick-able too! They come out clean but not sterilized.

Pretty sure bleaching toys in a bath doesn't result in completely sterilized toys either. There would be many points of contamination while taking them out and drying them. I just like to get the snot off the toys!

I don't believe we NEED to sterilize toys. The kids are in contact all day if they have something that contagious, odds are the kids are exposed before we have a chance to completely sterilize the toys.

But hey, I'm the parent that lets my kid eat food that fell on the floor, roll in mud and just get plain old filthy while exploring. We've never sterilized anything for her and she's only really been sick once.

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I agree with you. All of us staff members didn't see an issue with it so we did it (toys separately at the end of the day but I don't think it made a difference) However, the health and safety inspector didn't approve of it.

A tub is probably even less sanitary haha. The health and safety person would probably die knowing that's how some of us clean LOL

Yes, most things are spread before the symptoms even appear unfortunately :(

I'm like that too!! When we eat our snacks and lunch outside...it ain't the cleanest food that makes it to their mouth sometimes! haha

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Originally Posted by kindertime

Oh, and one more thing. Does anyone else use bleach in the sand box? I spend a good deal of time in the spring (2+ hrs) with the garden hose and diluting attachment with bleach spraying the sandbox. Mine is a 14'x16' hole in the ground filled with sand. I'm in the country and there's lots of creatures around at night. Plus I have a cat (that's her to the left.) And even though I think I finally figured out the perfect way to keep the sand useable all summer, I still wonder what could possibly be in there.

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My aunt had a huge homemade sandbox for her 4 kids when they were quite young. They also live in the country and had cats. They ended up only using it for a couple of years because the cats used it as their personal litterbox (and god only knows what other creatures lol) and it was just too hard to keep clean! The kids would stink after playing in there! I'm not sure what you can do to clean it but there is probably something!

I don't have a sandbox in my yard but if I did, I really liked what I saw on pinterest. It was a little pop up tents with a zipper...I thought that would keep it nice and clean!

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Originally Posted by kindertime

Oh, and one more thing. Does anyone else use bleach in the sand box? I spend a good deal of time in the spring (2+ hrs) with the garden hose and diluting attachment with bleach spraying the sandbox. Mine is a 14'x16' hole in the ground filled with sand. I'm in the country and there's lots of creatures around at night. Plus I have a cat (that's her to the left.) And even though I think I finally figured out the perfect way to keep the sand useable all summer, I still wonder what could possibly be in there.

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I've never thought to clean sand! The daycares are required to have the sand boxes covered. They typically use a mesh-y kind of tarp that lies over top. It keeps animals from using it as a sandbox but still allows good airflow. I haven't a clue where you'd get one or how much they would cost but it might be worth looking into just to save the hassle of cleaning sand!!

Oh and Suzie...your house sounds so cozy!!

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Originally Posted by 5 Little Monkeys

Oh and Suzie...your house sounds so cozy!!

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Thank you. We like it a lot.

Mostly I just wash the toys to get the grubby hand stuff off them and not so much about worrying about sanitizing. I use the kitchen sink, dishsoap - figure if it's good enough for dishes we eat off it's ok for toys kids might lick too, and a toothbrush - bought a cheap one labeled hard. For toys like little people with a hole in the bottom I put my finger over the hole, do a quick dunk in the water and then hold the toy while scrubbing with the brush, another quick dunk in the other side that is either just water or a water bleach solution and then it gets put on a towel to drip on the counter. When the towel is full I transfer them over the table I have covered with a blanket and cotton sheet and the great thing is that above the table is a fan so put that on full and it helps a lot with drying time. I do a couple tables of stuff a week so all is done in rotation based on what the interest seems to be. The big stuff sits on the counter and I use the brush and a cloth to wipe down and then another cloth of just water to rinse.

I put a dab of hot glue in the holes in all my little people (just to stop from going in, they can still fit on the pegs in cars etc). Make a difference when washing.

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Originally Posted by Lee-Bee

I've never thought to clean sand! The daycares are required to have the sand boxes covered. They typically use a mesh-y kind of tarp that lies over top. It keeps animals from using it as a sandbox but still allows good airflow. I haven't a clue where you'd get one or how much they would cost but it might be worth looking into just to save the hassle of cleaning sand!!

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I used to use a regular tarp. At first I used sand bags at the corners to hold it down, but they always ripped and the tarp would fly away anyway. Then I used long tent peg like things at the corners but then the tarps ripped and would fly away. Then, because the sand was always covered and cool, the ants moved in. The ground around here is very sandy to begin with so that became unmanageable. So for a couple of years I didn't use the sandbox. But then last Spring I found a solution. The mesh tarp! I bought two from Lee Valley Tools. They are about 6'x13' and I also built a wooden frame/edge to sit on the ground around the sand. One tarp is permanently attached with staples into the wood on one side, it gets flipped open and closed. The other tarp lies on the sand with a play kitchen in one corner and a tent filled with sand in the other. It worked so well last summer, I wish I'd thought of it sooner.

This is maybe too much information, but the reason I stopped using it in the first place several years ago was because even though I had a tarp on it all the time, one of the kids still found a "lump" from the cat. By the time I realised what it was, it was in his hand... So gross!!

My stepdad is the best and he made me a sandbox that has a lid and when you open it then lid turns into benches! It's the best! If you know someone handy it's totally worth it to have one made. I'll try posting a link:

http://pethouse.en.alibaba.com/produ...o_Benches.html

Fun& care...I love those!! Lucky you....is your stepdad looking to adopt an older daughter who likes homemade presents?!? :p

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Originally Posted by 5 Little Monkeys

Fun& care...I love those!! Lucky you....is your stepdad looking to adopt an older daughter who likes homemade presents?!? :p

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Lol! I get so many compliments on it! I'm sure he could do a side business building sandboxes, I'd have tons of ppl interested!

My sandbox has a heavy wooden lid on it to keep animals and water out. The lid is on hinges, so I just flip it up and hook it to the fence.

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Originally Posted by Fun&care

Lol! I get so many compliments on it! I'm sure he could do a side business building sandboxes, I'd have tons of ppl interested!

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I bet he would do great! I've seen them on Pinterest a lot so I'm sure there'd be a big demand :)

My husband made a cedar wood sandbox last summer for our backyard. For a cover I bought outdoor furniture fabric, then we stapled one end of the fabric to a side of the sandbox, then created a pocket at the other end of the fabric so that a narrow pvc pipe would fit through it (like a curtain rod). When we want to use the sandbox we roll the excess fabric around the pvc pipe to uncover the sandbox, then pull it back over the sandbox to cover it when we are done. The pvc pipe is heavy enough that it hangs down over the side of the box and keeps it covered even if it is windy. The fabric is a nice patterned brown colour so that when we have it covered it isn't an eye sore.

It has worked really well, the whole summer went by without the sand getting dirty and it stayed animal poop free.

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Originally Posted by AmandaKDT

created a pocket at the other end of the fabric so that a narrow pvc pipe would fit through it (like a curtain rod).

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That sounds perfect! I think I will try that this year for the mesh I am using. Sounds less cumbersome than folding it back out of the way.:thumbup:

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Originally Posted by kindertime

That sounds perfect! I think I will try that this year for the mesh I am using. Sounds less cumbersome than folding it back out of the way.:thumbup:

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Thanks! Just make sure the pipe isn't laying on the ground when the mesh is pulled over the sandbox, it has to hang down so the weight of it keeps the sandbox covered.

Love the pipe idea because I want a bigger box but right now use a board to cover it which I have to lift off every day - great for keeping sand dry and pest free but no way could I manage anything bigger than I lift now. The pipe idea is great and could even have a bar put inside the pipe if it needed to be more weighted but once on the box it would roll to open and close.

The pipe idea is so smart!!