“How do I clean my kids’ toys?” might be one of the questions I’m asked most often. Time and again, my friends (who used to ask me if their butts looked good in their tightest clubbing outfit) are now asking me how to clean toys.  Oh, friends, how the times have changed.  Friends aside, a TON of community members are parents and ask me this very question. So, for all of you who will now be forever referring to this post, here’s how it is done safely, quickly and effectively.  Remember that frequency is up to mom and dad.  There are recommendations, however, some parents are less stringent than others.  It is entirely your call, much like your parenting style.

How to Clean Plush Toys

Most plush toys come with a care label, and that should be reviewed to determine the appropriate cleaning procedure.  Many will say to hand wash only, and that’s fine.  However, if you are dead set on putting them in the wash, you certainly can.  If it doesn’t need a wash but has just become dusty, you can quickly vacuum the fur of the toy. This is a great trick. You simply place old pantyhose over a vacuum brush attachment and vacuum the dust off the toy.  If the toy does require a deeper clean there are a couple of snags you may hit along the way.  Crinkle toys might not crinkle anymore, and faux fur or stuffed animal ‘hair’ may frizz up or mat never to be returned to normal.

What plush toys should not go in the washing machine?

You are welcome to risk whatever you wish, it’s the wrath of your child you need to consider. Heed these fair warnings and you should be OK. Do not machine wash if:

  1. The toy contains a music box
  2. The toy is old and/or fragile
  3. The toy has glued on items like sequins, ribbon etc.  However, glued-on eyes can probably handle a wash
  4. The toy has delicate items on that can’t be removed (little outfits or accessories)
  5. The toy is stuffed with anything but polyester batting, like tiny foam balls or beans.

The Washing Machine

Keep in mind that a top-load washing machine, due to the agitator, may displace the batting of the animals.  But with a high-efficiency washer, you’re in good shape.  Regular detergent is fine, and I’d use something safe for baby i.e. dye and scent-free.  Consider adding in a scoop of oxygen bleach powder to the wash if they are stained or smelly.  Then, take an old pillowcase and throw the plush toys into the pillowcase.  Close it up with a white pipe-cleaner, twist tie or piece of fine wire (or perhaps use a pillow cover with a zipper instead) and place in the wash.  I’d recommend using a delicate or gentle wash cycle with cool or warm (not hot) water.  If the water gets too hot, it can melt glued-on items (leading to a very sad child).  When the wash cycle is done, pull out the toys and brush the fur with a fine-tooth comb to re-fluff it.

You have a couple of drying options too.  You can place the pillowcase in the dryer on the fluff-cycle (never leave unattended) or, remove the stuffed animals and hang them to dry or dry them in the sun. Treat the toys like clothing and wash like colors together.  You may want to consider washing them with towels instead of clothing just in case a toy’s colors run in the wash.  Your plush toys should be in tip-top shape!

Hand Washing

For toys that claim to be hand wash only or that fall under one of the 5 points mentioned above, simply hand wash with a mild detergent (try to use scent-free if you can). Do so by immersing a clean cloth in a mixture of dish soap and water or baby shampoo and water.  Massage the mixture gently over the toy, working in a circular motion.  Then, rinse the cloth well and begin to remove the soapy residue with the cloth.  Let it air dry either by hanging up indoors or laying out in the sun.

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How to Clean Plastic, Rubber or Silicone Toys Without Batteries

Softer plastic and rubber toys

You are best to wash them in the sink as opposed to a dishwasher since these materials are more susceptible to melting or deteriorating in hot water. To clean them, simply add a squirt of dish soap to a sink, bucket or basin and add in warm water.  Then, clean the toy by wiping it with a soft cloth or an old toothbrush.   Rinse well in cool water.  Now, to disinfect the toys, spray the toys with a 50/50 mix of rubbing alcohol and water and let them stand for a minute.  Rinse again and lay flat to dry.  Clean and sanitized!  I don’t believe in using chlorine bleach so this is a perfectly safe alternative.  If you don’t care about the toys all that much, feel free to place them in a delicates bag, lay the bag on the top rack of the dishwasher and run through a water-only sanitizing cycle in your dishwasher (and don’t have dirty dishes in there either).  It’s your call, but if the toys melt don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Hard plastic toys

Toys like rattles, Lego, Duplo, etc. can be thrown into a delicates bag and placed in the dishwasher as mentioned above.

Silicone toys

These can go into the dishwasher (top rack, as above) or can be boiled in a pot for cleaning and sanitizing.

How to Clean Plastic, Rubber or Silicone Toys with Batteries

Whether it is battery-operated or plug-in, power toys simply cannot be immersed in water. Begin by removing the batteries and/or unplugging the toy.  Then, dip a cloth in soapy water and wash the exterior of the toy. Be careful not to get any moisture near the battery box or wiring.  As well, make sure that no moisture gets into the gaps between moving parts.  To sanitize the toy, mix 50/50 rubbing alcohol and water in a bowl and saturate your cloth in the mixture and wring it out well.  Wipe it over the ‘safe’ parts of the toy.  Rubbing alcohol dries quickly, but if needed, you can wipe it off to remove the excess moisture.

How to Clean Dolls with Hair (Barbie, Ken, My Little Pony etc.)

I had multiple ‘hair toys’ when I was growing up.  And to this day, I love my hair so perhaps I have my Barbies and Ponies to thank.  However, I didn’t know these cleaning tips back then and they could have really helped.

Hair

For doll hair (aka thin plastic strands), here’s what you can do.  Shampoo the doll’s hair using a couple of drops of dish soap or baby soap and massage into the hair, if the hair is woven into the scalp. However, if the hair is glued on, don’t bother, it will likely fall out.  Then, rinse well with cool water and lay flat to dry, ideally comb to avoid tangling.  If you notice the hair is seriously knotted or matted, soak the strands in a small bowl of conditioner and water overnight and then rinse out.  Comb gently to remove the knots and lay flat to dry.  This may sound silly, but never blow dry the hair.

Body

You can clean these hard plastic bodies with a couple of easy tricks.  To remove marks and stains, create a tiny amount of paste with oil and baking soda.  With a cotton swab, apply to the stains in a circular motion, then rinse the area with a dampened cloth. Make sure you don’t remove any paint (facial features, nail polish) when doing this!  For tougher stains, use a tad of nail polish remover on a cotton swab, then rinse the area well.

To disinfect these toys, create a 50/50 mix of rubbing alcohol and water in a clean spray bottle and simply mist the toy from head to toe.  After a minute, wipe with a dry cloth and voila, clean and disinfected.

How to Clean Wood Toys

According to my research, wood has anti-bacterial properties.  However, as a parent, I have trouble taking that at face value. So instead, soak a cloth in white vinegar and wipe the toys down occasionally.  Vinegar will clean and acts as a mild disinfectant, so I consider this a great cleaning method for wooden toys.  They don’t need to be cleaned very often, but if they do need a good cleanse, this is all you need to do.  The vinegar smell will dissipate within minutes.

Why is Toy Cleaning Important?

There are tons of reasons, but for me, the biggest one would be to keep kids as healthy as possible. Kids are always getting sick and because they are always playing with toys (and each other), cleaning toys is crucial to keeping germs at bay, especially during the colder indoor months.

Some Quick Tips

  • Clean fallen toys with a baby wipe if you are out and can’t properly clean the toy.
  • For parents who want to be chemical-free, use a steam cleaner to steam clean toys, playpens, baby carriers and high chairs for easy and effective cleaning and sanitizing, wipe clean with a cloth.
  • Clean baby and toddler toys once or twice weekly, since they often go in a child’s mouth and are potentially shared with other children.  Children’s toys can be cleaned monthly and plush toys can be cleaned a couple times per year.

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A comprehensive guide to cleaning baby and kids' toys, using safe and non-toxic methods! | From Clean My Space.
A comprehensive guide to cleaning baby and kids’ toys, using safe and non-toxic methods! | From Clean My Space.
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Melissa Maker is an entrepreneur, cleaning expert, founder of Toronto’s most popular boutique cleaning service, and star of the Clean My Space channel on YouTube (but she still hates to clean!). Every week, Melissa delivers new videos dishing expert advice on cleaning products, tools, DIY substitutes, and practical, timesaving solutions to everyday problems. Melissa has appeared on the Today Show, and has been featured in InStyle, Real Simple, and Better Homes and Gardens.

41 COMMENTS

  1. it is a good information about the cleanliness. as cleanliness should be the top most priority. toys should be cleaned from time to time so that the germs in them should not effect the children.

  2. Great article really loved it, Very helpful for new mums.,This is done really well – I appreciate the work you put in, I imagine it wasn’t easy. really looking forward to read more.

  3. My son has a few plush teddy bears that he loves and they have gotten very dirty because he likes to play with them outside, and I am not sure how best to wash them. You make a great point that most plush toys can actually be put in the washing machine because this makes it easy and will save me a lot of time. Also, it makes sense that I can leave out the toy to dry or put it in the dryer depending on the toy.

  4. I have an Air Baby Doll. Her body is like a balloon which u can inflate or deflate. But the arms and legs are soft. It is my daughter’s favourite toy but the arms and legs really need a clean.

    How would I clean her.

  5. Kids seem to find a way to lick everything! It’s definitely gross, so make life a little more sanitary by learning how to properly clean all of your children’s toys. These are some great tips to cleaning kids toys. Thanks for sharing.

  6. Keeping everything cleaned , especially baby stuffs are very tough. Sometimes it seems I am cleaning all day long , but at the end i messed up everything. Any suggestion for me?

  7. Thanks, Melissa. Our family will be welcoming the first grandkids in January/February. trying to save money – never expected two at the same time and realize that that doubles most expenses – is moving us into discovering the joys of thrifting and consignments. I appreciate the idea of buying toys at a fraction of the cost ….BUuuuuuuut… the fear of germs is scary.
    I’ll use your tips here to make me feel a WHOLE lot safer!

  8. You can also purchase a UV wand that sanitizes surfaces with light. I’ve had good luck with this at my office where I see children and adults who sometimes come in sick

  9. Thank you so much. I don’t like chlorine either and will use the diluted rubbing alcohol solution. As a grandmother of 3 very young grandchildren from different households, I need to keep the toys clean. This article showed me how to take care of them all.

  10. Oh, so great tips! I have a great problem with cleaning my son’s toys. All the rubber animals get dirty so fast. Besides my son has his teeth growing and he’s biting everything. You’ve given me so good ideas. Thank you!

  11. Informative post!! I don’t have a dishwasher though.. could I put hard toys in a delicates bag and dump it in the washing machine with a cold wash cycle?

    Thanks!!

  12. How do you clean (sterilize) baby toys that can’t get wet…using a clothing steam cleaner? What would I put in the water (and how much) to ensure it is properly sterilized. It still feels yucky after I’ve steamed it using plain water. It’s yucky from my son’s drool/spit. Yuck!! Help! He loves that toy but I can’t let him play with it as it is. HELP!!!

  13. Great tips! I use a 80% white vinegar to 20% water solution to clean our bath toys. Cleans them up a treat and kills the mold too. Cheers, Josie 🙂

  14. Thanks for the tips. My daughter has a ton of plastic dinosaurs and other assorted animals the she plays with all the time. She has asked me to clean them since they are constantly getting dirty. She actually asked me to go online to find out how to clean her dinosaurs. She is only 5 but I hope this means she will stay interested in keeping her things clean and in good condition.

    • I would toss it outside and give is a good shampoo with a dove bar and some water or any other mild soapy water. If there are dirty spots, you could just directly scrub them with soap. Then hose the whole thing down.. Let it dry outside.

  15. I would like to know how to clean rubber bath toys on the inside. I just discard them when they start showing that black buildup inside, after about a couple months of use.

  16. Hi, Need your help to clean my 2 month old son’s pram & a rocking chair we got for him from fisher price. Both these products cannot be put into the washing machine. If you could please guide me as to how to go about with the cleaning of both these items.

  17. Love this How-To. I was just cleaning and disinfecting toys yesterday (I couldn’t have found this a day earlier?!) And was at a loss for how to clean my boys’ wooden blocks! Well, now I know! Thanks!

    • Alohol is a disinfectant indeed, but better if use in a solution of about 70% with water. That’s what we use on our countertop in the lab I work.

    • Alcohol DOES disinfect. It’s the main ingredient in hand sanitizer. It’s a common misconception that vinegar and hydrogen peroxide are all-purpose disinfectants. They have their place, but don’t kill everything.
      🙂

  18. I used the baby wipes to clean EVERYTHING but I do know of people who put the toys in the dishwasher for a good sanitization. I guess with or without soap, the heat from the dishwasher can kill lots of germs too. Just beware I guess that some may come out a little distorted.

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