How to Sanitize Children's Toys

As a parent, it's important to protect your child from potential illnesses, but it's almost impossible to prevent it entirely. With a few simple steps, however, you can minimize your child's germ exposure from toys, which are constantly in contact with a young child's mouth. For those with a dishwasher, sanitizing is simple. You place the plastic toys, without batteries, into the dishwasher and wash with hot water and soap. But if you aren't able to use a dishwasher, you can still sanitize your children's toys without a lot of work.

Things You'll Need

• Toys Hot water Dish detergent Sink or bucket Bleach Warm water Sponge or rag Washer Laundry detergent

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Instructions

• 1

  Gather any toy that comes in contact with your child's mouth, like teething toys, pacifiers, etc. Wash the toys with hot water and soap before sanitizing. Remove any grease, food and dirt.

• 2

  Fill your sink or bucket with warm water.

• 3

  Add the appropriate amount of bleach to the water. For each quart of water, you should add 1 tbsp. of bleach OR for each gallon of water, you should add 1/4 cup of bleach.

• 4

  Dip the washed toys into the bleach solution. Place them on a dish rack to air-dry. If the toy has batteries, you can use a dishrag or sponge to wipe the outside of the toy before placing it on the dish rack to dry. Larger toys can also be sanitized by using a dishrag.

• 5

  Place toys made of fabric into your washer and wash them with soap and hot water to sanitize.