• Home
  • About Me
  • DIY/Crafts
  • Tales From A Sewing Mom

Tales From A Southern Mom

The life and adventures of a Southern California mom, with a Southern Heart!

  • Home
    • About Me!
    • PR/Media Kit
  • Tales and Tips from Mom and Dad
    • Tales From Dad
    • Articles from Mom
  • Food
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Dinner Time
    • Desserts
    • Side Dishes
    • 30 Minute Meals
    • Fix It & Forget It
    • Kid-Friendly
  • Pets
  • 2021 Back to School Gift Guide

Cleaning Bath Toys!

butterflybutterfly

01/21/14 | Family Life

Spread the love
      Yum  

kidtub

So we have a ton of bath toys, and when I say bath toys I use that term very loosely, what we really have is a bathtub full of things that the two yr old thinks she needs to have in the tub.  We have hard water and everything is just getting nasty in there so I decided I would try to figure out some ways to clean bath toys or at least get them a bit cleaner.

toys

First thing is if it’s got black growth or heavy mildew, better to just throw them out, they are not worth the effort to get clean and are probably putting off some bad junk into the tub.  Remember, tubs are supposed to be about getting clean.

Therefore, as far as actually cleaning them I have found a few things that are suggested.  Washing in the dishwasher with commercial dishwasher detergent that includes bleach.   I have tried this and while I think they were cleaner theoretically, I do not think they looked any better.  Well it could be the hard water is in the dishwasher too.  So, next on the to do’s is fill the tub about ¼ full and add a cup of bleach and soak the toys for an hour, rinse thoroughly and then let out in the sun to dry.  For me this would be my last resort, I hate the smell of bleach.  If you do not mind the smell this might work for you.  Dish soap and an old toothbrush, this seems like a good idea if you have a few small toys that need to be cleaned but if you have a tub full like us, it’s just not going to be feasible to do.  Then there is good old vinegar, soak bath toys much like the bleach soak but use vinegar instead and then rinse and dry in the sun.  Vinegar is a wonder cleaner, I might try this one the next time I have things that are a little dirty but I don’t think it is going to do much good on things that are as yucky as ours are at this point.

vinegar

Here are a few unconvential options you can try.   Washing them in your washing machine with soap, vinegar and baking soda then drying in the sun.  I have read as well that you can use your dishwasher with just vinegar in there to get them clean.

toothbrush

I don’t know but I think the real thing is they need to make bath toys that resist mold and mildew and don’t collect all the gunk on them that we don’t want.  Maybe someday they will come up with something like that.  In the meantime, I think I am going to just trash what we have and buy some new bath time toys.  Maybe that is the best way to get them clean.  What do you do and what has worked for you.  Would love to know!

  • Tweet
  • Email

Comments | 5 comments

« SmartKlean Laundry Kit Giveaway!
Bloggers Wanted: Timi & Leslie Marie Antoinette Gemstone Collection Bag Giveaway! 2/3-2/17 »
branch with flowers plum

Comments

  1. Sandy VanHoey says

    April 19, 2014 at 11:55 am

    Thank you for these suggestions. My grandkids love playing with toys in the tub and I always want them to have clean toys to play with.

    Reply
  2. Heidi says

    March 19, 2014 at 12:46 am

    Moldy bath toys are the worst. Blech. I have a rule after bath time everyone must step on the duckies ( to get the water out) it’s kinda fun and makes them last a little longer.

    Reply
  3. Tamara says

    February 7, 2014 at 11:17 pm

    These are some awesome tips. I am one who use to just toss and get new ones or toss in bleach but then then i would soak for for a while to rinse off. Sadly we don’t do toys in the tub anymore since we don’t have one.

    Reply
  4. Nancy Bobbert says

    January 21, 2014 at 9:52 pm

    I’ll be the first to admit that I used to routinely throw out my kids bath toys. Every couple of months I would just toss the old ones and buy new ones. Better safe than sorry. My kids are a bit too old for bath toys now, though.

    Reply
  5. Jenn says

    January 21, 2014 at 9:29 pm

    For the really grubby looking toys, I spray them with bleach, then put them through the dishwasher. I like the vinegar suggestion – I’ll have to give that a shot!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Check Out Chromebooks for Kids

Are you looking for the best Chromebook for Kids?

Vote For Me!

See More badges  photo ENMNButton_zpsqwrjoaxe.jpg

.

Are you just here for the food? CLICK HERE!

gold bathroom faucets ᐧ

Jeulia Wedding Jewelry 2021

My Pinterventures


Share Crafts - The DIY Dreamer

 

clairejustine

Copyright © 2023 · Tales From A Southern Mom design by Carla

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.