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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

How often do you clean toys?

34 replies

chocolatepig · 02/12/2007 21:15

I was round a friends the other day and she told me she 'miltoned' her dd's (2 yrs) toys every week (and she's got lots!)
I give some of my dd's toys a wipe over with a bit of kitchel towel on the odd occasion, but I think she meant all the toys...is it me, the amount of revolting toys they come into contact at playgroups etc, does it matter?

OP posts:
Wallace · 02/12/2007 21:18

um, never

unless they get puked on/smeared with food/etc

friend sounds a bit barmy!

MaeWestYeMerryGentlemen · 02/12/2007 21:19

You're supposed to clean them???

LedodgyChristmasjumper · 02/12/2007 21:19

Same as Wallace! I'm all for building up immunity.

VanillaPumpkin · 02/12/2007 21:20

Your friend is mad. Is her dd ill alot? If not she will be if she can't build up any resistance to stuff. At least that is my theory and I am sticking to it .
I'm with Wallace on this one.

sparklyjen · 02/12/2007 21:22

Never

mrsruffallo · 02/12/2007 21:25

Never

ChasingSquirrels · 02/12/2007 21:29

only if they have vomit on them, or LOTS of sticky food (ie if child had a banana in hand and squidged it all over something).

coldtits · 02/12/2007 21:31

She's an idiot.

It ranks up there with ironing bras and herding goldfish as a contender in "Top ten ways to make yourself feel useful without changing the outcome of anything at all"

I clean them (with a cloth) when they look grubby.

DontCallMeSantaBaby · 02/12/2007 21:34

I bleach the bath toys when the black mould gets really unsightly. Other than that, I'm with VanillaPumpkin and Ledodgy - hygiene hypothesis, I love it.

coldtits · 02/12/2007 21:35

It's not hygiene! it's a woman in desperate need of volunteer work!

CharlieAndLolasMummy · 02/12/2007 21:37

do what?

woodenchair · 02/12/2007 21:38

aren't germs good for them?

yomellamoHelly · 02/12/2007 21:42

Did for first time whilst "nesting" for ds2 - so after almost 3 years. Was quite disgusted by the state of a lot of them tbh. Repeated the process a month ago (so a year after the first clean) and it was alot easier. Just used hot soapy water both times though.

perpetualworrier · 02/12/2007 21:43

No! they need germs . I know someone who gets through 2 bottles of dettol spray a week ( would last a year in our house), but her Dc's seem to always have a chest infection/ear infection etc.

Bet dd's an only child, by the time she'd got a couple more, they'll be eating food off the floor and all sorts.

wheresthehamster · 02/12/2007 21:45

Only when I give them away to someone I know who might talk about me

seeker · 02/12/2007 21:45

I remember babysitting for a friend once. After the bath, her ds - then aged about 4 said very accusingly "You haven't dried the bath toys!" Mind you, he once spent the weekend with us, and on the second night said, in the same tone "I wore these pjyamas LAST night!" (slack mum emoticon)

wheresthehamster · 02/12/2007 21:48

I once saw a programme about nannies and a woman was complaining about her nanny because she sometimes forgot to sterilise the toys after they'd been played with

ruddynorah · 02/12/2007 21:49

never

coldtits · 02/12/2007 21:53
essanel · 02/12/2007 21:59

Nope as previous posts only when squished food or worse and i find that fairy liqiud and hot water works the best. I also agree with the hygiene issue.... my sis was like the dettol woman and cleaned everything in site, never had any pets and nephew has always had cold/ear infections etc whereas my dd has only had the odd cold therefore I actually feel quite proud to have built up her resistance!!!!!!!

ChasingSquirrels · 02/12/2007 22:06

have to say that I too go with the germ theory, nothing is overly clean in our house and we have a dog - however ds1 seemed to have colds all the time for the first few years, and ds2 is following suit.

Original poster
chocolatepig · 02/12/2007 22:23

Oh good am relieved!
I also have a 9 month old and don't bother with his either, I was also under the impression it's good to let them build up their immune system, but it was nagging a bit at me - should have trusted my instincts
I do love this site!

OP posts:
serinsingingcarols · 03/12/2007 14:37

Bought a big box of Lego in a charity shop that was grotty, so filled bath with v hot
water and washing up liquid and stirred it all round a bit. Left it all out in the sun to dry.
Thats the only time I can remember washing a toy, (except for cuddlies!)

MerryKerryXmas · 03/12/2007 14:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Misdee · 03/12/2007 14:49

kerry, stick them in the freezer overnight works as well

i never clean toys unless they get peed/sicked on. or dragged through several muddy puddles.

cant have bath toys, dd's eczema bath addictive rots all plastic toys and they sort of 'melt' after a while.