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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

Cleaning baby toys ...

29 replies

Shell001 · 13/01/2008 21:15

Hi

Can anyone tell me about how to clean plastic toys eg teethers and rattles ? hot water soap dettol ...???

OP posts:
muppetgirl · 13/01/2008 21:17

I stick most things plastic in the diswasher on the top shelf. Other wise HOT as you can take it soapy water and a scrubbing brush.

octavia · 13/01/2008 21:20

I always used milton

Original poster
Shell001 · 13/01/2008 21:20

Daily ?

OP posts:
Original poster
Shell001 · 13/01/2008 21:21

I have milton wipes for tha bath and highchair ?

OP posts:
bossybritches · 13/01/2008 21:22

Hot soapy water daily & Milton once a week or when particularly well -gummed!!

(daily Milton if/when tummy bugs/colds doing the rounds)

OverMyDeadBody · 13/01/2008 21:23

antibacterial spray. Every couple of days. Spray on, leave a few minutes, rinse off with clean cloth and hot water. For smaller plastic rattles etc. stick in dishwasher.

FrannyandZooey · 13/01/2008 21:24

Shell you don't need to get too fussed about this - it is a good idea to be scrupulous about hygiene in your baby's first few weeks but after that I would relax and let a few germs get in

hot soapy water for anything you feel is a bit grubby is fine. You don't need to do this every day unless your house is very dirty for some reason - pets or whatever

FrannyandZooey · 13/01/2008 21:24

I really would not use antibacterial spray on anything a baby is going to put in their mouth...

anchovies · 13/01/2008 21:25

In my house everything goes in either the dishwasher or washing machine. But don't dishwash those plastic bath books they don't like it and make a right mess.

inamuckingfuddle · 13/01/2008 21:26

I jsut used to put them in the dishwasher every so often

IdrisTheDragon · 13/01/2008 21:26

Can't remember ever cleaning DS and DD's baby toys .

RGPargy · 13/01/2008 21:28

Same here Idris lol.

This time around tho i will be sticking plastics in the dishwasher once a week (maybe) and washing other stuff once a fortnight week.

crokky · 13/01/2008 21:34

Depends what has happened to the toy!

eg if it belongs to a really young baby and has fallen in mud, I'd like to get the worst of the mud off then dishwash it (providing it is dishwasher safe!)

if it has just been on the mat with a baby, I wouldn't clean it ever (unless it was extremely well chewed, bitten, permanently covered in spit!)

if it is just dusty or something like that, I would wipe it with a baby wipe.

Would not like to put antibac spray on something going in a baby's mouth.

RGPargy · 13/01/2008 21:36

Yeah i'd just run stuff under the tap if it got dusty/muddy etc. Babies need some germs to keep them healthy!

OverMyDeadBody · 13/01/2008 21:43

F&Z antibac spray is meant to be sprayed on and then rinsed off, so no harm to do that to baby's toys surely? Agree wouldn't spray it on and then just leave it on though.

FrannyandZooey · 13/01/2008 21:50

I would not like it on anything going in a baby's mouth personally

rinsing something does not remove all traces of it as we all know if we have got something strong smelling on our hands for instance

Original poster
Shell001 · 13/01/2008 21:52

Thanks i ll take your advise onboard ..

OP posts:
OverMyDeadBody · 13/01/2008 21:56

I guess hot water really is the safest option then.

FrannyandZooey · 13/01/2008 22:02

I think so - I reckon hot water would get rid of most germs anyway, don't you? I think anti-bac stuff has been linked with health concerns - nothing concrete, but lots of mutterings and maybes - and triclosan, which is a big antibacterial agent (although I don't think that will be in your spray), is definitely dodgy

mumbear · 13/01/2008 22:16

According to Kim and Aggie mouthwash is best its antibacterial and tastes nice! and ist not gonna do anything bad. Dont think id use antibac that cant be good?!

FrannyandZooey · 13/01/2008 22:17

I wouldn't give a baby mouthwash either

that is for adults

OverMyDeadBody · 13/01/2008 22:18

Yep hot water definately gets rid of most germs. Sorry, years of working in a commercial kitchen making high risk food has brainwashed me into assuming antibacs are essential, but actually, in the home, they really aren't are they?! After all, we want our kids to develop some immunity right, not bring them up in sterile bubbles!

coby · 13/01/2008 22:22

Best way of getting it properly clean without resorting to anti-bac stuff (totally unneccessary) is to wash in WARM soapy water first then rinse off in hot water without any soap in it. Washing in hot immediately will not necessarily remove all the different grease deposits that can build up(from hands etc) if grease remains then so can bacteria underneath it. The hot rinse will remove any bugs than remain once the grease is removed.

Yes I know it sounds ridiculous that hot water might set greasey type stuff and not melt it but 'tis true ...honest!

IdrisTheDragon · 13/01/2008 22:28

I think if a toy fell in mud I would have washed it. I am not totally unhygenic.

FrannyandZooey · 14/01/2008 08:57

oh fabulous I love this in depth knowledge of how to wash things I'll remember that coby