Safe disinfection of toys

Do children's toys need to be disinfected? If so, should it be done every day or is it enough once a week or maybe once a month? How to disinfect toys to make them safe for our little ones? What preparations and cleaning methods should be used for different surfaces and materials? In the article below, we will try to dispel these doubts.

The arrival of a newborn at home can turn the world of newly born parents upside down. The organization of our current life is changing, and it is entirely, mainly at the beginning, subordinated to the needs of the baby. Young parents pay special attention to cleanliness around the child and its hygiene. This includes we take care of washing and washing clothes in appropriate preparations. With the same commitment, you should also take care of baby toys, which, after all, most often end up in a toddler's mouth.

Toy disinfection

The SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic made us pay much more attention to the topic of disinfection. As a society, we have understood the importance of such basic activities as long enough hand washing, especially immediately after coming home from the store, from work or from a walk. Many people, to this day, carry a tiny package of disinfectant with them. Young parents should pay special attention to the immediate environment of their children. Including the topic of disinfecting toys.

Toy disinfection: methods

We distinguish the following disinfection methods:

• physical: using steam and UV rays;
• chemical: by means of substances and compounds;
• chemical-thermal: combination of chemicals with high temperature.

Specialized disinfection with ozonators, lamps or industrial steam devices is most often used in places where there are large clusters of bacteria and viruses, such as: clinics, hospitals, but also nurseries and kindergartens. In these places, especially during a pandemic, special attention is paid to disinfecting toys.

Disinfection of toys at home

At home, we most often use liquids and sprays to safely disinfect toys. On this topic, security is of the utmost importance. The choice of disinfectants on the market is huge. When choosing one to disinfect toys, pay attention especially to its composition.

Children with great pleasure put everything that is in their hands into their mouths. That is why we must carefully check the composition of toy disinfectants. In addition, we should follow a few basic rules that you can read below.

Preparations that we will use for disinfection:

• they must be non-toxic;
• should be matched to the surfacewhich we will clean so that they do not damage it;
• cannot irritate baby skin;
• they must remove not only bacteria, but also viruses and mushrooms.

Remember to follow the safety rules placed on the packaging, e.g. do not shorten the waiting time for using the toy after using the preparation.

Plastic and wood

Plastic toys without batteries are the easiest to disinfect. It's best to wash them well with warm soapy water and then sprinkle them with toy disinfectant, following the directions on the bottle.

Wooden toys are also quite easy to clean, especially if they are covered with paint or varnish. Then we can easily wipe them with a damp cloth, previously soaked with detergent for disinfection.

A little more work needs to be put into disinfecting raw wood. At home, we can prepare a mixture of olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice. Soda also has disinfecting properties. On the basis of soda and vinegar, you can prepare a homemade, ecological liquid for disinfecting toys. However, we should bear in mind that it will be less effective than chemical preparations available in stores.

Soft toys and fabrics

While washing and disinfecting plastic and wooden toys is not too difficult, it is a bit more difficult with stuffed animals and all kinds of textile toys. We can get rid of mites by putting the stuffed animals in the freezer overnight and then washing them. They do not like low and high temperatures.

However, freezing will not kill bacteria and viruses.

How to disinfect toys to get rid of all dangerous pests?

How often should I disinfect toys?

Many parents are bothered by the question: How often should you disinfect the toys to keep your baby clean and not overdo it? Well, always disinfect a new toythat is to fall into the hands of our child. Toy disinfection is also necessary each time we were in a larger group of children who shared toys. We also disinfect toys after the illness of the child or household members and if a pet lives in the house.

In other cases, let's do it once a week. We should also remember that excessive hygiene and sterility may also impair the child's immunity.