As a mom you are aware that cleanliness is your best defense against disease, so you must take particular care to practice this health tip. You also have to apply this to your children’s toys because these are sources of germs and bacteria that are harmful to your children’s health. Make a mental note of bath toys which your children like to play with during bath time. Just because these toys are in water it doesn’t mean that they are always clean. That is not the case as these bath toys can be dirty even in water.

Choose bath toys appropriate for your child’s age. Avoid toys which are too small or those that can be swallowed or put into their mouths. Make sure that the bath toys are non-toxic, check for labels on toys that describe what contents they are made from.

Remember to take the bath toys out of the tub and shake the water out of them. Make sure to squeeze out all the water inside the toys. You can wipe them clean with a clean rag and dry them out in the sun inside a mesh bag.

You can also clean these toys in the dishwasher at least once a week. Use some detergent, wash and rinse well before drying them under the sun or you can air dry them too.

Prepare a mixture of 3 parts of hot water and 1 part vinegar and soak the toys for about 10 minutes in case you have no dishwasher. Try to do this method at least once a week to ensure cleanliness of these toys. Avoid using bleach since this is a harmful chemical to your children’s health.

Throw away toys that are damaged or have holes in them. These are places where bacteria and mold are likely to be present.

There are toys that need to be thoroughly scrubbed; make sure to scrub well to get rid of mildew or molds on the toys. Use a good detergent then rinse well and air dry. You can also make use of an old toothbrush to clean the toys. This is good for toys with ridges and small corners so you can clean all of its parts. Make use of clips or hangers to air dry the toys.

If stuffed toys are used as bath toys, be sure to wash the stuffed toys in the washing machine and then dry them out under the sun.

Don’t let the bath toys stay in the water for a long time. As soon as the bath is over gather all the toys, clean and dry them out. Remember to clean and wash your mesh bag on a weekly basis. Always make it a habit to put all the cleaned toys in a clean mesh bag for the next bath time.

Jonathan Pitts

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