Sicknesses!!

When I worked in daycare we used 1 TBL of Bleach to 1 Gallon of water and put it in spray bottles to disinfect the toys. You just have to be careful of using a bleach product and a product with ammonia they can cause a bad reaction. Also, you can run toys through the dishwasher with hot water. Good luck, hope the weather changes don't make anybody sick again!

When I was in Nanny school we visited a Preschool for the day to help out. We used bleach and water to disinfect toys. One capfull with a bucket full of water. It didn't leach the colors and cleaned them well.

Glorox wipes works well for me!!
By the way...don't be afraid to have the kids get some germs...it creates a good immunity system in them and makes them stronger in the long run...
I had six and they are all healthy and strong grown ups now!!
Love
Big Mama

Hi J.,
I was worried about this when my son was 2. How do I clean, have the products santized but have them safe for more son. Didn't want to use bleach and frankly it bothered my asthma and didn't like the idea of residue. I switched to products with tea tree or Melaleuca oil in them because it's naturally anti-bacterial. They now have one that is also strong enough for licensed day cares and hospitals. There are many alternatives out there.
Health and Blessings,
S.
http://www.YesToSuccess.net/S.
creating health and wealth one family at a time.

I worked in a daycare environment for many years before having my own child. I have found that the toys that can survive a dishwasher are the best. Anything that would be ruined if placed in the the dishwasher I would wipe with bleach water. Clorox is now selling a all surface cleaner that is suppose to be safe for children as well. Hope this helps!

I get worried even using the sanitizing wipes!!!! I like using very effective cleaners like Seventh generation all purpose. There are no ingredients that will harm your children if there is any residue. You could also make your own cleaner with tea tree oil in it. There is a whole recipe thread listed at frunchymama.com for all kinds of natural cleaning products you can make yourself.

Since your daughter will be putting them in her mouth, I wouldn't use any chemicals. I would soak them in very hot soapy water than wash with hot soapy water than rinse with hot water. Hope that helps.

Watered down bleach is best just don't allow your children to play with the toys right after you clean them...Really just wipe the toys down, what I do is I have a spray bottle that is full of watered down bleach and what I do is not only spray some of the toys, but I spray the cloth (damp it) and then wipe the toys down and not let my son play with them for a little bit and that's that...I also sometimes use the lysol spray.

I use a spray bottle of white vinegar for EVERYTHING, it kills 99.9% of germs, plus it's much safer than bleach. You can also put some white vinegar in a sink of hot water, and soak your toys in that, works great!

Yes, use the dish washer for most hard toys, and the washing machine for stuffed toys. I always had great success with this! Also for around the house instead of bleach use hydogen peroxide and water about 50/50. Here is a site:

http://www.angelfire.com/az/sthurston/hydrogen_peroxide.html

This tell the wonderful uses of hydrogen peroxide!

I swear by the Clorox Hard Surface spray. It doesn't have bleach in it and you just spray and it dry. The times I have used it when others in my house have been sick, no one else has gotten sick!

I heard that new stuff on the market is good, I think it's a Lysol product. I'm sure you've seen the commercials, it says it's safe for all surfaces and they show the lady spraying it right by her child. I don't use it but my child's kindergarten teacher uses it. I guess you just spray it and leave it, no need to wipe it down. I hope this helps even though I don't know the name of the product (sorry).

I would definitely not recommend bleach to clean anything that you touch inlcuding counters, bathrooms, but definitely not something that could be put in your child's mouth or handled by your child and then hands put in mouth. Regular bleach is contaminated with dyes, asbestos, benzene, motor oil, heavy metals, radioactive materials, wheel bearing grease. A lady that I follow has found after treating tens of thousands of cancer patients that regular bleach is a big piece of the cancer equation.

You could make up a spray bottle of water, 20 drops of lavender, 17 drops of lemon, 15 drops of orange, 13 drops of eucalyptus, and 14 drops of tea tree oils. You also add some polysorbate 20, equal amount as oil to help the oil mix with the water. This is the best disinfectant you can use. I have used it together with baking soda for the past 10 years to clean my bathroom and kitchen. If you don't know much about essential oils, here are two good websites that sell good-quality oils. The first one is having a buy-one-get-one-free sale until the 1st.
http://www.earth-tribe.com and http://www.naturesgift.com

Wash them in you kitchen sink with bacteria dish soap, rinse well and drip dry. Or.... Put them in wash machineon gentel cycle (one cap full off the bottle) and drip dry the acess.kills 99% of germs B.

Clorox Anywhere spray is really good. You really can spray it almost anywhere safely.

Hi J., I used to have a daycare and everyday I took a bucket with 1 gallon of water and one cup bleach and put the toys right into the solution, I would lay out a towel and let the toys air dry then they are perfectly fine for your kids to play with even chew on as long as it is dry. dolls and non plastic toys can be washed or wiped down with an antibacterial wipe or you can make your own with the bleach and water solution, don't forget that RSV is transmitted through spores so with down cribs, walls and everything that could have been sneezed on!! hope this helps. Jenn K

there is a clorox spray that can be used around food and children, check it out at the store in the cleaning product's isle.

Hi J.
I had four children - I never bleached their toys after sickness - I occasionaly threw them all in the bathtub with hot water and soap and scrubbed them up. Of course that was 20 some years ago - things have changed - but they are all grown up and having their own children now - so it must have worked. Hang in there Mom! They are only little for awhile -
if you are really stressed about it - box up some of their toys so you have fewer to worry about cleaning.
Hugs,
J.

Hot, soapy water actually should do the trick. Some toys you can run through the dishwasher, like teething toys and plastic toys that don't have any thing electronic. You can disinfect with bleach water, just make sure you rinse them off really well before you let your kids have them again. But realy all you need is a sink full of hot soap water. That's really all you need to clean anything. Hope everyone is feeling better....it's no fun to have sicks kids!

Bleach and water is a great way to disinfect things and as long as you dilute the bleach then it's not going to hurt your daughter if she puts them in her mouth. I recommend doing it in the bathtub...just fill up the tub with water and put some bleach in...the toys will get clean, but it won't be too strong. For the toys you can't put in the tub, I recommend Clorox disinfectant wipes or that Clorox Anywhere spray...it's very mild and you can spray it on anything and it won't hurt your kids. Good luck!

Most sources I have checked recommend the bleach solution (1 Tbsp. bleach per gallon of water). Bleach naturally breaks down very quickly, so by the time the toys are dry it's gone. (I still rinse them very well to make sure....). I am a big fan of Clorox or Lysol wipes as well. As far as running baby items in the dishwasher, remember to give them a really good rinse - dishwasher detergents leave a nasty residue. Good luck with it... it's been a rough year!

My absolute favorite...Clorox, Anywhere Hard Surface. It kills the bacteria, but is safe to use around kids and pets. You can get it at Target or Walmart. Good Luck! Hope you have everyone well soon!

If your worried you may mix it too strong, they have the cloraox anywhere spray and that's what I use on stuff they put in their mouths. Just in case I might mix the bleach water too strong. Hope this helps...

clorox wipes they work great and it will not hurt your kids. they make them safe enough for counter top where you cook and I use them for everything especially my kids toys. I love them. Give them a try and read the back of the package I think it tells you they are safe.

Clean them with good old hygrogen peroxide. It is much safer than bleach and non toxic. It kills more germs and cost less. You can use it for all kinds of cleaning. Google it on the internet and you will learn all kinds of stuff about this great product.

Bleach is harmful to everyone! We use Tea Tree oil and lavender soap in our house... but I just saw this yesterday:
http://www.gogreenisland.com/product_info.php?cPath=2_116...
I also went to the companies website:
http://elsiesoriginal.com/

Be Well!

One suggestion would be to use a vinegar and water mix or a lemon juice and water mix. The high acidity of lemon juice or vinegar will have the same antibacterial property without being harmful to your children (bleach) if they come into contact with the cleaner.

A good way to clean your toys that are water resistant is to put them in the dishwasher. I used to work at a day care and sometimes that is how I would sanatize the toys. Hope this helps.
T.

Dishwasher is the safest way to sanatize toys that can be washed. I used to work in a day care and this is how we cleaned all the baby toys.

There is an awesome line of totally ecofriendly and non-toxic items you can get. Become a preferred member for only $29.99 a year! Safe for kids, pet & the environment and it's not expensive. If you'd like info let me know.

Hope to hear from you.

I am always cleaning my sons toys. I fill the bath tub with bleach and water and throw everything in. Then let them soak, after that I let the water out and rinse everything REALLY good, then let dry. Anything stuffed I just throw in the wash machine. Good Luck!
Addy

A safe alternative to bleach or harsh cleaners would be to mix some Grapefruit Seed Extract with water and spray. It is safe if your children consume it (we use it to clear up thrush, actually) and it kills everything - bacteria, viruses, and fungus. You can get GSE at Good Earth.

There's a great product by Clorox you should try. It's called Clorox Anywhere hard surface, daily sanitizing spray. You just spray it on, and let it sit for a few minutes. You can let it dry, or wipe it off. It is very mild, and is non-toxic to little ones.

Boil or run them through the dish washer. Soft toys in washer on hottest seeting and put in dryer if you can.
So sorry about the illnesses, those ones especially.
My DD has had RSV once and pnemonia 4 times, she also has asthma and she isn't even 3 yet. Thank the Lord we haven't had any respitory illnesses this winter!

You can never be totally disease free. It is part of how the world works to have bacteria, and viruses everywhere. Remember there are good bacteria and harmful bacteria. Some of it is very good, and even essential to your health.

The best thing you can do is wash your hands, your kids hands, and husbands hands as soon as you all get home from work, daycare, or where ever. Most times, kids spread these things to other kids. Limit their contact with other kids, till they have stronger immune systems.

The bacteria can only live on the toys for a limited time. Most bacteria need warm, wet conditions to live.

Good luck, and eat healthy foods to keep your immune systems strong!

Peroxide is an excellent disinfectant and very safe to use on toys or hard surfaces. It is also very inexpensive. You can get a large bottle for less than a dollar. Use it full strength or dilute 3 parts water to one part peroxide. Then put in a spray bottle or fill the sink with water and peroxide and wash things that way. It is better than bleach and safer!! I use it to disenfect the kitchen and bathroom all the time!

Put clorox in your tub and put toys in there that can be wet. If you have a dishwasher, make sure you put you babies bottles in the dishwasher, if not put clorox in your rinse water. Also, boil your tooth brushes if you can't put them in the dishwasher.
Wash off you phone with clorox, spray your house with lysol.
make sure you wipe most everything off.
I know it is a lot of work, being the mother at this time with all the sickness because all they want to do is have you hold them. Enjoy it while you can, they soon grow up.
Goodluck.