One of the most important responsibilities of parents to keep their children’s toys clean. Children toys like farm animal toys may look fun and cute, however without regular cleaning and after a few play sessions, they can quickly turn into a favorable place for germs. While a considerable lot of the germs are innocuous, most of them can spread colds and different risky diseases. And you do not want to expose your children to these germs.
Little children love to explore things using their hands and mouths. So more often than not, their toys end up in their mouths. Dirty toys that end up in your child’s mouth can lead to many serious problems. It is important to clean toys as soon as they become dirty even more so if your children love to mouth their toys.
The very first thing to do when cleaning farm animal toys is to check the manufacturer’s care instructions. Make sure to heed warnings and check for reminders.
Farm animal toys are pretty easy to clean but depending on their material, there are a few things to keep in mind. If you bought plastic farm animal toys, most likely you can wash them using your dishwasher. Your dishwasher detergent and hot water will do all the cleaning for you. This is one of the reasons why many parents choose plastic over wood because they are so much easier to clean. That’s not to say that wooden farm animal toys are difficult to clean, there are a few steps to do in cleaning them.
Wood has natural antibacterial properties which means you do not have to clean them as often. However, if your child is prone to putting objects into his mouth then you might as well clean his toys as regularly as you can. Weekly cleaning is reasonable but clean your child’s toys as soon as obvious dirt and grime start to appear.
If for some reason your wooden animal toys end up with stains, do not be tempted to soak or submerge them in water or any kind of liquid solution. Wood is porous which means if you soak them in water, water would get into the pores and could cause permanent damage to your toys. Moreover, if water gets deep into your wooden toy, it is difficult to dry them and germs and moulds thrive in moist environments.
So instead of soaking your precious wooden animal toys in water, prepare a cleaning solution in a spray bottle. Use mild soap and keep it natural if possible. There are many good natural soap like Castille. There are 2 common household items you can use for cleaning. Baking soda or sodium bicarbonate is good for tough stains while vinegar is good for disinfecting.
Remove dirt and grime using a sponge or a soft bristle clearing brush. You can also use a used toothbrush if you have one lying around. Brush or scrub lightly all surfaces including nooks and crannies. Spray some of your liquid solution into your wooden animal toys and wipe with a clean cloth.
Wipe dry with another cloth and either air dry or dry under the heat of the sun. Sun drying is good because the heat of the sun is a natural antibacterial but do not leave your wooden animal toys for too long.
