Pretend play is an essential part of a child’s early learning and development. This kind of play provides a safe environment for children to use their imagination and creativity and explore and experiment with new ideas. While role playing can be enjoyed solo, it is more fun when played with other children. When children role play with other kids, they grow emotionally and build social skills as well as develop their communication and language skills.
Toys that encourage pretend play or role playing like toy picnic baskets help make role playing more fun and entertaining. Sometimes it would be difficult to separate your children from their toys particularly when they are having too much fun playing them. After a few play sessions, your children’s toy picnic baskets would have collected dirt and grime especially if your children take these toys outdoors. This is where cleaning toys comes in.
Cleaning your children’s toy picnic baskets should be done regularly. Many experts suggest doing it weekly but you should clean these toys as soon as they are covered with dirt. Disinfecting after an illness or sickness is also important to prevent the spread of diseases. Doing regular cleaning of toy picnic baskets can help keep your children away from playing with dirty toys and protect them from harmful bacteria and germs.
The entire process of cleaning toy picnic baskets is easy and simple. If they are made from plastic, you can probably toss them into your dishwasher. Check with the packaging of your toy picnic basket if it is dishwasher safe. If it is then just follow what is indicated in the care instructions of your toy.
You need to wash or clean components of your toy picnic basket if they are made from different materials. Some picnic basket toys come with a tablecloth or a small picnic blanket. Wash these separately from other toys. You can probably wash them using your washing machine or hand wash them.
Plates, cups and other toys like teapots can be washed using a dishwasher if they are made from porcelain. This is something you need to confirm from the toy manufacturer though.
Wooden components of your toy picnic basket should never be submerged or soaked in water or any other liquid solution. Wood is porous and absorbs moisture, water and any liquid. So if you soak your wooden components of your toy picnic basket in water or any other liquid solution, they will swell and you will end up with deformed and damaged toys.
You can wipe them clean with a damp cloth. Prepare your cleaning solution in a spray bottle. Use mild detergent or natural soap like Castille. Spray your wooden picnic toys with your prepared cleaning solution occasionally. Scrub any obvious dirt and grime with a sponge or a soft bristle cleaning brush. Wipe any excess liquid with a dry cloth. Afterwards, air dry or sun dry depending on the weather and your preference.
