Toy trucks are probably among the most popular toys. Children of both genders love playing these toys because they are simple yet provide hours upon hours of fun play time. And there are many ways to play them. Regardless of how your children play these toys, they will eventually become dirty.
Cleaning dirty toys like dirty toy trucks is one way to protect our children from bacteria and germs. How often you should be cleaning these toys depends on a lot of things but the general consensus is weekly cleaning should be enough under normal circumstances. If your child brings his toy truck outside (for lots of developmental play) or if he regularly invites his friends over for an afternoon of play time, then you probably need to clean his toy truck every after play session.
There are different ways to clean toy trucks and it depends on the manufacturer’s care instructions and the materials of the toy truck. Before cleaning your child’s toy truck, make sure to read your manufacturer’s care instructions.
Preparation
You can use any cleaning solution you want. However, if you could help it we recommend using natural cleaning solutions like vinegar, baking soda or Castile soap. Vinegar and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) are common household items that are popular for their natural cleaning and antibacterial properties. Vinegar is particularly good for sanitising toy trucks after an illness while baking soda is good for removing stains. Castile soap is a vegetable-based soap that is free from toxic chemicals like parabens. You can also use mild detergent if you have one at home.
Remove any obvious dirt using a sponge or a soft bristle brush. If you have an unused toothbrush lying around, you can use that as well.
Dishwasher
Most toy trucks that are made from plastic or recycled plastic are most likely dishwasher safe. Make sure to confirm with your manufacturer’s care instructions if your child’s toy truck is indeed dishwasher safe before tossing it into the machine. Your dishwasher and detergent will do all the cleaning for you. This is probably the most convenient way to clean a toy truck.
Bucket
Using a bucket filled with soapy water is a good alternative way to clean your toy truck if you do not own a dishwasher. This is a particularly good cleaning method especially if your child brings his toy truck outside. You can soak the toy truck to remove all the dirt and grime it collected.
Baby wipes
If the toy truck is not that dirty, you can use store-bought baby wipes to give it a quick clean. However, make sure that you wipe all excess alcohol or cleaning residue from the toy truck by rinsing it in running water especially if your child is prone to putting things into his mouth.
Using a damp cloth and spray bottle
This cleaning method is most recommended for cleaning dirty wooden toy trucks. Wood is a porous material and that means you cannot submerge or soak toys made from wood in water or any kind of liquid cleaning solution. Otherwise, you would end up with a swollen or deformed wooden toy truck.
So instead, you would have to use a spray bottle. Spray bottles allow you to control how much water or cleaning liquid to use in cleaning your wooden toy truck. Spraying too much water or cleaning liquid to the point that your wooden toy truck is drenching is just as bad as soaking it.
Wipe your wooden toy truck clean using a damp cloth while occasionally spraying it with your preferred cleaning solution. Make sure to wipe any excess water or cleaning liquid to remove any residue.
Drying
You can either air dry overnight or sun dry during the day. If you are sun drying, make sure you do not leave your toy trucks under the heat of the sun for far too long because doing so might cause damage to your toy truck’s finish.
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