How to Clean Toys in the Dishwasher

Kids aren’t too picky about where their toys have been and between the bathroom floor, kitchen floor, and the occasional outdoor venture, toys get pretty dirty. But you, as the parent, are probably too aware of the germs that your kid’s favorite toy may be carrying. Fortunately, cleaning your child’s toys may be as simple as putting them in the dishwasher.

Here is how you disinfect your toys and kill harmful germs quickly and easily:

What Can Go into the Dishwasher:  Most plastic toys are dishwasher-friendly. Some examples of toys that are easy to wash include rattles, blocks, and toy cars and trucks. When in doubt, check out the cleaning instructions on the toy.

What Can’t Go into the Dishwasher: While many toys are dishwasher friendly, there are a few that are not. Wooden toys, toys with electronic parts such as voice boxed or pull strings, battery-operated toys, plush toys, and toys with loose or removable parts.

Setting it Up: If you have small toys, the silverware basket can help ensure that nothing comes out, larger toys can go on the rack. A gentle wash cycle with the heat turned off is ideal to help ensure that you don’t melt the plastic. Regular detergent will do the trick so no need to splurge on anything expensive.

Cleaning for Infection Control

When kids get sick, every toy becomes a potential for germ central. In most cases, dishwasher detergent and hot water is enough to kill bacteria and viruses. However, washing toys too frequently can be a hassle.

Use a Natural Cleaning Agent to Wipe Down Used Toys: This is a great way to minimize the presence of viruses or bacteria on toy surfaces between washes and can be especially helpful when your kid is sick. You can combine a 1:1 solution of vinegar and water into a solution to wipe down toys between uses and even spot-clean toys that aren’t dishwasher-friendly.

Separate Dirty and Clean Toys: Separating used toys from clean toys can keep the cleaning manageable and helps avoid infection spread. If you have more than one child, make sure that the sick child and the healthy child are not sharing toys.

Try Vinegar in the Dishwasher: A half cup of white vinegar can be used instead of detergent if you’re worried about the effects that your regular detergent may have on a toy. Vinegar is great at killing viruses and bacteria!

At Best Price Appliance Repair, we know how important your appliances can be, especially when there are kids in the house. This is why we are happy to offer dishwasher and other repair services to our clients. Call us today for prompt and effective appliance repair.