In honor of cautious parents and the current swine flu panic, here are our tips for sanitizing all kinds of toys.

Take it from a parent. Buying toys for your kids can get expensive quickly. Luckily, there is a known fact about children – they outgrow their toys quickly. So what should you do with all of those outgrown Koozy Coupes and stuffed Elmo’s? Sell then online at TheFreeWay.com or in a yard sale of course! There are tons of thrifty parents out there looking for toys that still have hours of joy left to give their children. Many parents are leery of taking other children’s toys for fear of the previous owner’s germs. So in honor of those cautious parents and the current swine flu panic, here are our tips for sanitizing all kinds of toys.

• Small Plastic Toys – There are two great methods for sanitizing small plastic toys like blocks, shape sorters, action figures, etc. First you can create a sanitizing solution of ¼ cup of household bleach to 1 gallon of water. Place this solution in a bucket or container large enough to hold the items and dip them inside. Place the items on a rack to air dry. You can also place many plastic items in your dishwasher to clean them. The dishwasher does a great job of sanitizing items, but make sure that the items aren’t small enough to fall through the racks to the bottom of the machine.
• Large Plastic Toys – Large toys like ride-on toys, exersaucers, walkers and others can sometimes be forgotten, but they can be just as germy as the smaller toys. Taking them outside to be washed with a hose and soapy water will remove most of the unseen grime and a quick spray with a bleach-based sanitizing spray, like Clorox Anywhere Hard Surface Sanitizing Spray will zap the remaining germs and viruses.
• Stuffed Animals and other soft toys – Some stuffed animals can be run through the washing machine to clean them up, but be sure to use the gentle cycle and warm water for the best results. If the stuffed toy can’t be washed, place the toy inside a pillowcase and place it in the dryer on high for 15 minutes. If the toy is battery operated, make sure to remove the batteries before placing it in the dryer. This will help to reduce the number of possible pathogens on the toy.
• Battery operated toys – These toys can be the most difficult to get completely clean, but a spray with a bleach-based sanitizing spray like the one mentioned above is your best bet to achieve sanitation.

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