How To Safely Clean Wooden Toys
A lot of parents are requesting information on the best way to clean wooden toys. Kids can be rough with their toys regardless of what material they are made of and it’s always a good idea to periodically clean your child’s toys. Whether they play with them outside or indoors those toys can inevitably get dirty and it is important for you to know the correct method to disinfect and clean wooden toys since wood is a porous material.
Kids are filled with curiosity and very young kids will frequently pick a toy up from the ground and place it right in their mouth. And usually when they do that they were also just playing with the dog or digging in the dirt which means that not only is the toy dirty but their hands are too. This behavior is only natural. It’s your kid’s way of exploring and it isn’t something you can easily discourage. But if you wish to protect your child from germs and dirt you’ll need to know the proper way to wash wooden toys because you’ve got to handle them a little differently than you do metal or plastic toys.
To start with, when you clean wooden toys it’s important to understand that there’s a difference between finished wood and unfinished wood. Unfinished wood will have no protective or decorative coating and finished wood will be either painted, varnished or dyed. Fortunately, both varieties of wooden toys are simple to clean and disinfect.
For basic or light cleaning you can merely wipe either finish with a dry cloth. If necessary, use a damp sponge to remove dust and dirt from unfinished wood toys and finished toys should be wiped gently with a mild soap and water. For tougher dirt or grime try using an alcohol soaked cotton ball and then wipe with a dry cloth.
Whether the toy is made of finished or unfinished wood you should never soak it directly in water as the wood may absorb the water and become warped. And after you wipe the toy with water you must dry it with a soft cloth and allow the toy to utterly dry before it’s used again.
And never be tempted to clean wooden toys with furniture polish! Furniture polish contains toxins that aren’t meant to be ingested and wood is porous therefore it will absorb those toxins. Although it may seem like the most natural thing in the world to do you must never use furniture polish on your wooden toys. The porous wood will hold the polish and when your kid puts that toy in their mouth, or gets that polish on their hands, those toxins can be transferred to their mouth.
To disinfect wooden toys use a solution of vinegar and water or a solution of ten parts water to one part bleach. But, if you use bleach always rinse and dry the toys very well. Wooden toys are very sturdy and can last for years if properly taken care of. Just remember to disinfect and clean your wooden toys frequently since you know they are going to end up in your child’s mouth.
