cleaning with bleach

ladylisalt · May 2013

I always read posts, articles,etc. that say wash toys with bleach. Am I the only one that feels uncomfortable with this? I guess its fine but I always think of bleach as a potent strong odored cleaner. I cant imagine washing my DS's bath toys and then him chewing on them. Even if I rinse well does this really assure the smell, solution etc is completely off. Someone please put me at ease. Would love to try it I just cant get past this...

PhotogTaker · May 2013

Use vinegar and water instead, just another natural disinfectant and won't hurt your LO's

Wulfgar · May 2013

What you do is dilute the bleach it usually takes only a cap full per gallon of water. If you don't dilute it then it will be a lot harder to get it all rinsed.

Everyone that I know in my circle of friends use bleach to clean used toys that we buy at garage sales or consignment shops and we have never had any troubles with smells etc.

dairygirl19 · May 2013

It's not anything I do on the regular, but there is a time and place for bleach in my house.

I just follow the directions on the back exactly and if it's something LO touches, maybe dilute a little more.

Usually though, I take some dishsoap water to her toys/stuff and call it a day. She's lived this long.

oliversmommy32912 · May 2013

I don't really use any cleaner on DS's toys. Does that make us gross? We use dish soap if something gets really dirty or toss it in the wash if it's machine washable. I use vinegar on stuff that we get used but we don't clean his toys on the regular.

eyenigh · May 2013

oliversmommy32912:
I don't really use any cleaner on DS's toys. Does that make us gross? We use dish soap if something gets really dirty or toss it in the wash if it's machine washable. I use vinegar on stuff that we get used but we don't clean his toys on the regular.

We're gross, too, then. My son isn't real mouthy with his toys so other than an occasional wipe down on a heavily used item or something that actively fell from his mouth to the dirty floor, we don't do hardcore cleaning of playthings. He's an only child in a relatively clean house so we don't have other germy mouths and grubby fingers all over everything, which definitely helps!

lindslalala · May 2013

oliversmommy32912:
I don't really use any cleaner on DS's toys. Does that make us gross? We use dish soap if something gets really dirty or toss it in the wash if it's machine washable. I use vinegar on stuff that we get used but we don't clean his toys on the regular.

I don't either. I've washed with soap and water when things get really dirty, but I'd never use bleach and it's not something I do on a regular basis. Vinegar and water would be about as intense as I'd ever get with cleaning toys(if I ever did it).

jenb_99 · May 2013

Bleach is great. Hospitals and nursing homes use it. It kills just about every known germ out there. It's natural and biodegradable and breaks down into harmless salt water over time or in the presence of direct sunlight or high heat.

It's potent, yeah, but you're not supposed to use it full-strength. I think it's something like a quarter cup per four gallons of water to disinfect toys and whatnot. I even use it to disinfect pacis and sippy cups.

You just have to use it very diluted and then rinse thoroughly. No sweat.

"Strong odor" isn't a very good indicator of whether something is safe to use. I see people recommending vinegar all the time as a safe and natural cleaner, but it DOES NOT kill bacteria to the degree that it's touted, and the fumes can be irritating to the eyes and lungs. Have you ever soaked a tub or shower with vinegar and then tried to stay in the same room with all those fumes, or ran a gallon of it through the dishwasher to remove hard water scale? It burns my lungs and eyes far worse than bleach fumes do.

RMama2012 · May 2013

I generally clean with dish soap if the toy fell on the floor outside. LO did drop a toy car in the toilet (clean water) and I sprayed it with clorox spray and then washed it again with regular soap.

Steph_whalen5@yahoo.com · May 2013

I'm not super into bleach either, but I did just recently use it after DD got over a stomach bug. We had thrown dirty clothes in the bathrooms sinks/tubs to keep them wet before I could get a load in the laundry, so I scrubbed both bathrooms down with super diluted bleach and then scrubbed again with my typical bathroom cleaner. There was no way I wanted to risk any of us getting her bug! I have used it to clean toys from consignment sales too, but again, I always clean it again with something else, which makes me feel like she's not touching bleached stuff

tracyl0826 · May 2013

I have never used bleach to clean any of my son's toys. I don't even have bleach in the house. Like the others, I don't regularly clean his toys. If something is really dirty, I will wash it with dish soap and/or throw it in the washer. However, I know that by law my son's daycare does clean their toys with a bleach solution. I really don't like the idea because I don't know how thoroughly they are rinsed...but what can you do...

ladylisalt · May 2013

Thanks ladies. Very helpful opinions. I love how many of you admit to not cleaning all the time. Sounds more realistic....

jenb_99 · May 2013

LalaMama81:
So you think vinegar is more harmful than bleach? I get a headache as soon as a container of bleach is open in my house, let alone used. Then my throat gets scratchy and sore. Vinegar is nothing like that, to me at least. I'm trying to figure out, for the average kid, shy their toys, cups, pacifiers, etc, need to be disinfected with bleach? You know killing every big, bad germ is worse than liking none? That there is such a thing as having too clean a house?

Harmful? I said the fumes can be just as irritating to the eyes and lungs. And I said can be, meaning it varies depending on the person's tolerance. I personally have more tolerance for bleach than vinegar, because I've been exposed to it more.

I also didn't say in my post that I disinfect anything or that I think any certain thing should be disinfected, just that if you are the type to disinfect everything, you shouldn't rely on vinegar for your peace of mind, because food-grade vinegar isn't strong enough to kill most microorganisms.

LuckyDad · May 2013

Boiling water can work for sanitizing, although it can melt some plastics.

Rubbing alcohol will kill just about anything if you are thorough.

As another poster noted, white vinegar is a nice bleach substitute for household cleaning.

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