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How to Clean and Disinfect Baby Toys With Bleach

Sharing toys doesn’t have to mean sharing cold and flu germs, even with toys that end up in a baby’s mouth. Learn how to disinfect baby toys to help reduce the spread of illness-causing germs during flu season and all year.

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By Mary Gagliardi
New Clorox® Free & Clear

Safe around kids, pets & food.* * When used as directed.

New Clorox® Free & Clear

Safe around kids, pets & food.* * When used as directed.

Babies put everything in their mouths to explore their world. Don’t let this normal baby behavior result in your baby getting sick or spreading a cold or the flu to a sibling or friend who plays with the same toys. Cleaning isn’t enough. Disinfecting baby toys with Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach helps to reduce the spread of cold and flu viruses in your home.

Our disinfecting bleach solution works on hard, nonporous plastic toys that are washable and colorfast. It’s also appropriate for use on painted and enameled high chairs, cribs, changing tables and other baby furniture where germs can survive. For visibly soiled surfaces, pre-clean before disinfecting.

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What you need

Steps to disinfect baby toys

  1. 1

    Prepare the disinfecting bleach and water solution

    Measure 1 gallon of water (4 quarts) into the plastic dishpan, and then add 1/3 cup bleach to the water and stir the solution with the spoon.

    bleach pouring from bottle
  2. 2

    Pre-clean toys

    If necessary, use a paper towel dampened with water to wipe any obvious dirt or grime off the toys before the disinfecting step.

  3. 3

    Apply the disinfecting bleach solution

    Drop smaller toys into the bleach and water solution and stir with the spoon so all surfaces stay wet for 6 minutes. For larger toys that won’t fit easily in the dishpan, use the sponge to apply the bleach and water solution to the toy. Reapply the solution as needed to keep the toy wet for 6 minutes.

    Tip

    Wearing gloves, hold bath toys with air holes like rubber duckies in the solution and squeeze to work the solution inside the toy.

  4. 4

    Thoroughly rinse each toy

    Make sure to completely rinse away the bleach solution with clean water, including squeezing clean water into and out of bath toys. 

  5. 5

    Air dry

    Lay the toys out on the clean towel and allow them to air dry. 

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