Life and News Blog

A lot of parents have been asking for information on the best method to clean wooden toys. Children can be rough with their toys regardless of what material they’re made of and it’s always a good idea to periodically clean your kid’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 right 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 are not meant to be ingested and wood is porous so it will absorb those toxins. Although it might seem like the most natural thing in the world to do you must never use furniture polish on your wooden toys. The porous wood can hold the polish and when your kid puts that toy in his or her 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 10 parts water to 1 part bleach. But, if you use bleach always rinse and dry the toys very well. Wooden toys are terribly sturdy and, if cared for properly, will last for years and years. Just remember to disinfect and clean your wooden toys frequently since you know they’re going to end up in your kid’s mouth.

Learn more about Wooden bikes. Stop by Noah Meckler’s site where you can find out all about educational wooden toys and what it can do for you.