Miljövänlig rengöring av leksaker

Just like myself, I know that many parents are looking for ways to clean their children’s toys in an environmentally friendly way. Probably many of you wonder what is the best, most efficient way so to make sure we keep our kids safe from viruses/bacteria, be gentle to earth and at the same time avoid harsh chemicals so damaging to our environment.

I have some thoughts and tips for soft, wooden or plastic (!!! ugh) toys which I would like to share with you.

Am confident that most of you do have plastic toys home (whether bought by yourself or by relatives, friends…), they all need to be washed from time to time. Many can be cleaned in the top drawer of the dishwasher which is the simplest manner but it might not necessarily lighten your impact on the earth. Washing them by hand in a sink with slightly soapy water might be a better option.

Wooden toys I usually just wipe with a damp rag to remove the dust, but to make sure to get rid of “some germ leftovers” from the play, you can wash them in a sink using water and non-toxic dish soap. I use Ecover Dishwashing liquid which I assume is safe enough for health. Wooden toys should never be soaked in water for long and must be dried immediately, otherwise the wood can swell and the grain may rise to the surface.

For soft toys (I hope they are made from natural-organic cotton! but if not, this tip is valid as well for other non-natural softies), I use the hand-wash gentle cycle on my washing machine. Usually I turn the machine on 40 degrees but if you are hesitant about the quality of the toy, use cold water instead. Always use environmentally friendly detergents.

I know many children suffer from asthma and allergies so my advice would then be - wash any stuffed animals that they sleep with (along with all their bedding) in hot water (cold & tepid water unfortunately does not necessarily kill dust mites, which are a leading cause for asthma symptoms). I know it is not as earth-friendly as a cold water wash, but the kids’ health comes first in this case. If you do not think the toys can withstand a hot water wash, put them in a plastic bag in the freezer for 24 hours - this will kill dust mites & some other stray bacteria.

I can also recommend winegar, of course in small quantity, mixed with water (1/5 winegar with 4/5 water). In our home, winegar replaces most of the time many of the various washing liquids/powders/soap. If you are not too keen on the vinegar smell, I recommend adding a few drops of an essential oil, such as lavender, lemon or tea tree. These aid the germ-busting, as they are anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal.