I’m anxious to use Lysol or Clorox, but it’s unavoidable since everything has chemicals. I’m up for recommendations.
Hi there, this is the childbirth educator.
If the toys can’t be submerged in water or cleaned with hot water and a chemical-free soap like Dr. Bronner’s unscented baby soap, you can wipe the outside of the toys with a cloth soaked in 70% isopropyl alcohol to kill most germs. This is especially useful if you are worried about infection risks, such as when another child has played with the toys and you want to clean them before your child uses them.
A distilled 1:1 solution of water and white distilled vinegar-soaked for 30 to 60 minutes will work well in place of bleach if the toy can be submerged in water (i.e., not electronics). The greatest ways to get rid of germs are with friction and heat, so if you can clean a surface or use a toy sanitizer, you should be set.
Are there any other concerns than common germs? Simply desire to maintain a state of frequent sanitization? While cleaning and sanitizing is undoubtedly a good idea, there may be a better solution to recommend if your child is at risk for an infection or other concern. For general cleaning purposes, low-chemical alternatives include heat, soap, isopropyl alcohol, and vinegar.
Best wishes to you.
Use hot water and soap to wash everything you can and freeze what you can’t.
You can use Force of Nature, a hospital-grade disinfectant that is safe for both you and your infant and is primarily made of water, salt, and vinegar, to spray items that you are unable to wash or wash with soap and hot water.
I use spray/wipes or Milton sterilizer.
Apply soap and warm water. I’m not sure why you need anything stronger, but it works to clean and disinfect hands for surgeons.
While I agree with your general premise, medical hand scrubs usually contain stronger disinfectants than just soap and water, such as chlorhexidine or povidone iodine.
That being said, surgical-level sterility for your child’s toys is obviously not necessary unless they have a serious immunocompromised condition.
Grimy filth and debris are removed with warm water and soap. After that, surgeons scrape for five to ten minutes to allow the soap to do its job, using soap infused with disinfectant such as chorohexadine. It all comes down to interaction time.
We’ve been applying “Force of Nature,” a product, on the baby toys, and it’s really effective. This is the most recent fantastic use case; we have been using it for years prior to the birth of our child. To be honest, it has taken the place of most of our cleaning supplies.
For items that aren’t suitable for the washing machine:
Use rubbing alcohol or vinegar in a spray bottle. (It is dilutingable.)
Affordable, efficient, and non-toxic.