Spring Cleaning — Kids’ Toys Edition

Happy spring time, everyone! It’s that time of year — today we’re talking spring cleaning, but we’re actually getting specific and down right dirty… we’re discussing the kids’ toys! Imagine a kids’ toy chest fresh out of flu season… yep. It’s time for a deep clean paired with other tips on organizing, purging and putting practical household appliances to even better use.

First, purge. Literally throw out toys. This sounds like the makings of the biggest temper tantrum you’ve ever seen, but nine times out of ten, kids won’t even notice. They have tons of toys. So how does this process begin? Determine toys that your child has outgrown. These are probably the ones they never play with anymore because they’ve moved on to bigger and better things. If this is the case, decide to toss it or donate it. And if a toy is broken, tattered and an eye-sore, definitely throw it out. They (your kids) won’t even know it’s gone.

Disinfect Plastic toys in the dishwasher. Given the toys are not electronic, and relatively small, they can be cleaned and washed right in your kitchen. Blocks and other hard plastic toys are excellent components for washing in the dishwasher. You can even use Rockin’ Green’s Auto Dish detergent for a clean, eco-friendly wash with a fresh lemony scent.

Host a kids car wash! Bigger toys, Barbie cars, sports cars, or motorized kiddie cars can be taken to the car wash — AKA your driveway where warm sudsy buckets of water, sponges and a garden hose awaits them. Kids will eat this up. This one’s perfect for a nice, sunny day. Bring out old dish towels and have them dry them off, too. Just think… they’ll soon be able to clean your cars…

What about the plush toys? Hello, washing machine! Wash really dirty stuffed animals in the washer, in a pillow case. Smaller plastic toys can be placed in a mesh bag and in the washer, too. Just be sure to check plush toys’ tags to see if there are specific washing instructions so as not to mangle them in the wash! Again, gentle detergents like Rockin’ Green’s are perfect when washing kids’ toys. They’re non-toxic, biodegradable and eco-friendly.

For the electronic toys with batteries, buttons and chords, wipe them down with disinfecting wipes every so often! When the kids are old enough, they can start doing this themselves. Easy, peasy.

Put Rockin’ Green to good use in cleaning not only your clothes, but your kids’ toys, too! If you have any more genius hacks to cleaning toys, organizing kids’ things or even getting the kids to help in the process, we’d love to hear from you!