Monday, October 27, 2008

When you want parenting advice...

...blog about it!


rubber duck Pictures, Images and Photos
I just know one of you has the perfect solution for me.  We are blessed with a spare bathroom...which means Adeline has a tub all to herself, and I can leave her bath toys in the bottom of the tub to dry.  It is a wonderful luxury to not have to clean them up every night.  However, some of them have a nice little scum forming on them, which is not ideal for the environment where you want to clean your child.  Does anyone have a way to keep those bath toys slime proof?  What solution do you use to clean your bath toys?  I am looking for a soak them in a solution of _________ while the grime dissolves into the universe type of answer and not one that actually requires the use of elbow grease for me to wash each toy.  Bleach seems a bit harsh.  I've seen the toy holders where you can scoop up the toys and hang them to dry, but I don't understand how having them piled in a heap will help the drying situation more than leaving them in the bottom of the tub (btw, I do make sure the cup-type-toys are emptied of any standing water).  Help!!!

17 comments:

Krazy Fam said...

I have always used a weak bleach solution every few weeks or so. It can't be worse than them swimming in the pool. I tried one of those net things too, but there really wasn't much difference with that. Soap Scum remover might work too, but we always get that gunky mildew stuff that needs bleach to clean.

Alana said...

Got no advice for you, but I'm curious to see what everyone says!

ChrisandMissy said...

We've never had the scum form on the outside- Anna's squeeze type bath toys get junk inside them though, even when we squeeze them out after the bath. I just throw them out when they do...but that's not very helpful for you. Howabout vinegar?

Anonymous said...

Buy cheap toys. Throw them away when they get yucky. My kids have them most fun with a plastic cup.

Heidi

Nancy said...

Yup. Trash and Can would be our "cleaning method" of choice.

Mari said...

I used to gather ours and hang them in a mesh bag and didn't have trouble with scum.

Monica said...

I don't have any problems with that scum on the outside, but I think it is in the inside. I don't have a special way of cleaning them, I would imagine you could probably stick them in the dishwasher. Like you, I dump all the water out of the toys and lay them upside down to dry. And when they're gross, I throw em in the trash!

keenbliss said...

Yup, I agree with most people here. I do my best until they just get too yucky, and then I pitch them. Especially the ones that occasionally get stuff growing on the inside. Eeeeeeewwww!

krista said...

Natalia has been content with a set of measuring cups and stick-on-the-side-of-the-tub animals (which, since they're flat, I just quickly towel dry each time).

I've purposed to only buy bath toys that have no holes...

I imagine that the diluted bleach solution would work though. Maybe keep a spray bottle of the solution nearby? You have a spare countertop dish drainer? You could just use the top part, set it in the tub, and give the toys a good spray down.

Just Mom said...

Top rack of your dishwasher? I've never actually tried this, though. If you do, let me know if it works because we've had to throw out a bunch of rubber duckies. :-D

If they're fabric, run them in the washer/dryer. That's what I do for those toys.

Growin' With It said...

my only advice is to not let your husband leave his tools out in the bathroom! bwhaha.

seriously though, i always just ran mine thru the dishwasher. disinfectant...solved!

jj said...

I wash mine in the dishwasher once in awhile. But seriously, I have three healthy kids that have never suffered any ill effects from grimy toys, so I think you don't need to worry about a little bathtub slime.

A reason to worry about bathtime playthings: When you find your 2-yr-old daughter on her stomach in the tub playing with her 5-yr-old brother's, um, private part. Oh, wait, that was my kids. You will be fine.

:) JJ

Kristen said...

generally, i buy cheap stuff at the dollar store that i can throw out when it gets gross. we have had bins, mesh bags, etc... but they still seem to get grimy. i have done the top rack of the dishwasher at times with toys we had that were of higher quality and that did work but truly the cheap and toss method is what i have found to work the best.

Jenni S. said...

Nothing new to offer you and same problem here (at least with the inside gook, not the outside). We do the cheap toys too, or the ones that don't get water trapped inside b/c that just grosses me out!

Mary@notbefore7 said...

We have one of the net things you put them in to dry out and haven't had any issue with scum on the outside...hmmm...maybe it makes a difference.

We have had the funk on the inside adn we toss them.

We tend to use plastic cups, spoons, and measuring cups these days...and soem little people. That seems to cover it for D.

Anonymous said...

We haven't had too much trouble with the outside, either. Just the inside, and I toss them when they get too gross. Instead of the mesh bag, though, I keep them in a plastic colander. The kids love playing with that in the tub, too.

McKeeinKorea said...

Hey Lynn,

I use a weak bleach solution every other week. All I do is put VERY hot water in till it covers the toys, then add a cup or so of bleach and let them sit. Oh and before I leave them to sit I squeeze out any yucky water from the "hole" toys and suck in the bleach water to let it sit in there while the outsides get clean as well. Olivia is prone to infections so we have to do this and it works very well for us. I never throw the toys away until its time to move. Also, after they have sat for a couple of hours (while I clean other things) I go in, let the water out, squeeze out the "hole" toys and rinse them off. Works great for us! Good luck. BTW its a BOY!