disinfecting used baby stuff safely

[anita]

I've been given several used toys, a play yard, a bouncy seat, and a exersaucer. Now I wonder how best to clean and disinfect these items. I don't want to use a cleaner that will negatively effect my baby or me while i'm pregnant. Should I have dh clean them w/ bleach solution and then assume that they are safe for baby's use in several weeks time?
Thanks for the input,

Anita

[suribear]

We just hose stuff down in the driveway! Then scrub with dishwashing soap and water. You can wash all the cloth covers, of course :)

Kris

[Tondi G]

YUP... wash all the cloth stuff in the washing machine... ie bouncy seat cover and exersaucer seat.... maybe add a scoop of oxiclean to the wash! With the Hard plastic stuff ... either take it outside and wash with the hose or pop it in the bathtub and scrub away with dishwashing liquid (you could use an antibacterial formula if that makes you feel better) or oxiclean! Good luck!

~Tondi and Mason 7/8/01

[stillplayswithbarbies]

a 10% bleach solution will disinfect and will be fine once it dries.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[daisymommy]

Karen,
I'm always wondering, when you use the diluted bleach, do you have to rinse it off, or just wipe things down with it? i'm assuming that 10% is the formula of 1TB. to 1 gallon of water? I usually spray things down with it, scub, then rinse off. But can I just spray it on, and wipe off with say a paper towel?

[parkersmama]

I always rinse it off but I think that in most nurseries/daycares, they spray it on with a spray bottle and wipe off with a paper towel, no rinsing.

[mharling]

I have a $5 garage sale exersaucer sitting in the garage. I was going to ask the same question! And now this thread will motivate me to get it cleaned up tomorrow. :)

Mary & Lane 4/6/03
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b32e1840e40d - New 9/8

[AngelaS]

We always use 1 T to 1 Quart of bleach to clean the toys in the church nursery. Is that too strong?

We always just spray it on and let it dry.

[amp]

Yep, the bleach solution is fine once it dries, but I prefer to rinse wipe just to be sure. When I worked in daycare, we used to just spray and wipe big stuff, and little stuff did get rinsed in a separate bin after soaking in bleach solution.

[stillplayswithbarbies]

I have always heard to just spray it on and let it dry. It has to sit on it for a certain amount of time to kill the germies, so if it gets wiped off right away, it isn't really doing anything.

a 10% bleach solution is one part bleach to 9 parts water.

I found this link:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hanta/hps/noframes/bleach.htm
which says that you need 1 and a half cups of household bleach to a gallon of water. I have also read that you need to mix it up fresh daily, and that it needs to sit for at least 20 minutes to do its work.

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03