Babies slobber on their toys. Kids wipe their noses on their stuffies. Lego gets dusty. And doll hair can be a tangled mess. Let's face it, kids' toys can be gross and they need a good cleaning from time to time. If you want to take your kids' toys from nasty to sparkling, we have found the best tips and hacks to help out.
Cleaning Hacks To Make Kids' Toys Less Nasty
So how dirty are kids' toys? They can be a breeding ground for bacterial cultures, one North Dakota scientist recently discovered.
Birgit Pruess is an associate professor at North Dakota State University and she tested various toys to see which ones have the most bacteria. While the toddler's teething toy and pre-teen's mobile phone had the most bacteria, she reminds parents that bacteria is everywhere and most isn't harmful to our kids.
“There are 10 times as many bacteria on our bodies as there are human cells,” she said. “They contribute to our health, and there’s a lot being done today to understand how they contribute to our health.”
Cleaning toys regularly is still a good idea, though, to reduce the chance of your child (or other kids) coming in contact with bacteria that cause ear infections, strep throat and more serious infections. A Buffalo State University study found that bacteria can live for hours or even months on inanimate objects.
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