How to Maintain Clean and Care for Baby Toys | Babysteps

Remember those days when all a kid had as baby toys were wooden toys? These toys are the best rendition of memories and the best part about them was the longevity.

Unlike plastic toys, wooden toys are a very integral part of our culture and hence most of us love handing these wooden toys to even our children as well.

Even in many schools Montessori wooden toys are still prevalent as it helps the kids to develop spatial qualities from the initial stages. However, it is imperative that one ensures the right kind of cleaning process as well.

Unlike the fiber or plastic toys, the clean care for wooden toys are a bit different because of obvious reasons. Once you have learnt the process it is good to ensure that you clean the toys regularly to keep up with the hygiene factors.

Best Ways to Clean the Wooden Toys

If you have a baby at home it is important that you clean the wooden toys regularly because often kids touch these items and then directly put that face inside their mouth.

However, to keep up with the longevity of the toy and ensure that it is in a fully functional state it is imperative to know the right way to clean the same.

Some of the options include:

●    Try to avoid artificial materials

As many would know, wood itself has many antibacterial properties. Hence germs do not stick to the surface very often however it is always advised that you clean them at least once in a week or so.

Instead of opting in for the expensive solutions it is best that you keep the process simple and natural. Use materials which are readily available and that will help wondrous effects.

For eg., Using a concoction of vinegar and water in a ratio of 1:10 can render wonders. Try avoiding using detergents or even hard bleaches on wood as it can create tough permanent stains.

You can also use a diluted soap in water. Just gently take a cotton or muslin cloth and dab the toy clean. Avoid immersing it in the solution or using too much of the same at one go.

All you need to do is just put in gentle motions and focus more on wiping the dirt out.

● Do not soak in water

Most of the time we clean our home decor materials by just immersing them in water and taking it out and just wiping it dry. Do not do that with wooden toys at all!

The basic nature of wooden toys is that they will change their shape as soon as you get them in too much contact with water. The wooden material swells up and as a result, it starts changing its shape very fast.

Not only that, too much swelling will ensure that there are cracks or damages and even the beautiful painting can get wiped out.

There is a chance that with more moisture retention the amount of fungal or bacterial growth in the toy just shoots high.

Avoid drenching the toy in buckets of water. If the wood swells once, it is next to impossible that you get it back in normal shape.

All of us know that water is not the ideal cleaning agent for wood because of the obvious chemical reactions. Hence avoid much contact.

● Occasionally Moisturise

As much as it is important to clean the wooden toys, it is equally mandatory to replenish them as well. All of us probably have a constructive answer to how to clean baby toys but very few would know how one can moisturize the wooden ones.

No, you do not use your regular body lotion! Every now and then it is vital to add a lubricant and massage the toy well to avoid any kind of building cracks.

The best options for this purpose are olive oil and even beeswax polish. There are a number of online platforms which have brought about great organic options when it comes to olive oil or even beeswax.

Unlike the other options, these are completely organic in nature and do not contain any kind of hard chemical substances which can change the nature of the wood.

Is it Necessary to sanitize the wooden toys?

There are numerous parents who love to choose wooden toys for their kids. Not only that but choosing wooden Montessori shelves is also a common practice.

In that case, to take care of the hygiene particularly in today’s time, it is important to clean them up regularly. However wood does have some Poignant antibacterial properties itself and hence cleaning them just once in a couple of weeks should do the trick.

We have already mentioned a viable concoction and you can just sprinkle it on the surface and clean it with a damp cloth. Sometimes even there are a few stains that develop on wooden toys.

To get rid of these wooden toys you can easily use a mixture of the same vinegar or even apple cider vinegar with water. However in that case the ratio will change and it is advised that you use it in the measurement of 1 :1.

Wooden toys are very much part of our heritage and hence if you maintain them they will surely survive for a longer period of time. Remember that the composition of plastic and wooden toys are not similar and therefore the cleaning procedure is also not the same.

There are quite a few sites online that will provide you with great options for wooden Montessori educational toys. Keeping them clean and ensuring a bit of carefulness can automatically serve you for a longer period of time. Not only that, wooden toys are a great option because they are non-toxic. Not only are they great for your little one’s health, but they are also good for mother nature. Try to make choices that are more sustainable and they will always have a great outcome in the future.